Tony Keenan casts his eye over the Classic action at The Curragh — and the rest of July’s highlights
To figure out the winner of the Irish Derby at the Curragh on July 1 one has to try to make sense out of the beautiful chaos that was the English equivalent. Eighteen horses went to post for that race, a field size more akin to Churchill Downs than Epsom, and there was a lot going on; it needed a number of replays to draw any conclusions from the race. That’s the sort of difficult conundrum that some punters will give up on all too quickly but that difficulty can produce betting value as some of those in the market have not been willing to dig deeply enough.
One feature of the three Group 1s at the Epsom meeting was how poorly some of the runners handled the course but one horse that seemed totally at home was the Derby winner Wings Of Eagles which is a reason why he may not back the form up at a more conventional track. When we couple that with the general surprise at his win from connections post-race – and this is an operation that tends to get their colts pretty right in terms of pecking order – further doubts start creeping in. Nor is his overall profile convincing; this is a horse that has won twice in six starts and returned starting prices of 7/1, 5/2, 10/1, 33/1, 8/1 and famously 40/1; Ballydoyle get them wrong now and then but rarely to such a degree. He was the best horse on the day at Epsom which is backed up by sectional times and he did meet some trouble in running but I doubt he’ll prove the best in time.
Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av Racing Ahead.
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Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av Racing Ahead.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tragedy Hits Racing Family - Nick Townsend reels from shock attack on John Hunt's wife and daughters
Nick Townsend reels from shock attack on John Hunt's wife and daughters. I will be far from alone in recent days in being overcome by emotions ranging from utter disbelief to revulsion upon hearing of the unspeakable acts perpetrated upon John Hunt's family, resulting in the death of his wife Carol and daughters, Hannah and Louise.
AUDIENCE IS ERUPTING
John Anthony reveals the latest top speedsters after another Glorious Goodwood
HORSE OF A LIFETIME
Graham Buddry pays fresh tribute to track legend Sea The Stars - surely one of the greatest ever
IT'S TIME TO TAKE STOCK
Paul Jacobs looks forward to seeing some big on-track questions answered
PLAYING TO THE WHISTLE
lan Heitman flies about to keep pace with a rush of two-year-old Flat action
WINNING JOY ON A BUDGET
Richard Eagle takes a trip to Windsor to check out peoples' route into the port of kings
GIFT HORSES AND FRENCH LESSONS
Robert Cooper finds 'retirement' is keeping him busy
FEUD GETS THE PARTY ROLLING
Karl Hedley savours the Galway Festival action and picks out the summer highlights at Ballybrit
ROCKING THE MONEY BAGS
Simon Nott reveals his recent experiences from trips to Brighton and Ascot
FLYING EVE'S BORN TO WIN
Nick Townsend talks to in-form trainer Eve Johnson Houghton