1 Results Found For: August 2018

6th August 2018

It is a ridiculous amount of time since I last blethered. There are, of course, no end of things to write about at this time of year but I find it extrememely difficult to set aside any time at all to allocate to this. I cannot  say that I am working every minute of every day but there is an endless ‘to do’ list and blethering very rarely seems to find its way to the top. Even now, I am trying to fit this in, sentance at a time, between other tasks.

One thing I have found time for is watching last week’s Vintage Stakes over and over again. I really don’t think I have watched a race so many times since Mister Baileys won the Guineas back it 1994. I still can’t believe it. It was such an incredible performance.

In this morning’s Racing Post, Simon Turner rates it ‘the most taking juvenile performance’ of the week but tempers his comments by saying that ‘the pace of the Group 2 prize clearly favoured those coming from off the pace’. Did it? I’m not sure. The second placed horse hit the front with two furlongs to go; the third came from well back but started his run long before Dark Vision; and the fourth was in mid-field from the bend. I think it was just such an extraordinary performance that we are all looking for ways to explain it.

Only time will tell whether the field comes up to the usual standard for this Group 2 event but there is little doubt that the winner was far and away the best horse in the race. Our previous winners of the Vintage Stakes, Mister Baileys, Lucky Story and Shamardal all went on to be top class and Dark Vision was as impressive as any of them.

 

Staff Area