JC / Railbird

UK

AF (After Frankel)

Considering what’s ahead, post-Champions Day 2012:

Enthusiasts will have to return to the humdrum of an annual champion who was the best of his group but ultimately beatable on an off day and certainly no Frankel; a return to championship races which are open to more than one horse; to speculative punting instead of money-laundering on 1-20 shots, to a time of oligopoly instead of monopoly, and to a time when valid debates can be held over who is the ‘best’ horse in a given year.

Also an apt description of the America scene since November 6, 2010.

Posted in Racing on October 16, 2012 / Tagged Champions, Champions Day, Frankel, Great Horses, International, UK

Frankel Gallops

Have a look:

Of course, the footage is not terrific and we don’t know much more than that Frankel is still alive and a bit faster than Midsummer Sun. Still, you have now seen as much as those gallop-watchers who fell out of bed at 5.30am, which is pretty satisfying. Plus, you get to watch it while glugging coffee and munching donuts, instead of being exposed to Siberian winds across the blasted heath.

The video:

More! Photos from the gallop.

This morning’s work went about as you’d expect: “Everything went very well, it was a good bit of work and we were all very happy. It’s so far, so good.”

Ten days until Frankel’s final start.

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10/11/12 Addendum: How great is Frankel? “Watching Frankel do his thing is almost like watching a driver dominate a Formula 1 race, or Michael Johnson run the 400 meters.”

Posted in Racing on October 10, 2012 / Tagged Champions Day, Frankel, Gallops, International, Newmarket, UK, Workouts

Forty-Two Years

Greg Wood reflects on Coolmore, Camelot, and the Triple Crown:

Racing has changed since Nijinsky won the Triple Crown and Magnier has probably done as much as anyone alive to change it. Nor is there anything that Camelot can do on Saturday afternoon to bring the old days back. But the fact that he is running in the St Leger at all shows that, even now, there are still precious moments in the billion-dollar business of international Flat racing when the money is secondary to the sport.

9/15/12 Addendum: Forty-three years. Encke outruns Camelot.

Posted in Racing on September 14, 2012 / Tagged Camelot, Coolmore, Encke, International, St. Leger, Triple Crown, UK