Another Nunthorpe nose at York!
Well that was just too tense for words.
Not the race. But the wait for the result of the photo in the Nunthorpe. And that was just for us fans. Imagine being involved with the two horses who were so close at the line?
In the end Alpha Delphini was the victor by the smallest of margins from the gallant Mabs Cross.
Battash was expected to win with Blue Point his closest pursuer. But the thing about sport is that it is unscripted. We do not know what will happen next and two of the lesser lights of the training ranks, Bryan Smart and Michael Dods, (who both had form winning big sprinting prizes) had their horses primed for the day.
It was a shame that there had to be a loser and many thought a dead-heat was a distinct possibility. What a brilliant race.
York has matched anything we’ve seen at Ascot and Goodwood
And this week at York has matched anything we have seen at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood. In my humble opinion obviously.
Roaring Lion proved himself to be the top three year old colt over middle distances. Although I am not sure he truly gets a mile and a half.
But his record over ten furlongs (or thereabouts) is three runs and three wins. The only race in which he finished out of the frame was the 2000 Guineas and he has been in front of Saxon Warrior on the three occasions they have met since.
He has a powerful weapon in that he has acceleration and when he kicks it is like Seb Coe coming off the top bend (young people need to check history books for the reference). It is usually decisive.
The Irish Champion Stakes and the equivalent race at Ascot must surely be the targets.
Sea Of Class looked a class above (see what I did there) in the Yorkshire Oaks and as I thought she came on again after the Irish Oaks. And I can see her getting better. I think she went early at York but she was travelling so well that James Doyle had to let her go.
She is 4/1 for the Arc but would need to be supplemented. Her versus Enable would be something I would want to watch.
Not the headline act
It comes to something when a horse who has just won a £1 million bonus is not the headline act. Such has been the quality on show that Stradivarius only joins us now.
He was not at his best in the Lonsdale Cup but he was as game as a pebble (as a friend of mine was keen on saying) in getting past Count Octave. He is only a littl’un but he showed he has a huge heart.
There will some party at the Gosden stable after that especially with the stable staff sharing £75,000.
