Dylan Thomas, Finsceal Beo
 

among the top quality card at the Curragh today. Wish I could go.. I was there yesterday for some classy racing. Hoping for more of the same today.. It's been raining on and off all morning here so it will make the ground slower than yesterday (when some of the times were extremely quick!). I think Alexander Tango has a great chance in the 1000 to upset the top 2 in the market. Her form ties in very well with the best colts.. Ive been tempted by Notnowcato as his Sandown race was rated very very highly which makes me have to look at him)

What do you think the ground will be like today? I think Finsceal will struggle with the rain around.

Anymore rain and i think Treat will have a brilliant chance of reversing the form.

I actually can't fancy Alexander Tango at all, i think she has plenty to find on all known form and the rain will definitley not help her, because i'm still not sure if she really sees out a strongly run mile.

Yeah, Im in the process of trying to do my jackpot bet and Im thinking of leaving out Finsceal and Arch Swing for Treat and Alexander Tango. While Alexander may need quicker ground, Im dont think she was quite right at Ascot in the Fillies Mile and will give her another chance.. I like the look of Treat esp with the ground, but I may have to hold off to see how bad or good the ground actually is.. It was very quick yesterday so It shouldnt be worse than good.. Do you give Notnow a chance??

Notnow beats Dylan. great race.. Dylan just couldnt get by him.. Youmzain 3rd a fair bit behind..

The living legend lives up to her name.. Irish and English Guineas... super filly... brilliant..

Just caught that, really nice.

Lovely this filly!

Thrilled for Cato! It's about time he got a nice win. :)

Cato held up the Judmonte form of last year. Not quite sure what to make of Dylan's performance..... i mean, he ran well but he is surely better than Notnowcato, isn't he? Or is Cato still improving year on year?

The ground didn't look too soft there today, so you can't really put that up as a strong excuse. Maybe he has to have top of the ground? But if that is the case then we can't call him a superstar anymore, because very good horses should be able to handle all ground conditions.

What did you thin, brockguy?

yeah i really dont know what to make of the race.. Dylan should have won but every theory I have seems let down. I thought he looked a little reluctant to pass Notnow and didnt look like a straighforward ride but he has showed battling qualities before...the ground was still on the fast side of good.. the rain might have just been enough for Notnow but if as I thought Dylan was going to be a 130+ horse this year, he should have been good enough to win it. Im disappointed with him but is Notnow another big Stoute older horse.. He was short of fitness first time out but the race was rated very highly so... It must leave Red Rocks in a very strong position (though he already had a run before that Sandown race).. I was bemused by Hughes on Youmzain he went up past Dylan mid race then waited til DT went past him to pick up.. He says that he idles in front but I would have liked for him to challenge early and try to make his proven stamina count.. Im still hopeful for him.. Its a great year for older horses in Europe this year no doubt..

I've come to the conclusion that Dylan is probably slightly overrated by many people (me included) and that Notnowcato is majorly underrated by many (again, me included).

On form yesterday's performance was DT's career best effort, which seems strange at first but then you think of how weak the races he has won have been, and how far it was back to the third yesterday, who himself if a group one winner and placed horse.

NNC has to be looked up to now, no question.

As far as Richard Hughes is concerned, is it a pre requisite to be a useless jockey to be named Richard........ Hughes, Hills and Johnson!

i find it somewhat amusing that we constantly have talk over here about the distance between the tc races, and that filly ran, then ran and lost by a head a week later, and now ran back and won this one....the trainer said he'd like them to space the races two weeks apart for all three--whole different world over there!

Jim Bolger her trainer is certainly a man who will run them if they're fit.. his colt Creachadoir who came 2nd to Cockney Rebel was having his 6th race in just 2 months. Finsceal is just a brilliant tough mare.. though there were many who over here who criticised the owner and trainer for attempting the feat...

if fit, why not run? isn't that the point?!

well certainly if they can take the racing.. some horses just wouldnt be able to run up to or near to form in 3 G1s within 3 weeks (Imagine Discreet Cat doing that!!) but the person who knows the horse the best - the trainer wouldnt want to ruin a potentially top class horse.. I commend him for the effort.. they tried for something that seemed impossible and had to settle for something that has only been done once before (1st in English/Irish Guineas) when Attraction did it in 2004!

oh absolutely it depends on the horse--and having a trainer who knows the horse. they don't all need breaks between, i wish that wasn't such a given anymore.