New Zealand Racing, 2010-11

[_ed_]

Great, thanks for that.

Awesome racing down in Hamilton today. So happy I went down to watch it.

Sarten Memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBZoeXMnFcs
Lovely big chestnut filly We Can Say It Now beats the boys. She's a daughter of Starcraft, and she's only had four starts for two wins. She's 7-1 now for the 2000 Guineas and 2-1 favourite for the 1000 Guineas.

Banchee ran a bad race, but I think you can forget she ran. She flipped over in the gates. The vet cleared her as fit to run, but I think she was only fit physically - she seemed pretty stressed by the whole thing, so you can forgive her for not doing her best here.

But wait till you see this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PetkprE1UZ0
He's...sensational! So brilliant, and so easy.

He's 3-2 now for the 2000 Guineas - so he'll probably start at the shortest price in a long time. And why not? He's SO remarkable.

[_ed_]

Quote from trainer Roger James about HR...

"All the winners today have raced from on or near the pace but he's come from back in the field to defy the pattern. I think we saw a special horse in the making today. He changes gears, and only the good ones do that. We haven't seen him go the distance he's bred to go yet, and he's still learning. I've put a lot of pressure on myself and the horse, because I haven't kept it a secret, but I haven't been this excited about a horse since Zonda."


Apart from Sunline, Zonda's the best horse I've seen here in NZ.

[my miss storm cat]

Wow I just watched the replay...

He lives up to his name!

[_ed_]

And he came back afterwards like he hadn't even had a race. He was throwing his head all over the place and prancing around. Amazing athlete.

He reminds me a lot of Xcellent. He looks a bit like him, they're both sons of Pentire, and he has that same powerful acceleration. I'm sure they'd be happy if he ended up being half as good, but they sound pretty confident he's something a bit special.

His main target is the Derby. Maybe he can be the first horse since 1990 to win both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby.

[_ed_]

Odds for the 2000 Guineas (6 Nov):

Barside 26.00
Cellarmaster 8.00
Charma 16.00
Down Town 101.00
Encosta Diablo 26.00
Flash Hapi 81.00
Galaxy Star 101.00
Go Go Dingo 126.00
Hammer Down 10.00
He's Remarkable 3.00
Hoofit 21.00
Icepin 31.00
Jetset Lad 101.00
Jimmy Choux 8.00
Maradona 26.00
Mr O'Ceirin 51.00
Pericles 151.00
Rememba Howe 26.00
Santos 41.00
Sweet Suitor 16.00
The Prince 101.00
Twilight Savings 12.00
Undisclosed 26.00
Upsala 81.00
We Are Royal 126.00
We Can Say It Now 6.00
Zennista 16.00

HR still a hot favourite. I think Jimmy, Cellarmaster and Hammer Down should all be a bit lower, and Upsala at 80 is crazy.

[my miss storm cat]

He is remarkable but I think he's beatable... I think he might lose once or twice before becoming the champion he looks to be.

I'm picking Jimmy to win (and will root for Upsala even if...).

(As of right now anyway).

Encosta Diablo... why do I remember that name? Did he once have a fantastic win or something?

[_ed_]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

Encosta Diablo... why do I remember that name? Did he once have a fantastic win or something?

He did! He won a big 2yo stakes race last November. He was undefeated as a 2yo, but hasn't been so great so far this season - two defeats in a row in minor stakes company.

He's also beautifully bred - half-brother to G1 winner Vapour Trail and G2 winner Santagostino.

He'd have a chance at his best, but he's not running well enough at the moment.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by _ed_

He reminds me a lot of Xcellent.

Oh wow I didn't see this till now.

The highest complement.