Duke Of Marmalade vs New Approach.... it's on

[brockguy]

New Approach out to 5/2, I would just so love to see him win. I just hope Manning has his A game with him today..

[brockguy]

Duke wins his 5th G1 of the year - Phoenix Tower 2nd denied again - will he ever get one - New Approach ran on for 3rd, never really settled and was under pressure from a long way out..

[NoChanceToDance]

I'm not really sure to make of New Approach anymore. Maybe a bit rusty after the break, ground too fast?

I would have really fancied him at york on soft ground.

But to get weight from Phoenix Tower and not beat him, it's disappointing.

[jaripeo]

THE RACE IS OVER BUT I JUST READ THIS.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

With the Travers and the Pacific Classic in the record books (and yes, there will be more on the Pacific Classic later this week), it's nearly time to turn our attention to the Woodward, which will feature a certain horse named Curlin. But before we look ahead to the weekend, let's examine the storm brewing across the pond over Ballydoyle's alleged employment of team tactics.

On the face of it, it would seem that the Aidan O'Brien-trained horses don't need to do much more beyond simply turning up – their most recent notable victory over the past weekend saw Duke of Marmalade (pictured) collect his fifth Group 1 victory of the year, equaling the records of earlier Ballydoyle stars (and current Coolmore stallions) Rock of Gibraltar and Giant's Causeway.

Yet some are concerned there is more at work here than simply the best horse winning; a number of times over the past few years, Team Ballydoyle has been accused playing the game rather less than fairly. The British racing rules define the infraction as follows:

Rule 153 (iv) states that a rider shall not "make a manoeuvre in a race in the interests of another horse in common ownership or under common control or from the same stable or team, whether or not such a manoeuvre caused interference or caused his horse to fail to achieve its best possible placing".

Of course, whether or not it's the real thing (or whether the stewards catch it) is debatable; a charge of team tactics after a poor outcome for a Godolphin horse led to considerable bad feeling between Aidan O'Brien and jockey Frankie Dettori in 2006:

O'Brien is less likely to hanker after Dettori, however, after his childish complaints about "team tactics" at Ascot on Saturday. The Italian goaded the stewards into a 14-day suspension for Seamus Heffernan, who rode another Ballydoyle colt in George Washington's race.

The Guardian has been bringing the issue up all summer; first, taking the view that the multiple Ballydoyle entries in major races may lead to suspicion, even if there's nothing particularly nefarious afoot:

Pacemakers are good for top-class racing, particularly when it comes to preserving stamina in the breed. They help to ensure that 12-furlong races are won by proper 12-furlong horses.

But does anyone need three or four? O'Brien leaves nothing to chance, which is one reason why he has achieved so much. This, though, may be one of those times when you can have too much of a good thing.

Duke of Marmalade's International Stakes win brought the topic back up to the surface, with Lydia Hislop arguing that the use of team tactics was precisely what was going on:

So why was that rule not applied to the moment when Colm O'Donoghue, the rider on pace-setting Red Rock Canyon, eased away from the rail to leave a Duke Of Marmalade-sized hole up his inside? It was a gap Johnny Murtagh immediately asked that horse to fill, as the shortest route to a fifth consecutive Group One win.

O'Donoghue's driving instructor may have watched the race with some satisfaction: it was copybook execution of Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre. Nearing the half-mile pole, he looked over his left shoulder. Clearly, for his purposes, it was safe to go but, like a careful driver, he also checked over his right once the manoeuvre was complete.

Had O'Brien and O'Donoghue been summoned to account by the stewards, they might have argued that Red Rock Canyon peeled off the rail due to hanging under pressure, rather than by the will of his jockey, who was looking around to try to avoid hampering others as his horse weakened.

…

Yet leaving an inquiry uncalled and allowing the reverberations to echo freely may turn out best - by chance - for the British Horseracing Authority. For Murtagh has since been quoted ascribing clear intent to O'Donoghue's actions. "I was always going to follow Colm," he said. "I didn't want to start worrying about other horses. I just wanted to worry about myself and Colm and I said to him, 'when you get to the four marker, just ease off and give me the passage through'. It's what Ballydoyle's all about."

This provides the BHA with an opportunity to advise Team O'Brien that such tactics breach the rules of racing. Given that Saturday's manoeuvre merely ceded an advantage to Duke Of Marmalade, rather than materially improving his finishing position - Phoenix Tower had every chance, once chiselled out of his Ballydoyle coffin - O'Brien can expect a private letter rather than a retrospective inquiry.

So it sounds as though the matter will rumble on, fueled by equal parts jealousy and dodgy-looking finishes (and good luck proving what's going on in either direction) – but it will be intriguing to see if Henrythenavigator does indeed come to contest the Breeders' Cup Classic – and who else might be coupled with him.

One of America's most successful (and legit) rabbits, Shake the Bank, is running in a race all by his lonesome at Presque Isle on Thursday - here's hoping he's allowed to win, for once!

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by jaripeo

THE RACE IS OVER BUT I JUST READ THIS.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

With the Travers and the Pacific Classic in the record books (and yes, there will be more on the Pacific Classic later this week), it's nearly time to turn our attention to the Woodward, which will feature a certain horse named Curlin. But before we look ahead to the weekend, let's examine the storm brewing across the pond over Ballydoyle's alleged employment of team tactics.

On the face of it, it would seem that the Aidan O'Brien-trained horses don't need to do much more beyond simply turning up – their most recent notable victory over the past weekend saw Duke of Marmalade (pictured) collect his fifth Group 1 victory of the year, equaling the records of earlier Ballydoyle stars (and current Coolmore stallions) Rock of Gibraltar and Giant's Causeway.

Yet some are concerned there is more at work here than simply the best horse winning; a number of times over the past few years, Team Ballydoyle has been accused playing the game rather less than fairly. The British racing rules define the infraction as follows:

Rule 153 (iv) states that a rider shall not "make a manoeuvre in a race in the interests of another horse in common ownership or under common control or from the same stable or team, whether or not such a manoeuvre caused interference or caused his horse to fail to achieve its best possible placing".

Of course, whether or not it's the real thing (or whether the stewards catch it) is debatable; a charge of team tactics after a poor outcome for a Godolphin horse led to considerable bad feeling between Aidan O'Brien and jockey Frankie Dettori in 2006:

O'Brien is less likely to hanker after Dettori, however, after his childish complaints about "team tactics" at Ascot on Saturday. The Italian goaded the stewards into a 14-day suspension for Seamus Heffernan, who rode another Ballydoyle colt in George Washington's race.

The Guardian has been bringing the issue up all summer; first, taking the view that the multiple Ballydoyle entries in major races may lead to suspicion, even if there's nothing particularly nefarious afoot:

Pacemakers are good for top-class racing, particularly when it comes to preserving stamina in the breed. They help to ensure that 12-furlong races are won by proper 12-furlong horses.

But does anyone need three or four? O'Brien leaves nothing to chance, which is one reason why he has achieved so much. This, though, may be one of those times when you can have too much of a good thing.

Duke of Marmalade's International Stakes win brought the topic back up to the surface, with Lydia Hislop arguing that the use of team tactics was precisely what was going on:

So why was that rule not applied to the moment when Colm O'Donoghue, the rider on pace-setting Red Rock Canyon, eased away from the rail to leave a Duke Of Marmalade-sized hole up his inside? It was a gap Johnny Murtagh immediately asked that horse to fill, as the shortest route to a fifth consecutive Group One win.

O'Donoghue's driving instructor may have watched the race with some satisfaction: it was copybook execution of Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre. Nearing the half-mile pole, he looked over his left shoulder. Clearly, for his purposes, it was safe to go but, like a careful driver, he also checked over his right once the manoeuvre was complete.

Had O'Brien and O'Donoghue been summoned to account by the stewards, they might have argued that Red Rock Canyon peeled off the rail due to hanging under pressure, rather than by the will of his jockey, who was looking around to try to avoid hampering others as his horse weakened.

…

Yet leaving an inquiry uncalled and allowing the reverberations to echo freely may turn out best - by chance - for the British Horseracing Authority. For Murtagh has since been quoted ascribing clear intent to O'Donoghue's actions. "I was always going to follow Colm," he said. "I didn't want to start worrying about other horses. I just wanted to worry about myself and Colm and I said to him, 'when you get to the four marker, just ease off and give me the passage through'. It's what Ballydoyle's all about."

This provides the BHA with an opportunity to advise Team O'Brien that such tactics breach the rules of racing. Given that Saturday's manoeuvre merely ceded an advantage to Duke Of Marmalade, rather than materially improving his finishing position - Phoenix Tower had every chance, once chiselled out of his Ballydoyle coffin - O'Brien can expect a private letter rather than a retrospective inquiry.

So it sounds as though the matter will rumble on, fueled by equal parts jealousy and dodgy-looking finishes (and good luck proving what's going on in either direction) – but it will be intriguing to see if Henrythenavigator does indeed come to contest the Breeders' Cup Classic – and who else might be coupled with him.

One of America's most successful (and legit) rabbits, Shake the Bank, is running in a race all by his lonesome at Presque Isle on Thursday - here's hoping he's allowed to win, for once!

There's no coupling in the BC so this writer can stop his whining.

[brockguy]

and even if say Red Rock Canyon entered the Classic as a rabbit, I would doubt he would be quick enough out of the stalls to make the lead and make an impact..

regarding the New Approach Duke rematch, I think the key here is what they do with New Approach..Bolger could run a pacemaker as well in an attempt to negate Coolmores or New Approach could lay just upsides the pacemaker and try to get in the way of Duke and Red Rock Canyon.

[jaripeo]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

There's no coupling in the BC so this writer can stop his whining.

Are you missing something?. The argument still on ¿?.
Only the Blinds may see

The Guardian has been bringing the issue up all summer; first, taking the view that the multiple Ballydoyle entries in major races may lead to suspicion, even if there's nothing particularly nefarious afoot:

Pacemakers are good for top-class racing, particularly when it comes to preserving stamina in the breed. They help to ensure that 12-furlong races are won by proper 12-furlong horses.

But does anyone need three or four? O'Brien leaves nothing to chance, which is one reason why he has achieved so much. This, though, may be one of those times when you can have too much of a good thing.

Duke of Marmalade's International Stakes win brought the topic back up to the surface, with Lydia Hislop arguing that the use of team tactics was precisely what was going on:

[my miss storm cat]

Just to keep up to date, LINNGARI to the Topkapi Trophy in Turkey.

[jaripeo]

Originally Posted by jaripeo

Are you missing something?. The argument still on ¿?.
Only the Blinds may see

The Guardian has been bringing the issue up all summer; first, taking the view that the multiple Ballydoyle entries in major races may lead to suspicion, even if there's nothing particularly nefarious afoot:

Pacemakers are good for top-class racing, particularly when it comes to preserving stamina in the breed. They help to ensure that 12-furlong races are won by proper 12-furlong horses.

But does anyone need three or four? O'Brien leaves nothing to chance, which is one reason why he has achieved so much. This, though, may be one of those times when you can have too much of a good thing.

Duke of Marmalade's International Stakes win brought the topic back up to the surface, with Lydia Hislop arguing that the use of team tactics was precisely what was going on:

THE LAND OF MAKEBELIVE

O'BRIEN & O'DONOGHUE TO FACE JUDDMONTE ENQUIRY
Following a week of intense
scrutiny by the British media, the British Horseracing
Authority has announced it will ask trainer Aidan
O'Brien and jockey Colm O'Donoghue to face a disciplinary
panel with regard to possible breaches of the
>team tactics= rule during the running of the
G1 Juddmonte International at Newmarket Aug. 23.
"We have completed the review process and written to
Aidan O'Brien and Colm O'Donoghue confirming that
they will need to appear before the Disciplinary Panel in
connection with a possible breach of Rule 153(iv) in the
Juddmonte International, said the BHA's Paul Struthers.
"We are obviously conscious of the interest this will
generate, but, having reviewed the video and read
comments attributed to Johnny Murtagh in the press, it
was felt that a formal enquiry into the incident had to
be held. This will ensure that the matter is considered
thoroughly, fairly and openly. This is the first time we
have reviewed a race for a possible breach of >team
tactics' since the rules changed in 2007, and we are
satisfied that there has been no other race where an
enquiry should have been held. I would also like to
make clear that there is no possibility of the result of
the Juddmonte International being affected." The race,
which was won by Ballydoyle star Duke of Marmalade
(Ire) (Danehill), sparked debate which questioned the
riding performance of O'Donoghue aboard Red Rock
Canyon (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) as well as subsequent
press comments attributed to winning jockey
Johnny Murtagh.

ITS CLEAR....... THEY WILL NOT DO NOTHING .