Stoute has the last word with Workforce
The Arc is a wonderful spectacle, but attempting to find the winner is often just a waste of time.
It’s the same with the Breeders’ Cup races in America. They are terrific fun, but totally confusing, with European horses taking on the Yanks in their own backward.
No point in trying to solve these puzzles either, not when a 30-runner maiden hurdle round Navan is far more tempting. So, essentially these end-of-season contests demand no more than a passing interest.
But what was different about Workforce’s success was the lead-in to the race and the stubborn refusal of Michael Stoute to play ball with the press. A handful of the British press corps are so full of their own importance that they have a tendency to lose a sense of reality.
All week they sniped at Stoute, as he waited and waited before finally committing Workforce to the race.
The Irish racing press are different. They will go after the story just as hard as their counterparts across the water, but if it doesn’t work then there will no tossing of the toys out of the pram. They realise they are getting paid for what is largely their hobby and fully understand they are involved in one of the great irrelevancies of life, horse racing.
You didn’t have to be a genius to figure out why Stoute took all of the time in the world before eventually revealing that Workforce would indeed head to Paris. Workfore looked a machine when winning the Epsom Derby and then disgraced himself behind stable companion Harbinger in the King George at Ascot in high summer.
After the King George, you wouldn’t have backed him to win the Arc at any price. But Stoute nursed Workforce back to full health and it was remarkable training feat, aided by the inspirational Ryan Moore.
Bruce Millington, editor of the Racing Post, tore into Stoute on the Thursday prior to the Arc. I think this little uttering from Millington, for sheer silliness, is worth repeating. Millington said: “He’s (Stoute) not breaking any rules by keeping schtum, of course.
“Until they make adequate media communication a condition of entry for big races, which they absolutely should, he can maintain radio silence to his heart’s content.”
Now how could you take that seriously?
Stoute stayed silent in the long grass, that was until Workforce strutted his stuff, and then had his say.
His put-down was delicious. Said Stoute: “We didn't want to say we were going and then not go. The punters understand that, they knew where they stood. There were a few little tetchy journalists, but they’ll get over it.”
Quite right Michael.
- THOSE persistent rumours, regarding Johnny Murtagh’s future at Ballydoyle, won’t go away.
The word is that Murtagh hasn’t ridden out at Ballydoyle for many weeks, so is his time as the Ballydoyle-Coolmore number one rapidly drawing to a close?
I haven’t a clue and until someone in authority, at either Ballydoyle or Coolmore, moves to draw a line under the issue then the massive speculation will continue.
Meanwhile, apparently, Murtagh will continue as the number one in just about name only, which has to be draining his confidence and affecting the way he’s riding. Hardly fair, I would suggest.
- THOSE three-year suspensions, given to Eamon Tyrrell and Jason Behan by the BHA the other day were quite extraordinary.
They were done for ‘deliberately preventing Casela Park from winning at Newcastle’ and, having recently looked at the race again, it did appear a particularly bad case.
But three years was madness and it’s just as well that those who handed down the sentences weren’t watching what was going on at Tipperary last Tuesday!
