So You Think clearly has it all to do in Eclipse
He placed all of the blame on himself and indicated that a horse regarded as the second coming - at Ballydoyle - had gone to the meeting essentially undercooked.
It was an amazing admission from a trainer whose ability to get it absolutely spot-on for the big day is almost legendary. If one needs any evidence of the man’s genius then you only have to refer to Fame And Glory in the Ascot Gold Cup.
We forecast here that the Fame And Glory, who had previously scrambled to two victories in Ireland, would bear no resemblance to the horse who would appear at the Royal meeting.
That was clearly the case and, repeatedly, O’Brien has got the timing exactly right. And that is why his comments, regarding So You Think, took a lot of swallowing. Of course, he was speaking in the immediate aftermath of the Prince Of Wales and, an hour or so later, might have a different view, or at least have toned down his views.
So You Think was a wonder horse in Australia and, reading between the lines, was considered - based on his homework - a potential champion at Ballydoyle as well.
O’Brien, who is always hugely courteous and helpful to the press, doesn’t talk to scribes on the phone any more.
Nothing has changed when he attends meetings and he gives the press all of the time in the world to enable them to do their job.
The new way for Ballydoyle to inform the public is for O’Brien’s wife, Annemarie, to use twitter.
Indeed, she tweeted on the lead-in to Ascot when describing a So You Think gallop at Ballydoyle.
Apparently, he went some 15 lengths clear of his lead horse and she ended her offering by using the word “phew”.’
It was great stuff but, added to the sense of invincibility surrounding So You Think, his failure to resist the late surge of Rewilding was a shock - at least in some quarters.
In any case, I think it is fair to say that Aidan’s remarks to the BBC were generally greeted with scepticism and were based more on a sense of disbelief, rather than the fact So You Think simply wasn’t good enough.
This week Annemarie tweeted that the horse will now head to next Saturday’s Eclipse at Sandown and a battle with Workforce.
And that will tell us if Aidan’s BBC comments were ridiculous, or on the money to such an extent that the sceptics will not be able to shuffle up the drainpipe fast enough!
The bare Ascot form tells us So You Think is very talented, but a fair way short of what we had really been programmed to expect.
If that’s as good as he is then he will not beat Workforce. Rewilding was rated a 121 horse at Ascot, while Workforce was 128 when beating Poet on his seasonal reappearance in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown.
Workforce has only run six times in his life and already has victories in the Epsom Derby and the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp to his credit.
He is a much better horse than Rewilding and that’s a measure of the task which will face So You Think.
Logic tells us there can only be one result.
But you have got to be encouraged that So You Think is set to return to action so quickly. Here’s one who won’t fall off his chair if he stuffs Workforce.
THERE is much speculation as to who will replace Ryan Moore aboard So You Think in the Eclipse, with the brilliant rider due to be claimed for Workforce.
Paddy Power opened a book on it earlier in the week and it certainly made for unpleasant viewing.
They bet: 6-4 Fallon, 5-2 Spencer, 3-1 Soumillon, 6-1 Murtagh, 8-1 Peslier, 10-1 Heffernan, 14-1 Barzalona, 16-1 Arnold, O’Donoghue, Smullen.
That comes to about 150%, which is excessive by some 40%. They wanted the publicity, but were unwilling to play the game properly.
It’s not good enough.
SURELY it is time for the Turf Club to adopt a far more professional system when it comes to going reports.
The state of the surface is of paramount importance to punters, who are being consistently short-changed and have little faith in what they are currently being told.
Limerick a week last night was a complete joke, with the ground given as good before racing.
The world and its mother knew, watching the first contest, that such a description was totally misleading.
It was soon changed to yielding to soft, soft in the straight. There is a mountain of difference between that and good and it is just not on.
