The 3-1 about Vinnie is a very fair price in ‘his’ race
A whopping 21 were left in the contest on Monday and, at that stage, it was a race full of imponderables.
This might come, that was being considered, Aidan O’Brien’s were ‘possibles’, and so on. But, bar Hurricane Ivan completely losing the plot, the absolute certainty is Vinnie Roe will face the starter.
This is Vinnie Roe’s race, he’s the only horse to win it three times, and there are sound reasons for believing him well capable of another success.
Some have pointed to the fact that, as a six-year-old, he is beginning to get on in years. But there’s no evidence of any lessening of abilities.
Admittedly, Dermot Weld’s colt got beaten over a mile and a half at Leopardstown last time, but throughout his life has been vulnerable at that trip.
In the end the fast finishing Vinnie Roe only went down by a neck to the Mark Prescott 4lbs receiving Foreign Affairs. Has Foreign Affairs run since? Well, yes, actually, at a place called Taby in Sweden last Sunday. He contested a Group Three, worth a little over 31,000 sterling to the winner.
Just as at Leopardstown, he tried to make all, but was collared in the final stride and beaten a short head by a six-year-old gelding named Collier Hill. Make of that what you will! Brian Boru appears set to carry the main flag for Ballydoyle, but you would have to say last year’s English Leger winner hasn’t really progressed in the manner hoped for this season.
His latest effort saw him get beaten a length and a half by David Elsworth’s Gold Medalist in a Group Two at Deauville in France.
I’ve never seen that race, but it does seem as if this was another Jamie Spencer got wrong.
The English Form Book says of Brian Boru: “ridden and ran on but pinned on the rail behind the winner in the final 150 yards.”
Was that race any good anyway? After all, Gold Medalist went to France last Sunday and finished fifth of eight behind Westerner in a Group Three at Longchamp.
Of course it would be quite wrong to be overly dogmatic about the likely outcome of this classic until we know the exact make-up of the race this morning.
The word from the Curragh yesterday is that no less than six English challengers have been booked in for the weekend for the Leger challenge. They are Alcazar, First Charter, Jagger (Declan McDonogh), Orange Touch, The Whistling Teal and Dubai Sunrise (Michae Hills).
Nevertheless, I remain convinced that 3-1 Vinnie Roe is decent value.
SUNDAY’S Racing Post told us the story of Doyen in the betting ring for Saturday’s Baileys’ Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
It reported, opened 9-10, touched evens, lodging at 4-5. On television, Brian Gleeson interviewed the face of Chronicle Racing, Justin Carty.
He informed the viewers that he laid an even €100,000 Doyen. Indeed, RTE actually showed Doyen at evens at one stage in their betting.
So, riddle me this, how come evens was never communicated to the betting offices by SIS? There’s probably a perfectly plausible explanation, but you’d like to hear it all the same! For me Azamour was a shock winner, not even 20-1 shot Norse Dancer, who finished second, would have been as big a surprise.
The word on Azamour, on the lead-up to the race, was poor. Everyone on the exchanges seemed to want to lay him in the morning and a returned price of 8-1 told it’s own story.
Having said that, however, many of us have to hold our hands up and admit we were swept away by Dettori’s enthusiasm for Doyen.
Barry Dennis made Doyen his Bismarck on the Morning Line on Channel 4. Dennis reasoned that the last time Dettori was so bullish about a horse was Kheleyf at Royal Ascot last year.
Kheleyf only managed a well beaten second, after leaving the gates at 8-13. “I’ve been living in a cabin ever since”, quipped Dennis.
It was said tongue in cheek, needless to say, but we all got the drift.
Remarkable that Grey Swallow seemed to find the ten furlongs all too short. He now seems a pure mile and a half colt and, with cut in the ground virtually guaranteed, is there any other horse you would rather be on for the ’Arc?
