Spinner success on the Lazarus scale of comebacks
The first was the decision by the stewards to ‘award’ Kevin Manning a suspension of five days for his use of the whip on New Approach, after the duo had combined to win the Dewhurst.
Seriously, if you backed New Approach wouldn’t you have felt like grabbing Manning, hoisting him high on your shoulders and carrying him round the track as if he had just scored the winning goal in an All-Ireland. Manning doesn’t enjoy the same sort of cult status as the likes of say Kinane, Fallon, Dettori or Murtagh, but is ruthlessly efficient and rarely makes a mistake.
Put simply, he gets the job done and was at his strongest when driving New Approach to a hard-earned half a length success over Fast Company.
For most of that seven furlongs, it looked highly unlikely the horse would deliver. He was asleep for much of the trip and Manning had to force him to dig deep to even get competitive.
The pilot had no choice but to throw everything at New Approach, anything else would have been unforgivable. Manning lifted New Approach home and all seemed well with the world. Step forward the stewards, however, the guardians of the sport, and they decided a little holiday was appropriate for the jockey. What a game!
The other Newmarket happening which left you totally bemused was the success of Leg Spinner in the Cesarewitch, the same horse who had disgraced himself previously over hurdles at Listowel.
At Listowel last month, Leg Spinner went off favourite to win a two mile hurdle and trailed in seventh of eight, beaten the proverbial mile behind Kingsmaster.
An odds-on chance at one stage, understandably you could argue, he became uneasy in the ring, and on Betfair as well apparently, close to the off and was returned at 11-10.
Those who wanted to lay the horse near the end had their reward and he ran no sort of race, never threatening to get into the contest, despite a number of reminders from Ruby Walsh.
Having watched the horse through the binoculars at Listowel, I thought he had absolutely no chance in the Cesarewitch.
The surface at Listowel was good to yielding and was given at Newmarket as good to soft, soft in places. Little difference there then.
Anway, couldn’t believe what I was seeing, as Leg Spinner travelled stylishly at Newmarket. He moved beautifully in the final mile and found buckets for Johnny Murtagh when the need was greatest.
There has never been any sort of satisfactory explanation for Listowel. Contrasting that effort with Newmarket was on the Lazarus scale of comebacks! And getting back to New Approach for a minute, what about those offers from brave bookmakers about him for the 2000 Guineas, Derby and Triple Crown? What an insult they are to punters’ intelligence. But, of course, the layers know that the majority of punters aren’t intelligent at all!
You can have around 5-2 for the 2000 Guineas, 4-1 for the Derby and the real beauty, 12-1 for the Triple Crown.
I’d rather back the Irish rugby team to win the championship, beat New Zealand and Eddie O’Sullivan to be still in charge come the next World Cup! Yeah, yeah, I know we’re now taking the piddle-big time.
PAUL CARBERRY remains the only jockey to fail a breathalyser test in this country, at the Galway Festival in the summer.
But ever since that day, or some time afterwards, he has looked like a man reborn. I would contend he is currently riding better than ever.
His performance on Mr Robert at Cork on Sunday had you almost gasping in admiration. The same Mr Robert had taken a crashing fall at the second fence at Punchestown just three days earlier.
But, undaunted, Carberry threw him at the obstacles at Cork and it was exhilarating to watch the pair make all the running.
Carberry, at his best, is exciting. If he stays at the level he’s on right now, this guy is going to have us up out of our seats through the winter.
