Ruby Walsh: Torquator Tasso the value in thrilling King George
Torquator Tasso was a shock winner of last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Picture: Healy Racing
In brief, Frankie Dettori and John Gosden had the shortest sabbatical in relationship history. It lasted from Royal Ascot to Newmarket in July, where they reunited and moved on. Still, perhaps the reason for the cooling period will play out this week. Andrea Atzeni replaces Frankie aboard Stradivarius in Tuesday’s Goodwood Cup, so all the bridges haven’t been mended, only just enough to work together.
Frankie didn’t shine on him a few times in the last 12 months, but even the greatest is human. I feel the result on Tuesday could go Frankie’s way and not Stradivarius’s. However, the simple tactic Charlie Swan taught me in my youth, about taking the blame and saying sorry, could have prevented much of the tension in Newmarket. Prevention has always been easier than cure, and I was surprised Frankie got caught, even if he believed he was right.
Moving onto the Curragh and Irish Derby weekend, Paddy Twomey had a breakthrough Group 1 winner with La Petite Coco. However, the disqualification of his other filly, Rosscarbery, from the Pretty Polly, garnered as many headlines.
Her jockey, Wayne Lordan, presented himself to weigh out before the race at what the scales calculated as five pounds too many. He was instructed to remove five pounds and presented himself at the correct weight of 9st 12lb. That weight was recorded and printed by the clerk of the scales, and Paddy Twomey’s team continued about their business of saddling Rosscarbery.
She had been supplemented for the Group 1 race five days earlier at the cost of €30,000 and duly repaid connections by finishing third. However, on returning to the scales, Wayne was five pounds light, and it is this weight — the weighing-in weight — that is considered what a horse carried in a race.
She was duly and correctly disqualified because she raced with 9st 7lb and not 9st 12lb, but connections have lodged an appeal because of the pre-race incident with the scales, and the instruction Wayne was given to remove 5lbs.
However, the eight other runners weighed out and in on the same scales at the correct weight, with the IHRB scale printouts showing Rosscarbery had a five-pound variation.
Nobody can explain how or why, but my money would be on the IHRB upholding the decision of the race day stewards, resulting in Paddy Twomey and connections losing even more money when the appeal costs are added up.
Back across the water, the BHA issued their long-awaited whip review two weeks ago, with the only significant change being the alteration of the whip stroke.
From October, riders can only use the whip in the backhand position i.e. pointing out from under your fingers in the direction of your little finger rather than the forehand, pointing out from between your index finger and thumb.
The response from such a stroke won’t be as immediate or sustained, and riders will gradually become even less reliant on such aids to encourage the maximum from the mounts.
The result will favour the younger, more responsive horses, but everyone who wanted to give their opinion was afforded the opportunity. The disqualification of horses whose riders go four strokes over the limit will probably never come into play as the education of riders since the last rule changes in 2012 have changed the riding styles almost everywhere. Also, the backhand only stroke won’t encourage horses enough for riders to seek more response.
Finally in the round-up, British trainers boycotted the last race at Newbury seven days ago over the level of prize money on offer. None of those who entered took up the engagement at declaration time, so Newbury lost out on media rights income by only having six races instead of seven.
I agree with the trainers but would favour them selecting a meeting per day to boycott rather than a race now and then. If the racecourses don’t reduce the fixture list to combat the lack of competitiveness or the levy board doesn’t have the will, and the BHA can’t figure out how, then perhaps the trainers can.
All six have stood their ground for today’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, and what a thriller it could be.
The middle-distance three-year-olds are stepping out of the age-restricted company to tackle some of the old stalwarts. It’s all about opinion and whether you believe Westover’s Derby form or Emily Upjohn’s Oaks run is good enough to beat the Eclipse runner-up, Mishriff, or last year’s Arc winner, Torquator Tasso.
The last-named went off at 72-1 in the Arc and is overpriced again considering Germany has an excellent recent record in the race. To me, he looks good value.
On Monday the Galway festival kicks off: ‘The Festival’, not the imitation of the last two years, and reverts to its mixed-card format too. That’s a good thing, I believe, and were Galway to beat Kerry tomorrow, it could make for one hell of a party week.
Patrick Mullins has an excellent record here on Thursday, but his record in Monday’s feature, the Connacht Hotel Qualified Riders’ Handicap, is not what he would like. That is primarily because of his size and weight restriction as 18 of the last 20 winners have carried under 11 stone.
Bones won’t sweat, so those weights are beyond his reach. Echoes In Rain could be his chosen mount to end his 15-year quest to win the prestigious Monday night feature. With 11st 3lb to carry, she might defy recent weight statistics, but being on the correct Willie Mullins horse is no certainty and Lot Of Joy, with five pounds more on her back, could spoil his party.
