Youād wonder would act of innocence and old park star be the same prices
For the supreme and turners if still at Nichols ?
Naw, Nicky is a master with fast jumps horses. The best ever.
31k at the Derby in 2006
So sad what has happened it?
I only went from about 2017 onwards.
Phenomenal when you think it was only 19k at the DRF on Sunday
I think leopardstown arenāt letting more than 20k in
Queues for toilets/bars/ATMās would be cruel if they let more in.
Its about quality over quantity which is fair enough in my opinion.
Sure isnāt the curragh capped at 16k now
how many million spent and they made it smaller?
They fucked the locals over during the renovation and they never returned. Half the crowd there on days like that would have lived within 20 mins of it. Similar to Punchestown on the Friday.
The suits are happy to host their rich Middle East benefactors in the fancy suites looking out at empty space rather than actually fill the place with punters. A pure white elephant of a place now.
Iād say thereās lots of reasons but Kildare is an odd county. They seem to have fuck all pride in the place.
Itās some pity the train isnāt connecting it either. I know Dublin gets a bad time of it but Kildare vtown can be one rough town too.
IMO if was in charge Iād move the flat champions weekend about and stick the curragh on the Friday and leoaprdstown on the Saturday.
That way if you attract English in you can stay in Dublin and make a flight home Sunday from Dublin easily. A
Itās a long way to airport from the curragh on a Sunday evening. You arenāt going to really stay for the Sunday night either.
I know the new people are making an effort and I do know some of the girls working there but itās mind boggling they were allowed cut capacity by half with the money ploughed in.
Probably never happen but theyād be aswell off running the Irish Derby on a Thursday or Friday as the Primary Schools finish up at the end of June.
Horse Racing just works better midweek when it can get its own spotlight.
Thyestes Day, Kerry National, Galway Plate etc.
Cheltenham, Ascot, York etc in the UK.
The issue with the Irish derby is it is not attached to any date.
Listowel was always after the football all Ireland.
Galway bank holiday.
Punchestown bank holiday.
Leop Feb bank holiday.
The arc is the first Sunday in October
Fairyhouse is Easter
Leopardstown at Christmas.
Its time to turn Leopardstown into Happy Valley. They should run all of the Classics there and make the Irish Derby 10f and be done with it.
Just looking back at the DRF and the laughable observation that JP doesnāt dictate to Willie what happens in the yard.
JP had entries through Willie in 6 of the 8 grade ones and won 4 of them. All of them were ridden prominently near the front fully expecting they were going to get home. It was some difference to how fact to file, majborough and kaid dāauthie were run previously.
A cynic would opine that the Jp ones were trained hard/minded previously for DRF with suitable results for owners/backers.
They may repeat the feat in cheltenham but there were horses like GDC, Gaelic warrior, final demand and the Ricci triumph horse who could/should have got a lot closer.
The premise of keeping several owners happy across various festivals/meetings comes to mind.
Lulamba won well in the end.
Doubt thatās his ground.
yea i was impressed by that . i like horses that win well after looking in trouble.
Heāll be finishing with a rattle in the arkle
His jumping seems to be scratchy enough in the early part of races. Donāt think heāll love the 1m7f trip imo.
I think heāll be good on good to soft ground.
He put in a beautiful jump at the last.
Very like Shiskin in that regard