hedley

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=482264650221382

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=919717948672015

Stablemate Fangirl may be the spoiler.

Actually, he was a French galloper - he's by Le Havre out of a Silver Hawk mare so you can see why they thought he would love the much wetter French tracks.
He ended his juvenile campaign chasing home VAN GOGH in the Criterium de Saint Cloud on heavy ground.
On that form, he was made favourite for the Djebel, the traditional Guineas trail, which this year was run on Good ground and he was fourth and it may be they found out he could go on decent ground though he would need further.
He ran behind ST MARK'S BASILICA in both the Poulains and the Jockey Club - not beaten far in either race but never looking like getting involved.
I see he's going over 1600m tonight - probably sensible but I'm not sure he's a $3.70 chance though I see SPANISH MISSION, who ran STRADIVARIUS close over 3800m, is also in the field.

Real concern being expressed over here over field sizes.
The problem is this winter has been unusually mild and benign - hardly a meeting has been lost and that has exposed the jumping programme to the truth there aren't enough horses for the number of races on offer. Fields of 4-8 for races are commonplace, betting turnover is suffering and the problem is now affecting the all-weather programme. It has exposed the absurdity of six all weather tracks when at best two are required  since these can race nearly every day with minimal maintenance. 
Don't imagine for a second NZ is the only racing jurisdiction with significant issues.
Tomorrow's cards highlight the problem - Newbury has 61 for the seven races but the two Grade 2 races have four and five runners respectively. The Game Spirit is probably the final significant trial for the Champion Chase but none of the four runners are serious contenders in my view for the big race next month. HITMAN is the likely winner - his second to GREANETEEN in the Tingle Creek is decent form and we know 3200m on good to soft is ideal so I think he'll be too good for SCEAU ROYAL who is basically a hurdler who jumps fences occasionally.
FUNAMBULE SIVOLA is perhaps the interesting one - last April he got to within three lengths of SHISHKIN at Aintree and after a couple of less inspired efforts over 4000m they brought him back in trip to win at Doncaster last time.
The Denman is the equivalent for the distance chasers over 4800m and CLAN DES OBEAUX sets a serious standard here. I suspect he won't go to Cheltenham even if he wins here and will lie in wait for the Cheltenham principals at Aintree - he was arguably a touch disappointing in defeat in the King George, a race which is tailor made for him but Newbury should suit fine and while ROYALE PAGAILLE put up an excellent weight carrying performance at Haydock last time, I'm still to be convinced he is a true Gold Cup horse and he was beaten a long way in the Blue Riband last year.
Warwick has just 45 runners for its seven races and just four for the Grade 2 Kingmaker over 3200m for the novice chasers and this is the final trial for EDWARDSTONE who had THIRD TIME LUCKI 16 lengths back in third in the Henry VIII at Sandown in December. I can't see any reason why that form should be reversed and oddly enough, as I rarely bet odds-on, I think 10/11 is a decent price about EDWARDSTONE.
To illustrate the problem on the all weather, Lingfield, which stages its usual Saturday card, has just 39 runners and is only running 6 rather than the usual 7 or 8 races. 

Last Sunday saw the second and final day of the Dublin Racing Festival. Overnight rain had left the ground Yielding, Yielding to Soft in places.
Four Grade 1 races and each had an odds on favourite.
The first was the 4300m Ladbrokes Chase for the intermediate novices. GALOPIN DES CHAMPS had put up a stunning performance in a maiden chase at the Christmas Festival and was widely expected to follow up being backed in to 4/9:
Ladbrokes Novices Chase: 
He did it well but he didn't impress me for all he was too good for some decent rivals. I thought he took a few chances and his jumping was what we call "novicey". Sometimes when you aren't meeting a fence on a stride to stand off, a horse has to learn to be careful and "pop" with a short stride but GALOPIN DES CHAMPS seems to want to attack every fence and stood off a long way. If he does that at Cheltenham, he'll end up on the floor.
He's 8/11 for the staying novice championship race and Evens for the intermediate but those odds look plenty skinny enough as they were for ENVOI ALLEN this time last year.
On then to the 3200m Dublin Chase, the championship race for the speed chasers. CHACUN POUR SOI was bidding for his third win in the race and was on a bit of a recovery mission after flopping in the Tingle Creek at Sandown behind GREANETEEN.
Dublin Chase: 
CHACUN POUR SOI looked back to his imperious best though aided by a distinctly lacklustre performance from GREANETEEN. As to whether he can cope with SHISHKIN and ENERGUMENE at Cheltenham, I'm far from convinced. CHACUN POUR SOI's record in England is much less flattering than his Irish performances and perhaps Punchestown will be his opportunity.
He's 6/1 for the Champion Chase but only 5s for the 4000m Ryanair and it might be a shrewd move to send him up in trip where they'll go a step slower.
The Irish Champion Hurdle was the afternoon's feature and saw another horse bidding for a three-timer in the form of Champion Hurdler winner HONEYSUCKLE who, having won her last thirteen races, was 1/5 favourite to make it no.14:
Irish Champion Hurdle: 
No real concerns for the champion as she makes it 14 in a row. ZANAHIYR's mistake at the first ended his chance but they were all playing for places. She's 4/9 for the Champion at Cheltenham and for many she will be the banker of the week and it's hard to see what's going to stop her.
Finally, we had the Novice hurdle championship over 3200m. In what looks like a very strong year for novice hurdlers on both sides of the Irish Sea, last year's Champion Bumper third, SIR GERHARD, had made a very pleasing introduction to hurdling at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle: 
A bit like GALOPIN DES CHAMPS earlier, I thought there were a couple of indifferent jumps and I also wonder if he really has the speed for a Supreme Novices Hurdle where they will go much faster from the start. Yes, his Bumper form suggests stamina won't be an option but Bumper horses tend to want a bit further than 3200m over the obstacles. 
He was pushed in from 9/2 to 9/4 after his success but significantly he's 6/4 for the Ballymore over 4000m and I wouldn't be at all surprised if connections opted for that race.
It was a fantastic meeting for Paul Townend and Willie Mullins with both Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead in the margins in the face of the Clousutton juggernaut. I suspect the Elliott horses will be closer in a month's time but the British look to have a real fight on their hands to avoid another "Greenwash" at the hands of the Irish.
The other big losers on the afternoon were the bookies for whom endless yankees and other accumulators came in with the four odds-on winning favourites. This has been the problem with small fields and dry ground this winter - both the English and Irish bookies are suffering.
It was great to see crowds back at Leopardstown - nearly 12,000 on Saturday but with the international rugby on at the same day, there were problems on the hospitality side with staff and supply shortages as the main contractor at Leopardstown also covers Croke Park and Lansdowne Road. Sunday was reportedly much smoother with nearly 13,000 in attendance.

he'll be another 'globalist' for sure
..Centralisation is the name of their game..or agenda should i say
 
"One Racing"
 

I'll wrap up the Dublin Racing Festival in my next ramblings but Friday sees the weekly Carnival meting at Meydan.
Six races on Dirt and Turf featuring the UAE 2000 Guineas but the feature Group 2 is the Singspiel over 1800m on the grass. 
ROYAL FLEET, ART DU VAL and LORD GLITTERS were second, third and fourth in the equivalent Al Rashidiya over the same distance three weeks ago. ART DU VAL may be the one to come out best but there won't be much between them. 
William Buick hasn't chosen ART DU VAL but ZAKOUSKI who won this race last year. After a long break, he scored at Newmarket in Listed company at the end of October and was well fancied for the Bahrain International at Sakhir but ran poorly behind LORD GLITTERS. I presume ZAKOUSKI has been working well and Buick's choice is probably significant. 
COURT HOUSE was second in this to ZAKOUSKI last year and then ran a close fifth to LORD GLITTERS in the Jebel Hatta. he was outclassed in the Dubai Turf but brings some decent form and will be a big price.
In the UK, two Grade 2 races at Newbury and one at Warwick on Saturday as the Cheltenham build up continues. I'll talk more about those later in the week.

he'll be another 'globalist' for sure
..Centralisation is the name of their game..or agenda should i say
 
"One Racing"
 

he'll be another 'globalist' for sure
..Centralisation is the name of their game..or agenda should i say
 
"One Racing"
 

https://fb.watch/b19OYhxxmB/

Time to review the jumps action in England and Ireland on Saturday.
A day of small fields and decent ground for the time of year. At Wetherby, AHOY SENOR enjoyed a nice gallop round in the Towton which told us very little. I do think his jumping will be put under a lot more pressure at Cheltenham and while connections are considering giving him a tilt at the Gold Cup, I just can't see it - it takes an exceptional novice or a weak division..
At Sandown, the Grade 1 Scilly Isles over 4000m looked a match between L'HOMME PRESSE and PIC D'ORHY:
Scilly Isles Chase: 
This was another hugely impressive performance by L'HOMME PRESSE and I suppose the question is whether connections will take on GALOPIN DES CHAMPS in the 4000m chase or step up to 4800m. Either way, he's clearly the best the home team have at 4000m and he's 5/1 for the Turner Chase (which used to be the Golden Miller). PIC D'ORHY emptied quickly from two out and was exhausted crossing the line.
Day 1 of the Dublin Racing Festival and the anticipated clash between the battalions of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott. Four Grade 1 races on the card :
Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Novices Hurdle: 
First blood to team Mullins with MINELLA COCOONER proving too strong for the Elliott pair of MINELLA CROONER and HOLLOW GAMES. The front three all look decent but whether the plan will be the Ballymore or the Albert Bartlett remains to be seen - the winner is 8/1 for both races.
The Spring Juvenile Hurdle for the 4-y-o over 3200m saw VAUBAN put up a hugely impressive performance to see off FIL DOR. and he is now 9/4 joint favourite with PIED PIPER for the Triumph. I know PIED PIPER won when they met at Punchestown and was very good at Cheltenham last week but this was a stronger race and VAUBAN jumped so well and galloped so powerfully I can't believe, come Cheltenham, he won't reverse the places.
So 2-0 to Mullins and on to the Irish Arkle over 3200m for the speedy novice chasers.
Irish Arkle Novices Chase: 
A real thriller but it ended up 3-0 to Mullins as BLUE LORD capitalised on a poor last fence jump by RIVIERE D'ETEL to take the prize. The second was getting 9 lbs but her jumping isn't as good as the winner's and at Cheltenham, as we know, jumping is everything. BLUE LORD is 3/1 joint favourite with Henry VIII winner EDWARDSTONE and this might be one of those which stays at home this year.
The feature of the Saturday card was the Irish Gold Cup which featured last year's Cheltenham hero MINELLA INDO, the Down Royal winner FRODON and past winners of this race in the forms of KEMBOY and DELTA WORK.  
Irish Gold Cup: 
A new player enters the Gold Cup puzzle as CONFLATED, backed overnight from 33s to 18s, did this really well. He's won a handicap at Navan over 4000m last time and that had earned him a rating of 157 but he looked outclassed on the figures. Nonetheless, the horse didn't know that and he put up an exemplary round of jumping to win this by six and a half lengths. He's now 10s for the Gold Cup and 50s for the National which seems a strange price but there you go. The test will be the end-to-end gallop and the extra 500m of the Cheltenham hill.
Was this a fluke? MINELLA INDO ran on well to hold second from JANIDIL and you could argue this was a much better effort from last year's Gold Cup winner who we know will have no issues with the trip. KEMBOY and FRODON went from the front and both paid the penalty while race favourite ASTERION FORLONGE didn't get home as I suspected was the case at Kempton. He's a 4000m horse and not a Gold Cup horse. A PLUS TARD is 10/3 favourite for the Gold Cup with GALVIN and MINELLA INDO at 4s which tells us it's a wide open renewal and maybe, just maybe, not quite as good as in recent years. 

I'm sure that Cambridge Synthetic would be reluctant to have racing occur there due to the consecutivity of High temperatures daily upon the synthetic make up...the rain fall currently will be a Godsend to the management of the track.
Daylight time surface temperatures must've had an effect to the synthetic constitution and make up of the track surfaces for racing upon

Release the Covid data. Now!
Let true science, not propaganda, prevail
Rocco Loiacono

Getty Images
Rocco Loiacono
5 February 2022
 
9:00 AM
The British Medical Journal (or the BMJ), is a respected, weekly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the British Medical Association. Published for over 180 years, it has authority. In an April 2021 editorial, while broadly supportive of vaccine passports, it did point out the numerous ethical dilemmas associated with the policy. Now, the journal has well and truly broken with the narrative.
In an editorial on 19 January, the journal demanded the full and immediate release of all data related to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, saying it would be in the public interest. The editorial titled ‘Covid-19 vaccines and treatments: we must have raw data, now’ pointed out how a lack of transparency in the past had deleterious consequences for people’s health, and how that those mistakes are now being repeated, and the lack of transparency is even greater than before.
‘Today, despite the global rollout of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, the anonymised participant-level data underlying the trials for these new products remain inaccessible to doctors, researchers, and the public—and are likely to remain that way for years to come,’ the editorial states. ‘This is morally indefensible for all trials, but especially for those involving major public health interventions.’
The BMJ also accused pharmaceutical companies of ‘reaping vast profits without adequate independent scrutiny of their scientific claims,’ pointing to Pfizer, whose Covid vaccine trial was ‘funded by the company and designed, run, analysed, and authored by Pfizer employees’.
‘We are left with publications but no access to the underlying data on reasonable request,’ the authors wrote. ‘This is worrying for trial participants, researchers, clinicians, journal editors, policymakers, and the public. The journals that have published these primary studies may argue that they faced an awkward dilemma, caught between making the summary findings available quickly and upholding the best ethical values that support timely access to underlying data. In our view, there is no dilemma; the anonymised individual participant data from clinical trials must be made available for independent scrutiny.’
Tellingly, the authors of the editorial added that regulators are not there to ‘dance to the tune of rich global corporations and enrich them further’ but to protect the general public’s health and for that reason, they said, we need ‘complete data transparency for all studies, we need it in the public interest, and we need it now’.
This bombshell editorial comes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had asked a judge to keep all data concerning the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine suppressed for 75 years. The judge, thankfully, did not accede to this request, ordering the FDA to make public 12,000 pages of the data it used to make decisions regarding approvals for the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine by the end of January. In accordance with the same ruling the FDA must also release Pfizer’s vaccine data at a rate of 55,000 pages per month until all of the requested pages are public.
This is not the only crack that has appeared in the narrative recently. Earlier in January, Professor Clive Dix, the former chairman of the UK’s vaccine taskforce, called for an end to mass vaccination and that Covid should be treated as an endemic virus similar to flu. Additionally, Professor Andrew Pollard, who helped develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, stated around the same time on BBC Radio 4’s Today program that ‘it really is not affordable, sustainable or probably even needed to vaccinate everyone on the planet every four to six months,’ adding ‘In the future, we need to target the vulnerable’.
Such views are not just being expressed in the UK, but also in Israel, once seen as the ‘gold standard’ in terms of the vaccine rollout. Professor Cyrille Cohen, head of immunology at Bar Ilan University and a member of the advisory committee on vaccines for the Israeli government, confirmed that, ‘No, the vaccines are not protecting us, they are not causing what we call sterilising immunity’.
Professor Cohen added that Israel’s Green Pass vaccine passport was no longer relevant. ‘We don’t see virtually any difference between people vaccinated and non-vaccinated, both can get infected with the virus more or less at the same pace,’ he said.
Those comments came after another leading Israeli immunologist slammed the government’s pandemic response.
Writing for N12 News, Professor Ehud Qimron, head of microbiology and immunology at Tel Aviv University, wrote a scathing open letter excoriating the government for its coronavirus policy debacle. Qimron did not pull any punches, alleging that health authorities had ignored established epidemiological science and pandemic plans at the outset – and then refused to adjust policies in the face of real-world data.
‘Two years late, you finally realise that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail,’ Professsor Qimron wrote.
‘You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.
‘You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda “you overcame the plague”.
‘You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination – and you failed in that as well.’
For two years what the British Medical Journal and these professors have called for was dismissed arrogantly as ‘misinformation’. Let us see now if true science, not propaganda, will prevail.

Friday's card at Meydan saw two Group 2 races, one on the dirt and one on the grass.
Round 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge over 1850m on the dirt saw an emphatic five and a half length win for HOT ROD CHARLIE. Always handy from the three stall, the American galloper powered away from AL NEFUD in the final 300m and the latter was more than seven lengths ahead of the third. Trainer Doug O'Neill claimed HOT ROD CHARLIE was "only 70% fit" - well, he looked fit enough for the locals. He will miss the Saudi Cup a clash with LIFE IS GOOD in favour of the Dubai World Cup itself at the end of next month. Whether REAL WORLD could live with him on the dirt is debatable and it's hard to see any of the other locals being able to mount a challenge but as for other visitors, well, who knows?
The Balanchine is named after the Oaks winner and one of the first UK horses to winter in Dubai before running back in the UK as a 3-y-o. 
Godolphin had six of the ten runners and it was CREATIVE FLAIR who showed some real battling qualities to hold off the late challenge of Cape Verdi winner PEVENSEY BAY who was giving the winner 4 lbs so you could argue there's very little between them. To be fair, CREATIVE FLAIR hadn't run since finishing fourth in the Jockey Club Oaks at Belmont last September but she had been prepared for this and responded well to William Buick's urgings in the final 300m. The second did nothing wrong and their re-match will be fascinating. DUBAI LOVE was fourth in this last year and ran a better race in third.

Four Grade 1 races are the highlight of the second day of the Dublin Racing Festival on Sunday.
The Ladbrokes Chase for the intermediate novices sees the re-appearance of arguably the most impressive winner of the Leopardstown Christmas meeting - GALOPIN DES CHAMPS. He was a class above his rivals that day and that's why he's 1/2 to follow up. He won over hurdles at 4800m so this 4200m race shouldn't be an issue. I think he's a future Gold Cup contender and he'll have to win this well to continue his upward trajectory. MASTER MCSHEEN was a last gasp winner of the Faugheen at Limerick but that was on heavy ground and this will be a very different proposition.
The Dublin is the race for the speed chasers over 3200m. CHACUN POUR SOI won it well last year but he flopped at Sandown in December and this is a recovery mission. In truth, he and GREANETEEN are probably playing for places behind SHISHKIN and ENERGUMENE at Cheltenham and GREANETEEN was well held by SHISHKIN at Kempton over Christmas. Despite that, I think GREANETEEN a sound bet to win this.
Just five go in the Irish Champion Hurdle and HONEYSUCKLE looks set to continue her winning ways. She's unbeaten in thirteen and was a facile winner of the Hatton's Grace on her seasonal re-appearance. She won this by 10 lengths last year albeit on softer ground but this surface shouldn't be a concern and she's impossible to oppose.
Many are saying the opening Supreme Novices Hurdle will be the race of the Cheltenham Festival with the likes of JONBON, CONSTITUTION HILL and DYSART DYNAMO all fancied and SIR GERHARD bids to join them in the Tattersalls. He was an emphatic winner over course and distance at Christmas though for me there's just the suspicion he may be better over further. He's a worthy favourite but THREE STRIPE LIFE, who was second in this equivalent Grade 1 at Christmas, won't be an easy opponent.

Saturday looks a really busy day for the jumpers with day one of the Dublin Racing Festival and with the top trainers Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott both having the track a thumbs up yesterday (they've thrown 160mm of water through January incredible as that may seem - do that to an NZ track in July and see what you get). As a result, both the top trainers have entered big teams for the two-day meeting.
Four Grade 1 races on the Saturday card starting with the 4400m novices hurdle which could be a trial for either the 4200m Ballymore or the 4800m Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. Gordon Elliott runs two including the likely favourite HOLLOW GAMES but he was a touch disappointing when third at Naas at New Year and I just wonder if one or two others might improve past him. Mullins runs three and my eye is drawn to BRONN who won a maiden hurdle on the same Naas card which would obviously not have been such a strong race but by all accounts it was a facile win. Elliott's second runner MINELLA BLOOMER might find this a bit sharp but a good run will put him right in contention for the Albert Bartlett.
FIL DOR and VAUBAN are second and third favourites for the Triumph behind last weekend's Cheltenham winner PIED PIPER and they clash in the Juvenile hurdle trial. VAUBAN was 4/9 when turned over by PIED PIPER at Punchestown on heavy ground and it may be better ground will help but it will have to as FIL DOR is unbeaten in three including a Grade 2 over this course and distance on St Stephen's Day. 
Mullins has three of the six runners in the 3400m Novice Chase. This may be a division where the British have the better challengers this time. BLUE LORD has looked good in his two chases to date but this will be a proper test.
The feature is the Irish Gold Cup over 4800m, the premier championship staying chase in the Irish calendar. It's a significant race but it's not the Cheltenham Gold Cup which is run over further and over an undulating track. Leopardstown is more like a Newbury or Haydock to be honest.
MINELLA INDO won the Cheltenham Gold Cup last year but ran a shocker in the King George at Kempton and this is a recovery mission. At his best he wins this and on the figures he's 8 lbs ahead of the others who are represented by four within 2 lbs (164-166 on the ratings). FRODON is the British star who won at Down Royal but he was well held at Kempton and I just wonder if we've seen the best of him. KEMBOY loves Leopardstown, won this last year and was a close third in the Savils at Christmas. I see no reason why he won't go close. He holds JANIDIL on that while there are big questions over ASTERION FORLONGE's jumping. If you knew he would put in a clear ground you could really fancy him but he belts too many too often. DELTA WORK isn't the horse he was two years ago and the other two look outclassed.
It's an 8-runner field but there's little margin but KEMBOY would be my idea of the winner.
The big Grade 1 in England is the Scilly Isles (named after a roundabout), a novice chase over 4000m. Not a vintage renewal and while L'HOMME PRESSE is a worthy favourite after his convincing win in the Dipper at Cheltenham, he faces PIC D'ORHY who won well at Ascot and may just be better going right handed.
AHOY SENOR was no match for BRAVEMANSGAME at Kempton over Christmas but seeks to atone in the Towton at Wetherby. 
I''ll preview Sunday's Leopardstown card tomorrow.
 

Looking down the week, we have another Meydan Carnival meeting on Friday.
Two Group 2 races on a 6-race card of Dirt and turf races. The second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge over 1950m on the Dirt has 12 runners. The star here is the American galloper HOT ROD CHARLIE who brings far and away the best form.
Last year,  he won the Louisiana Derby before running a close third to MEDINA SPIRIT in the Kentucky Derby. From there, HOT ROD CHARLIE was runner up to ESSENTIAL QUALITY in the Belmont before being disqualified and placed last after being first past the post in the Haskell.
A win in the Pennsylvania Derby was followed by a fourth place behind KNICKS GO in the Breeders Cup Classic. It's slightly worrying he was turned over at 1/5 in the San Antonio on Boxing Day but he's had a good break and should pick these up and carry them on his way to a tilt at the Saudi Cup and/or the Dubai World Cup.
The Balanchine is for the fillies and mares over 1800m on the grass. Godolphin have six of the ten runners but it was the ex-French PEVENSEY BAY who won the Cape Verdi, the earlier equivalent of this but she now has a 4 lb penalty which won't help. It's interesting William Buick has overlooked the Godolphin runners who contested the Cape Verdi in favour of CREATIVE FLAIR who showed some decent form in Britain and France before going to America and earning minor places in the Saratoga Oaks and the Jockey Club Oaks which might not be top notch races but are decent for American turf racing and a reproduction of that will put her in with a real chance.
Closer to home and this weekend sees all eyes focussed on Leopardstown for the Dublin Racing Festival. It's not been around long but has already firmly established its place in the jumping season and Ireland's 23-5 demolition of the races at Cheltenham in 2021 showed for all the talk of "Trials" in the UK over the past few weeks, the real trial races are this weekend on the outskirts of Dublin at the course near the huge Microsoft European HQ building at Foxrock.
On Saturday, 3 Leopardstown races will feature in an 11-race free to air marathon on ITV - I was thinking of going to Lingfield but may stay in and watch the jumping action instead.
Five more races on Sunday and each day has four Grade 1 or Championship races.
I'll talk much more about Saturday's racing after the final declarations tomorrow.
 

On then to Saturday and a series of Cheltenham "Trial" races at, not surprisingly, Cheltenham and Doncaster.
Starting at Prestbury Park on a fine but windy afternoon where racing took place on ground described as Good, Good to Soft in places (which is, I suspect, what the Clerk will be hoping to call the ground six weeks from today).
In the Trial for the juvenile hurdlers, ominous signs for the home team as PIED PIPER hosed up for Irish trainer Gordon Elliott. Granted, he probably didn't face the best of the British but this was a powerful and impressive performance and PIED PIPER was cut to 5/2 favourite for the Triumph with stable mate FIL BON at 7/2 and PORTICELLO the best of the British at 14s.
The Cotswold has been a Gold Cup trial but it was a strange race this year. CHANTRY HOUSE did quite a lot to lose the race including jump sloppily but in the end and thanks I thought to an inspired ride by Nico de Boinville, he got up to beat his former stable mate SANTINI and the Scottish raider AYE RIGHT. However, if that's good enough to win a Gold Cup in any year, I'd be very surprised.
One who has tackled Gold Cups is CHAMP and he went off short priced favourite to take the Cleeve for the staying hurdlers but this was a rare setback for Team Henderson as he was well held by veteran PAISLEY PARK who has won this race the last three occasions it has been run at Cheltenham (abandoned in 2021). Oddly enough, PAISLEY PARK did plenty to lose the race by gifting the others 15 lengths start and you could have had any price after the second last when he looked to be struggling but he powered up the hill and in the end won cosily. However, he won't be so lucky in the Stayers and while I can see him running a place it's a race which in modern times often goes to a younger horse and is probably another race booked for the Irish.
Up at Doncaster, THIRD TIME LUCKI had little more than an exercise canter to win the Lightning - we know he jumps really well and the quicker the ground the better but I suspect they won't allow him to have good to firm on day 1 of the festival. MISS HERITAGE was another who enjoyed the unseasonably dry ground to win a weak Mares Hurdle. and for those who follow my ramblings MAHLER MISSION won the River Don at the awarding odds of 11/2 but he's another who will best be on the fringes at the Festival.
In the evening, well, for the British here, attention shifted 3,000 miles west to Florida and the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park.
The Pegasus World Cup Invitational, worth a modest £1.3 million was billed as a match between Classic winner KNICKS GO, running his last race before heading to stud and young pretender LIFE IS GOOD, who had won the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile.
Pegasus World Cup Invitational: 
This wasn't a match, it was a rout. A brilliant front running performance by LIFE IS GOOD who wasn't stopping at the end of 1800m and you could just see him easily coping with another 200m. 
Trainer Todd Pletcher was already talking about the USD 20 million Saudi Cup before this performance and I can't imagine connections not being tempted as we know he stays 1800m really well. He could face MISHRIFF and last week's emphatic Meydan scorer REAL WORLD for the huge race three weeks on Saturday.
 

Love him or hate him for his religious dogma/tithing/queer intolerance/bad hair etc, but in his ongoing battle with authority over freedom and mandates Brian Tamaki is right. And I for one applaud him for his tenacity on our behalf.
The forums for delivery of his messages are orderly, peaceful and confronting only to authoritarians and their contracted "muscle", the Police. Who are they to label the gatherings protests and not picnics? The 50 person limit is meaningless and selective for political purpose, especially when my local beach has hundreds gathered in close proximity with no vaccine pass requirement.
Hypocrisy reigns and by the way, we were told 90% fully vaccinated would open the gates to freedom. Especially galling as we are now closer to 95%!

Starting the review of the weekend with last Friday's action at Meydan.
The feature Group 2 was the Zabeel Mile and as expected REAL WORLD was too good for these. Positioned on the rail from the inside berth, he got a lovely run through in the straight and settled it in the final 300m without much fuss. Godolphin had a 1-3-4 with ONE RULER and PATH OF THUNDER in the minor places while Shadwell had the runner up with outsider ALFAREEQ who reversed earlier non-Carnival form with PATH OF THUNDER. I presume the plan for REAL WORLD will b a Group 1 at 1600-1800m.
Elsewhere, Godolphin enjoyed their usual high level of success - it was a 1-3-4-5 in the 2800m conditions race with James Doyle enjoying top spot on SISKANY who won a warm 2400m handicap at Newmarket before a couple of lesser runs in the autumn. STAR SAFARI was a ready winner of the 2000m Listed race. Godolphin didn't have it all their own way with SHAHAMA bolting up in the 1000 Guineas - she looks a very nice dirt filly but it remains to be seen how strong the form is.

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Mandates are NOT law, there's a difference, Mandates are ONLY effective when the mandatory agrees.  People who don't know the difference are being played with words.  See Legal definition Blacks Law dictionary 11th Ed. Mandate (16c) 4.  But then some of us realise NZTR are a law unto themselves

Apart from Emily the Trackside coverage was crap again, Sweeney sitting under course speaker conversing with Tony Lee, and getting drowned out as usual by Andre Neill driving the small crowd nuts with his waffle, so so irritating when it should be easy to watch.