RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
Todamax101

Xtravagant

Recommended Posts

4 hours ago, scooby3051 said:

Guys whether you like him or hate him he is good for the industry... why can't people just acknowledge a fantastic win by a possible superstar... surely NZ needs more of them... cheers.

If you can bring yourself to watch Weigh IN you'll hear all about it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, scooby3051 said:

Puha there are no guarantees in this business you know that better than anyone...

Too true like needles in a haystack .Guess that's the beauty of racing  there's no guaranteed formula in finding the top horses but able to purchase the cream etc should help your chances. Definatly not knocking DE as he has the passion for the industry and helps the wheels turn round more than most. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, scooby3051 said:

Puha there are no guarantees in this business you know that better than anyone...

Too true like needles in a haystack .Guess that's the beauty of racing  there's no guaranteed formula in finding the top horses but able to purchase the cream etc should help your chances. Definatly not knocking DE as he has the passion for the industry and helps the wheels turn round more than most. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There are a few around in the syndicate business with worse records than DE. Having lunch with one of Xtravagant's owners today which will be fun. He was telling me recently that he has shares in 7 Te Akau horses and loves every minute of it. The cream of this story is that he backed it at 18's to win Guineas.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Looking at the gross time, and the sectionals of that race, you'd imagine this is going to be the highest rated 2000 Guineas in a generation, and extending that logic it's hard to see how a horse who can draw 13, go into the red zone early to cross them, and then run 1.33.5 with a 33 flat last 600 is not a true superstar.

Based on that one performance only you'd say this fella could take whatever he wants, here and across the Tasman, and that'd include beating the old horses at WFA too, something he'd do by panels based on yesterday's efforts.

Clearly he's a bull, and reading between the lines he knows he is too, so I hope they do go offshore, thrash whatever they put in front of him and then bring him home to stand in NZ before he turns sour and devalues himself.

Oh to own one like that, with so much promise, that's what racing dreams are made of.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It must say it was a terrific performance alright and the way he won in such a quick time was simply outstanding.

I wasn't a believer of the horse going into the race. Sure he won his previous race at Trentham running 1:27:03 for the 1400m when the other 1400m race that day, the R65 winner ran 1:25:36 and his previous two races as a 3yo were only fair.

That dominant win yesterday however, has certainly changed my mind about him.  

 

  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Midget said:

Looking at the gross time, and the sectionals of that race, you'd imagine this is going to be the highest rated 2000 Guineas in a generation, and extending that logic it's hard to see how a horse who can draw 13, go into the red zone early to cross them, and then run 1.33.5 with a 33 flat last 600 is not a true superstar.

Based on that one performance only you'd say this fella could take whatever he wants, here and across the Tasman, and that'd include beating the old horses at WFA too, something he'd do by panels based on yesterday's efforts.

Clearly he's a bull, and reading between the lines he knows he is too, so I hope they do go offshore, thrash whatever they put in front of him and then bring him home to stand in NZ before he turns sour and devalues himself.

Oh to own one like that, with so much promise, that's what racing dreams are made of.

Knowing he was a bull became He's Remarkable's problem too didn't it?

Hope they can keep that in check cos he certainly looked by far the most impressive 2000 Guineas winner in a long long time and sending something over there to thrash those Aussies senseless in the Autumn would be fantastic!

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, nek minute said:

$620,000 buy and wins a $7000 race today ....... it doesn't read well does it plus he's a gelding.

Pretty hard to avoid the 7 k races, as that's all we can afford in stakes.  Those Talent Manager don't come cheap so there's not much left for the owners.

Lots of big money buys don't even get that far.  It's the nature of the game.  If it was as easy as spending large amounts at the sales guaranteeing success everybody would be doing it with 100% finance from a trading bank.

The guy spends some money.  He gets some good ones.  Yesterday he showed us he might have found a really good one.  Personally I wish him all the best.  Nobody is forcing you to buy into his syndicates.  If you think you can do better get out and get buying.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Have another look at the replay.

I noticed that after he had crossed the field, from an outside draw, he seemed to be so relaxed after 400 metres, just at the end of the back straight.

I cannot remember a win like that in a group one race.  Was Zonda's derby like that?  I didn't see it.  And I recall Ben Lomond thrashing a good Wellington Derby field in 1968.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was there that day Tauhei. Ben Lomond won that Wellington Derby by six lengths on the Anniversary Monday. He came out five days later and won the Trentham Stakes.   

Zonda won the NZ Derby by just under five lengths.

La Mer won the Great Northern Oaks by ten lengths in 1977. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, slam dunk said:

If I could be so bold as to inject some negativity. Matt Cameron needs to polish his style when cruising to the line. OK may not have got the race record by relaxing.

But really he looks very untidy as he did with Hasselhoof.

Worst thing he could have done would be to relax and let up before the finish,

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, rdytdy said:

I was there that day Tauhei. Ben Lomond won that Wellington Derby by six lengths on the Anniversary Monday. He came out five days later and won the Trentham Stakes.   

Zonda won the NZ Derby by just under five lengths.

La Mer won the Great Northern Oaks by ten lengths in 1977. 

Uncle remus must have had a good margin in the Wellington derby.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Zonda was unique because he could sprint two or three times in a race.

Balmerino was the same as the enthusiasts amongst us will remember.

It takes a very special horse to sprint more than once in a race, and I mean to sprint anaerobically, then relax back into aerobic mode, and then sprint again.

Xtravagant did that early and late at Riccarton, and ran fantastic sectionals in the process, so you'd have to say he has huge potential.

I guess the cynics and cautious will want to see him to do it again, and probably again, and that's quite a reasonable demand, but if he repeats what he did at Riccarton you won't hear too many cynics rattling their cages.

Could I close by asking why it is that this horses performance has to be coupled with some degree of contempt for the syndicator? Why does it matter who bought him, trained him or rode him, any more than it matters who bred him him or shod him?

It's a bit bizarre when you can't detach yourselves from the colours the jockey wears and just acknowledge and genuflect to one hell of a performance, and hope he does it again and again, for the good of this country.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Although one must applaud Xtravagant's effort in the Guineas he still has a wee way to go to prove he is a Superstar.  That aside I can't see how his performance then or in the future has any influence on the good of the country or even racing.  The fact is most of the population wouldn't have either watched the 2000 Guineas and most of those that did wouldn't have a clue about sectionals or sprinting twice in a race.

Haven't we had some superstars in the last decade?  Dundeel, Mongolian Khan, Sacred Falls, So You Think.  What have they done to change the parlous state of New Zealand racing.

Sure reflect on a great performance - how great we don't know until the future.  Wax lyrical and syrupy repeatedly on Trackside for the next couple of weeks.  Enjoy.  But don't lose sight of realty.

The reality is many of our Group and Listed races are on downgrade warnings, we have 5% more black type races per horses racing than allowed under international rules, overall stakes are declining, funding of the industry is increasingly reliant on sport and pokies, tracks are being forced to close by stealth, those tracks that remain are sub-standard and so on.

Were there any great outcomes or new ideas from the Racing Club Conference and NZTR AGM held the day before the Guineas?

If the stake for the Guineas had been a value that the industry could afford and sustain such as $200k rather than twice that would the performance of Xtravagant been any less?  Isn't there some irony in the naming of the horse?

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Full credit must go to "poor shafted ",Jason Bridgeman for the way he caressed Te Akau two year olds last season. He Identified Xtravagant early on together with a number of other young horses. "Romeo" Ellis got rid of Jason and who are the lucky one's in the driving seat now.Fancy walking into a stable of well priced and bred horses after the donkey work had been done.

Well done Jason I wish you well in Aust.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.