All aboard for Champions Weekend

All the pieces seem to be coming together to make the second Irish Champions Weekend even better than the first one. Hopefully, for so many reasons, the one uncontrollable factor, the Irish weather will be kind to the big days.

However it’ll be a long time before racing could attempt to match the dedication of those who queued in the rain for over two hours on Monday to get tickets for today’s All-Ireland Semi-Final replay and 70 minutes of action.

Brittain’s Bold move

It’s been an unprecedented week of retirement announcements. The least surprising was perhaps that of Clive Brittain at the age of 81. It’s rare that a defeat can be put up as someone’s greatest achievement but Brittain’s second place to a top class horse in Ferdinand with Bold Arrangement in the 1986 Kentucky Derby ranks as one of the most outstanding achievements by a European trainer.

Three-year-old rule

Ahead of Champions Weekend there are increasing grounds for believing that the three-year-olds are above average this year. Over last weekend in all-aged events Kodi Bear won the Goodwood Mile, Racing History and Beautiful Romance won the two pattern races at Windsor against decent older rivals. At the Curragh Bocca Baciata won a Group 3 over some older fillies.

The top miler Gleneagles has still to take on his elders but Guineas runner-up Territories fared well on unsuitable ground in Deauville to give expectation that he could hold his own.

Add it to wins against their elders by Muhaarar, Golden Horn and Arabian Queen and it makes a good case for the three-year-olds.

Grumble of the week

All this “typical Jamie Spencer ride” “brave Jamie Spencer ride” on Maarek. It was nothing of the sort. That’s simply the way Maarek always runs his races. Sometimes he doesn’t get a run through but Wayne Lordan, Declan McDonogh, Seamie Hefffernan, Jamie Spencer - it doesn’t matter who is on board. It’s about the horse.

Character assination

A Quote from John Berry’s Stable Life blog in tribute to north of England jockey Lindsay Charnock

“A character, of course, is someone who makes sure that we don’t take the game too seriously - but he/she does so while doing his/her own job very, very well. If he/she merely does the former without the latter, then he/she’s just an idiot.”

I think I’ve just moved a few people into the latter category.

ON TWITTER

Davy Russell _Davy_Russel_ @BertramAllen123 speedy recovery

Bertram Allen @BertramAllen123 @_Davy_Russel_ thanks! You too!!

Shane Anderson@Globalgallop Hurricane Fly retired. What an amazing horse he has been. Could have won a Melbourne Cup if Willie wanted him to. Instead, flew like Pegasus