Chief Stipe

If you don't realise that horses can see behind them and don't realise that blinkers can make a difference, then it might be a good thing that you are no longer a trainer. I can post many head on shots of horses moving their rear away from the whip BEFORE they have been hit in anticipation that they will. As the following diagram shows a horse has monocular vision to the rear meaning it can distinguish what is happening left or right separately. Horses also do not have a great depth perception because their binocular vision is limited. That's part of the reason why horses shy suddenly at objects. A Jockey see's the winning post and determines its distance well before a horse does which has caught out many Jockeys.

No from I saw she ran in at the point the white rail changes to a brown (dark?) rail. Not incorrect however what about another theory. She has run away from the whip previously but only slightly. She got a hammering in the Moir from Craig Williams but didn't stray from her line. Yes she has run away from the whip when hit but not by much and at the same time the rail changes from bright white in colour to dark brown. Horses can distinguish white very clearly but dark colours blend into a green/grey morass i.e. a horse is red/green colour blind. So is it possible that yes she did react to the whip BUT thought there was room to run away from it because in her vision the rail wasn't there? Or her reaction unbalanced her (and the Jockey) and once she touched the rail she doubled down on the reaction. Looking back at her races Sam Spratt mostly whipped her on the inside on left and right hand tracks. First race ride for Sam Collett. As for not needing the whip I disagree. Sweynesday wasn't giving up.

Injured as opposed to not wanting to race. He like many top three year olds of that year had a torrid programme that year caused by abandoned racemeetings after they had travelled and then poor track conditions.

She hasn't done too badly in the three Grp 1 1600m races in OZ so far. Only 4 years old.

Just had another look at the All Star Mile. That was a big run by Leica Lucy on the slow part of the track. Of the 8 sectionals she had the fastest time in six of them and only beaten 1.5 lengths.

Look at races 4, 5, 6, and 7. Plus 8. When they got to the Newmarket the Jockeys weren't keen on staying out wide. That could have been a collective mindset. It created a logjam. Regardless I first made the comment in respect of Damask Rose's chances. It did put me off Tentyris.

It wasn't stopping as much as the other horses were finishing over the top of it. Was wide on the turn and got to the front too soon. Collett could have waited. 10 horses finished behind it. Could have finished a place or two closer if it hadn't got jammed 100m up resulting in the Jockey standing up. Only 4 lengths from the winner. Note in the vets report he was suffering from mild heat stress.

Ok so now you are looking at the races you didn't see yesterday. Go back and look at those sprinr races. Compared to the Newmarket they were small fields. The barriers that the horses started from were in the middle of the lane i.e. there was an even number of empty gates each side of the track. Over 1000 and 1100m a Jockey in a small field would be brain dead to go more distance to get to the inside. The Newmarket was a large field spread across the track. After 100 to 200m they all went to the inside.

What IS really interesting is that both @the galah and @Brodie have admitted they haven't bothered to read the HRNZ Annual Accounts!!!! Which I might add are freely available for downloading from the Incorporated Societies website amd the HRNZ website.

THEY didn't use the comparison. I did and it wasn't SPIN. It was for CONTEXT and COMPARISON which you keep banging on about.

So they HAVEN'T squandered it all contrary to @Brodie and your assertions.

They essentially all won on pace and on the inside. The OZ commentors (which I rate) explained Damask Rose's odds lengthening from $4.4 to over $6 was due to the prevailng pattern working against her draw and racing style. Under the circumstances her run had a lot of merit. Especially when she was 3 wide albeit with cover for most of the race and wider on entering the straight. In the Newmarket it was noticeable they didn't split and all tried to get to the inner.

It is difficult to place a one dimensional horse whose forte is 2400m. You can only race that distance two or three times at most in a season and you have to build to it. We've discussed Leica Lucy before and as I said then they went to the well too many times. Robbie Patterson said she needed a break. She basically only had one preparation leading to the NZ Oaks win. Sometimes it takes a long time to recover sometimes they don't recover. I also wouldn't listen to what a Jockey says. Often their post race media comment is slanted by disappointment and or a poor ride. LOL I can think of numerous occasions where a Jockey has had a shyte ride and blamed the track conditions. If Thats Gold is better suited to mile-middle distance then he has more chamce in OZ than an outright stayer.

7% isn't it? Isn'r that significant?

Once the race pattern was confirmed for the day he had no chance.

Why is still no published Stewards Report for Champions Day Ellerslie? Even a draft would be good! I know there were 3 Enquiries but typists aren't that slow! If there was a report would it stop thw rumour that Well Written bled?

Yep she has some quirks. I'm not a fan of head gear but if a horse ever needed blinkers it's her. Not that I'm a trainer.

Yeah na! We'll turn it around. Think positive.

LOL here we go.

I bet there are questions asked about the track bias at Flemington today.

No a spinter/miler. The fact that she ran those sectional times (not from a standing start) shows she is good enough to pick up a good Grp race in OZ. We see the stars winning them back to back but there are plenty of options to place a horse well in OZ.

Because she isn't an out and sprinter. Her best rated wins have been at 1500m and 1600m.

Here's another stat for the negative types - Damask Rose ran her last 600m in the same time as the winner of the Newmarket. She broke 1:21 for the last 1400m and only 0.11 slower for the 1200m Newmarket! @Newmarket and @Huey

@Huey I don't recall you ever posting any tips just boring negativity. No one likes a grumpy old man sadly. Why don't you line up for your nightly tot of rum and let the rest of us enjoy racing.?! Once again a good horse beaten by the track. Inside was the place to be all day today at Flemington.