Stodge

Back to the racing.... As @mardigrashas said, the best horses (three plus one helped by a big weight concession) finished well ahead of a lot of dead wood. Is this the race you lot want? Let's be honest - half a dozen class European challengers would have made for a better race - take nothing away from the winner, she was superb - but where was the strength in depth? Racing Victoria need to rethink the obvious attempts to stop the Europeans winning the race - the truth is, the best of the Australian and New Zealanders will always hold their own against the best Europeans but if you have a weak field expect the prize to head north. If you suppose SPANISH MISSION ran to his European mark, you'd put VERRY ELLEEGANT on about 121 which ties in with her runs against ADDEYBB in the spring. That would make her a serious European Group 1 player - inferior (arguably) to MISHRIFF and ST MARK'S BASILICA but I'd love to see her in Meydan in a race like the Sheema Classic taking on MISHRIFF and the top Japanese runners. That would be a global racing event.

Just two European runners in tomorrow morning's (for me) race. TWILIGHT PAYMENT made every yard last year and was given enough rope by the other jockeys - won't happen this time. He's got the two stall and comes into this on the back of a fine run in the Irish Leger. Despite that, the 6 lb rise looks a lot - is he really 6 lb better than last year or is the field that much worse? SPANISH MISSION is rated 117 over here - the same as TWILIGHT PAYMENT yet gets 2 lbs. He was third in the Gold Cup and a close second to STRADIVARIUS at York. He's not got a bad draw but I just wonder when they stack at the top of the Flemington straight, whether he'll have the tactical speed some of the 2000m or 2400m runners have. British stayers are replete with stamina - few have speed. As an aside, I reckon STRADIVARIUS would have won the MC twice or three times. I've backed GREAT HOUSE at 25s each way more for an interest - I think next year will be his year.

News this afternoon SPANISH MISSION missed the first flight of European runners owing to muscle spasms. Expected to be on the second flight but that means no prep race before the Cup apparently.

Hard to ague with that. TWILIGHT PAYMENT will presumably have more weight than last year. SPANISH MISSION is interesting - you could argue on his run against STRADIVARIUS at York he'd be right in this but I'm not sure he would have the speed when they quicken off the home turn at Flemington.

A weekend of burst bubbles up here. SNOWFALL perhaps the biggest though I think there was a lot to like in the defeat. POINT LONSDALE turned over in the National as the balance swung away from Ballydoyle and Coolmore to Newmarket and Godolphin. NATIVE TRAIL looks a juvenile colt of real promise while HURRICANE LANE duly won the Leger and I think he's going to be a big player over 2400m next season.

I don't get this defensive attitude - horse racing is now global. At Longchamp on Sunday, a Japanese horse won the Foy making every yard and beating three European Group 1 winners. Who cares if a Northern Hemisphere horse comes over and wins the Melbourne Cup? If he or she is a great horse, so be it. I don't know why the top Australian horses don't come to Ascot - well, I do, it's winter for you and the prize money's crap. It's your good fortune you have the money to attract the good horses (just like Hong Kong and Meydan). I'd have loved to have seen WINX and LYS GRACIEUX in Britain or even Meydan but there you go. We also have increasing numbers of shuttle stallions so quality breeding is also becoming global.

Sunday looks a cracking day - SNOWFALL in the Vermeille and POINT LONSDALE in the National. I can't oppose the former but I think Godolphin's NATIVE TRAIL may beat the latter. Some rain at Doncaster - now Good, Good to Soft in places. I don't think it'll stop HURRICANE LANE and 10/11 might loom a real steal at 4pm tomorrow,

STRADIVARIUS was very good, wasn't he? I do wonder if yesterday's Park Hill winner, FREE BIRD, might give him some problems. Sunday has TWILIGHT PAYMENT in the Irish Leger - he's favourite over SONNYBOYLISTON but I fancy BARON SAMEDI to beat them both. MASTER OF REALITY also in the field.

I'm on POETIC FLARE at 4/1 for the Irish Champion - everything looks in this favour as long as it stays dry in Dublin. MOTHER EARTH is 11/8 for the Matron and should win before her tilt at the Golden Eagle. Final declarations for Sunday tomorrow.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/international/spanish-mission-leads-the-charge-for-spring-carnival-international-runners/509423 Six European horses left in the Melbourne Cup. SPANISH MISSION TWILIGHT PAYMENT MASTER OF REALITY AWAY HE GOES RODRIGO DIAZ SONNYBOYLISTON TWILIGHT PAYMENT, SONNYBOYLISTON and MASTER OF REALITY are all in the Irish Leger on Sunday.

I think he'd be an ideal candidate for the Melbourne Cup but he's obviously had issues. He's a similar horse to FIORENTE who won the race in 2013 and is on the same UK rating, 108, as that one was and also comes off a decent run in the Hardwicke.

BAAEED did the job nicely in the Moulin and joins a strong crop of 3-y-o milers. HURRICANE LANE is 4/6 to follow up his Irish Derby and Grand Prix de Paris wins in the Leger on Saturday. On the figures, he's a good thing if he sees out the 2800m.

A busy weekend approaching in the UK and Ireland with the final classic, the Leger, on Saturday at Doncaster but most eyes will be on Ireland for the opening day of Champions Weekend at Leopardstown. Sunday sees the second day of Champions Weekend at The Curragh and the big Arc Trials day at Longchamp.

When will the weights be published?

A couple of old friends in that Wyong Cup - MOHICAN HEIGHTS, who was down the field in the Derby and Leger last year and ALAKAHAN, who raced in Ireland as a younger horse. The winner raced in France as a younger horse and the third was a handicapper in the UK. Interesting piece in the Racing Post about exports of horses from the UK to Australia and from Australia to Hong Kong.

PRINCE OF ARRAN runs at Kempton on Saturday in the September Stakes over 2400m on the Polytrack. He's outsider of five in a race headed by HUKUM - there's an interesting runner called HAMISH who is second fav. Worth noting back in 2019 he got to within a length and a half of AWAY HE GOES one day. I know he's not in the field this year but I just wonder if they might be plotting a 2022 Melbourne Cup run with this one.

The Moulin at Longchamp on Sunday is shaping up to be a very strong race. Jim Bolger will decide on Friday whether his 2000 Guineas winning colt POETIC FLARE will join this dance as he has been in every other one this season. He has been runner up in both the Sussex and the Marois on his last two runs and with both winners absent, this may be his "easiest" engagement for a while. He holds SNOW LANTERN on Goodwood form and while you could argue the Falmouth winner didn't get the run of the race that day, on a line through ALCOHOL FREE she has a little to find. The joker in the pack could be BAAEED who has looked a really exciting prospect winning Listed and Group 3 events the last twice. This is his test - Group 1 and especially against these battle-hardened types will tell us a lot. Saturday at Haydock has the Sprint Trophy over 1200m - July Cup winner STARMAN has his ground and should win this - he was third in the Maurice de Gheest last time but the ground went against him. On quick ground, he's very good and while there's a favourable word for SUPREMACY at a price, I'd need to see some evidence after a couple of frankly moderate efforts. Looking further ahead, the Irish Champion on the 11th is another race over which one can salivate mentally. TARNAWA has been installed as 7/4 favourite with ST MARK'S BASILICA at 9/4. Juddmonte winner MISHRIFF looks a big price at 8/1.

Quiet start for the former Derby favourite but no surprise racing over just 1600m. He won the 2020 Lingfield Derby trial and on the back of that was made favourite for the big race at Epsom but SERPENTINE's front running meant ENGLISH KING never got to challenge and finished fifth. Two disappointing runs behind MOGUL suggested to me he needed further and I think he's a galloper and a stayer. I presume ZAAKI will be heading for the Cox Plate.

Not the strongest Group 2 you'll ever see with just five runners. The second was closer on the better ground today than he was in the Reux at the beginning of the month. SUBLIMIS continues to frustrate a little - you could argue on a line through IN SWOOP he's Group 1 class yet he continues to find others to beat him. I've always thought he was a 2800m horse on quick ground - he is only really good at 2400m when it's deep ground.

The Newmarket Town Plate is one of those glorious anachronisms which somehow survives. It's NOT a race as defined by the Rules of Racing these days but it is one of the oldest horse races in England dating back, as said, to the days of Charles II. The race is run over 6000m or 3 miles and 6 furlongs, making it a mile longer than the official longest race, the Queen Alexandra at Ascot. The race is run over part of what was called the Round Course at Newmarket - it hasn't been used for races for a very long time. They start at the end of one of the gallops at a place called Thomond's Post. You can see from the attached what the Round Course must have been like in its day. It backs on to the main July Course just past the Grandstand. https://www.racingpost.com/profile/course/174/newmarket-july/course-map Anyway, they run for about a mile turning right through the trees across land now used as gallops and then with 4000m to go, they join the main racecourse and race home down the July Course straight. It's normally contested by locals and, to quote League of Gentlemen "it's a local race for local people". There are normally no odds but I'm told the local bookies will stand a bet. I suppose it's the Flat race equivalent of the old fashioned steeplechase from one church to the next. I can thoroughly recommend the sausages which are excellent.

Pretty quiet weekend up here - BENBATL, who once ran WINX to a couple of lengths in the Cox Plate, goes over 1600m in the Celebration Mile at Goodwood. I quite like the 3-y-o CHINDIT against him.

Following on to Sunday, PERFECT POWER was impressive in the Morny but he's bred to be a Commonwealth Cup horse not a Guineas horse. AUDARYA was just touched off in the Jean Romanet but it was good to see her back close to her best form. RAABIHAH bolted up in the 2400m Pomone - she was fifth in last year's Arc but is only 20/1 for this year's renewal which may feature an unusually strong 3-y-o challenge including both ADAYAR and SNOWFALL, It's hugely unusual to have BOTH the Derby and Oaks winners get to the Arc as live contenders. We've mentioned SKAZINO - he looks a Royal Oak horse to me (the French St Leger).

I thought it was a messy race with a lot of chopping and changing of pace. It was raining but the rain hadn't got in and they ran the 2800m in 2 minutes 56.1 which is 0.8 seconds below standard. I thought connections of the winner were veering towards the Irish Leger but that might be quite a strong event as geldings can run in that and they can't go in the English Leger. Let's be realistic - QUICKTHORN is a handicapper, a decent one but he was well beaten in a Group 3 behind HUKUM. The third, ALOUNAK, is much better in the mud and fifth placed MAX VEGA is the one for me from the race. Didn't get the best of the race and was thought good enough to run in the 2020 Derby and got much closer to HUKUM in 2020 than QUICKTHORN did this year.

More catch up from Saturday - the Queen's REACH FOR THE MOON, who had finished a well held second to POINT LONSDALE in the Chesham, bolted up in the Solario at Sandown over 1400m. The re-match looks likely in the Dewhurst though of course everyone in the UK wants the Queen to have a fancied runner in the Platinum Jubilee Derby which will be held over the Bank Holiday weekend. The Melrose Handicap winner VALLEY FORGE looks a nice type for the future. @mardigrashas already mentioned the Kergorlay winner SKAZINO - he's the new kid on the French staying block.

Just reflecting on Friday - a terrific scrap between STRADIVARIUS and SPANISH MISSION but only four runners for a Group 2 3200m race. The staying division up here is very poor. I'm just idly wondering if the snapping up of young stayers by Australian interests is having an effect. The Nunthorpe saw WINTER POWER show her affinity for the track - she's nowhere as good elsewhere. A 1-2 for the North - I thought SUESA simply couldn't go the early gallop but ran home well. The Abbaye is her logical target but it's a 950m race and she can't afford to be so far back. POINT LONSDALE bolted up at 1/6 in the Group 2 at The Curragh this evening - probably the best juvenile in either England or Ireland. I imagine the plan will be the National and then the Dewhurst. SPACE BLUES did it well at York - he's a real 1400m specialist and I imagine the Foret on Arc day will be the plan.