City Of Troy or Frankel?

Hi all,

Inside today's mian piece you'll find my thoughts on the best of Thursday's racing.

Well, I got my results yesterday and the upshot is I can look forward to having a half of my thyroid gland removed in the coming weeks. I’m now on the waiting list awaiting my date with the surgeon.

Betting Shops: The Glory Days

I recently came across a short YouTube video on betting shops from the mid-70s (watch here). It took me back to the 1980s, when I was a teenager. Back then, Boardmen were still around, especially in the independent shops, indeed I was one of them.

Those were the days when local bookies felt more like community centres. There was always friendly chat between punters and staff who genuinely knew the sport. Ok, today’s betting shops are cleaner, and you don’t have to cut the smoke with a knife as you did back then but they have lost their soul and the characters who used to inhabit those inner sanctums.

Watching that video made me nostalgic for the ‘good old days,’ when betting was a genuine experience, free from the constant interference and the ease of betting that we have now, with everything available right in our pockets. Rose coloured glasses for sure and yes I have become a grumpy old man but it just was better.

City Of Troy Versus Frankel

Tom Segal has written an interesting piece in the Racing Post. If you’re not a subscriber to the Racing Post, you won’t be able to read it as it’s behind a paywall. In the article, Tom writes about how Ryan Moore stood out at York last week, not just for his exceptional horsemanship but for his strategic brilliance. He expertly judged how the track was riding, giving flawless rides to The Lion In Winter, Los Angeles, and City Of Troy. While Moore was riding top-class horses, his ability to anticipate and outmanoeuvre other jockeys made the difference. City Of Troy was particularly impressive, with Moore's ride making it nearly impossible for any horse to challenge him. Coolmore's dominance is due to having the best horses, jockey, and strategy. I think most of us will concur with Tom’s thoughts regarding the latter sentence.

A Bold Comparison

However, he raised a bit of controversy with the following in regard to City Of Troy’s win in the Juddmonte International Stakes:

“It would have taken a performance of the ages for any horse to beat him last Wednesday. Frankel might have been able to do it, but I'm not sure, given the way City Of Troy was ridden, any horse would have got past him, particularly since he always seems to be waiting for other horses to challenge.”

Given City Of Troy beat just one other Group 1 winner in the race, that’s a bold statement. That’s the great thing about this sport—it’s a game of opinions. Hey, and why not have a debate? Look at the ratings: City Of Troy has a Timeform rating of 130p after his York success, while Frankel had a rating of 143 at the end of his 3-year-old career. City Of Troy will need a one hell of a performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to get anywhere near Frankel. Now, for some, ratings comparisons are worthless, but I don’t think so. Yes, it’s all hypothetical but for me, Frankel would have beaten City Of Troy last week.

Thursday Racing Preview

The ITV4 cameras are set to cover the final round of the Racing League at Southwell this evening, and I've got a couple of horses that are worth keeping an eye on.

Southwell

Sondad made a winning handicap/all-weather debut over the course and distance (C&D) 27 days ago. He’s up 4lb in a tougher race at 6:43, and although he shapes like he might prefer 7f, he’s only had four starts and should make a bold bid for the hat trick.

Jer Batt, another C&D winner, returned to winning ways at Haydock (5f) 25 days ago. He’s 5lb higher but makes plenty of appeal in the 5f handicap (8:40) that concludes the Southwell card.

Newbury

At Newbury, Fool’s Gold (5:55) catches the eye. Although he was well-beaten by Big Evs in the Group 2 Flying Childers at Doncaster on his final juvenile start, he made a highly encouraging seasonal return when finishing 4th of 7 at Haydock (5f) last month. Stepping up to 7f for the first time, he does have stamina to prove, but having won over 6f last season, he’s got a chance of staying and won’t be far away if he does. His yard in good form which is another positive.

All four of Wednesday’s ‘lay or play’ qualifiers lost, making it 4-0 to the layers.

There are three ‘lay or play’ qualifiers on Thursday.

Good luck with your Thursday bets.

John