The Older Brigade

Just trawled through all the big race entries for the coming few months and i have to say that we might be in for a season to remember in the older horse division.Always enjoyed watching the good quality ones develop in their later years and this bunch could be very good.Coolmore seem to have an embarrasment of riches with Await the Dawn,Cape Blanco,Jan Vermeer,St Nicholas Abbey,So You Think etc,Godolphin have Rewilding,Passion For Gold plus you throw in Workforce,Midday,Canford Cliffs,Alainmaar and many others i havent mentioned and it maybe a real melting pot.Hope that at some point we get a real humdinger with six or seven of these doing battle at a track that suits all,im an old romantic and id love it to be at Ascot for the King George but with the modern day program being the way it is ,it will probably be Longchamp on Arc day.Oh how i yearn for days like the early eighties with Ela Mana Mou,Time Charter,Sun Princess,Stanerra,Teenoso,Sadlers Wells all doing their stuff over three or four seasons....stupid old duffer that i am

So You Think certainly threw his hat into the ring today with a very smooth victory.He looked every inch a star over this 10f trip and it will take a good one to lower his colours.Surely Prince of Wales bound,this looks like it could be a belter if all stand their ground.

Workforce looks like he will get his chance to throw down a marker when he makes his seasonal debut at Sandown on Thursday evening in what looks a very decent renewal of the Brigadier Gerard.Last years Derby and Arc winner has to concede a 7lb Group one penalty all round and although on ratings he has a stone in hand of the opposition surely its first up,under a penalty that will see Workforce at his most vulnerable.Jan Vermeer and Elusive Pimpernel will be no pushovers,the former ran three solid races in top flight events last year but with the O Brien runners coming on a tonne for their first run you would expect him to do nothing but improve for this outing,the latter ran a nice race at Newmarket over 9 and looked for all the world that a step up in trip would see him in a better light,he has plenty to find on ratings but he is race sharp and gets a handy weight allowance.The rest look as though they are playing for a place at best,Afsare is a nice horse but needs to find stones to figure,same comment applies to Distant Memories and whilst Cavalryman has some high class form in the book he has become very disappointing.Poet is a nice type in the right grade but would need plenty of these to under perform and Sri Putra always seems to find one too good even though he has placed form in the highest grade.Workforce just might have too much class for them all but first time back under his penalty and at a fairly skinny price then id be looking to take him on,with fitness assured and having a step up in trip then ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL rates a very solid ew bet in my book.

a watching not a betting race this for me but I can't see beyond Workforce

steveo77 wrote:a watching not a betting race this for me but I can't see beyond Workforce

It was, indeed, a winning return for Workforce - Sporting Life

Solerina

A very good renewal of this event with some high class form on offer.It looked a solid pace from the off and there seemed no hard luck stories.Poet ran an absolute stormer from the front and Workforce needed every yard of the 10 to get past him.Praiseworthy efforts by both of the front two,Poet for putting up a career best and Workforce for defying a penalty,first run up and a trip that is basically too short.Only my opinion but Workforce will struggle to win a real top flight 10 f race,the opposition hes liable to meet in them may just have too much toe for him,different kettle of fish running down Poet than it will be to running down So you Think or Await the Dawn.Over 12f Workforce has nothing to fear,he sets the current marker over that trip,if he was mine it would be King George next then the Arc but modern day breeders will insist on having top grade 10 f wins as a premium so it would be no suprise to see him turn up at York for the Juddmonte(owners sponsor it!).

Nice race today in Ireland for the older stayers,Fame and Glory up against the reigning Gold Cup holder Rite of Passage.Thought before the race that 1m6 was too short for the latter but he suprised me by running a real solid race under considerate handling to finish a close third.Fame and Glory won but his performance was far from fluent and it probably asked more questions than it answered.Held up(Spencer cant ride any other way) he looked like bolting up two out but he found barely enough to hold of a filly rated 27lb inferior,i know this is only a prep for bigger targets but its my opinion that the riding tactics and the extended trips are finding him out.I always had him as a soft ground 1m4 horse who was ridden fairly close to the pace(Coronation Cup last year) and then went for home a fair way out.Think the stable are trying to turn him into a Yeats type,effective at 1m4 but who stays the extreme distances,only with this fella i dont think its going to work.I dont think he will get 2m4 in a taxi and Spencers riding (as usual) leaves a lot to be desired.He was trading at around 3s for the Gold Cup beforehand,if theres a worse value for money antepost bet about at present well i aint come across it.

Fame & Glory will not win the Ascot Gold Cup, and is certainly no Yeats. Agree with you Racingnut, he was cruising 3 out today, looked like he could kick on and win easily but just did enough against what can only be described as a 'run of the mill' field, bar Rite of Passage. The latter named was definitely a little ring rusty however given the inadequate trip and that it was his first blow of the season, i think Dermot Weld will be more than happy. 7/2 on Rite Of Passage against 3/1 Fame & Glory ... I know which one i'd take !!!! (shame the reported 7/1 on RoP from Hills was never actually available !)

i still think that if Fame and Glory can stay he will win the Gold Cup.
he is a class horse.