i saw her before race and she looked a million dollars
and after the race she looked a billion dollars
she is as good as ever good old nelly

Don't you mean Nelly!

her too

Check this out PJ


Bruce Clark

Good news - Atlantic Jewel returned to Flemington yesterday after 6 weeks pre-training.

In work till end April then resumes for spring June 1

Atlantic Jewel is 54.5kg heavier now, scanned clear after rehab on mild tear lateral branch of near fore tendon. "I'm excited" says Kav.

It's almost been 12 months since we saw Atlantic Jewel win the All Aged. Plenty of water walking and care now under saddle at Flemington.

fantastic news Tyson be great to see her back on the track

we are very excited about Fastnet Rocks first European crop here in ireland

Here are the 12 Fastnet 2yo at Ballydoyle

colts
Drishti (12/4/11) - Fastnet Rock ex American Queen
Cougar Mountain (28/3/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Descant
The Islander (17/3/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Blue Cloud
(11/4/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Beltisaal
(16/4/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Blue Dream
(4/4/11) - Fastnet Rock ex My Emma
(31/3/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Small Sacrifice
(2/4/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Strawberry Roan
filly
Aqua de Vida (22/1/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Delphinium
(28/3/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Lady Icarus
(5/5/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Leonia
(5/4/11) - Fastnet Rock ex Sea Picture

Some people have too much money. Note this is only the 2nd most expensive yearling of the sale, the most expensive was a half brother to Black Caviar.
http://www.inglis.com.au/news/item/4-million-fastnet-rock-colt-highlights-day-two-at-inglis-easter

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25/25 15G1

Lots of people doubting her today....fools

No doubt going to get some hate for this but how can you not just find it boring? She's beating all the same horses time after time over the same distances. I was so pleased when frankel stepped up to 1m2 and raced some different horses over a different distance, as I was finding repeated domination over a mile a little boring, as the horse wasnt getting a chance to show himself to the max, and I was hoping he'd go up again in trip to 1m4, but he never got the chance to prove himself at another distance due to his unadventurous owner. I personally find all the BC stuff boring, it's just mindless domination over the same distance and everyone becomes too obsessed with the numbers. It's not becaus win British, it's like the difference between big bucks and sprinter sacre. Big bucks dominates boringly in a boring division, whereas SS has dominated in 2 strong divisions, and could go all the way to 3 miles, and shows versatility, and meets different horses each time, whereas big bucks and black caviar meet very similar horses each time.

sorry Ubar i have to totally disagree
Big Bucks & Black Caviar's domination boring
that has to be one of the most bizarre statements i have ever heard mate
firstly Big Bucks why on earth would you move big bucks down in distance he can't go up he is brilliant & if you cant appreciate
his brilliance then i just don't understand that what do you want him to do try and win the champion hurdle just to show you he is
versatile - he is a brilliantly classy all time great staying hurdler why on earth change that
same for BC she is an out and out top class sprinter best ever in my opinion why try and make her something that she is not
where does it end when will you be happy would you like to see her in the irish st leger what are you looking for from her
i watched her race today and just continue to be amazed beat 5 gr1 winners today and over 30 Gr1 winners through her career deserves
huge respect i dont think you have ever appreciated her achievements today she made her opponents look like selling platers if thats boring then i dont know
to me it compelling viewing
i greatly appreciate any horse that can win 20+ races in a row that is some achievement not boring
but thats only my opinion and i may be wrong

The boring bit is its basically a foregone conclusion every time. Horses will avoid BC if possible. Horses can easily avoid big bucks. When Frankel stepped up in trip there was the unknown factor ,again in the champion on heavy against CDA, whereas the mile was getting about boring and horses were starting to duck him eg sussex stakes. It's the same with Sprinter sacre- sanctuaire, 2m4, cue card, flemenstar, the unknown factor made it more interesting. In a division like the 2 mile chasing there will always be new opponents, whereas in the 3m hurdle tere is no incentive to stay there so instead they go chasing. Look how much more exciting the 3m hurdle division was this year. The same could happen with the European miling scene.

i disagree i think the major staying hurdle races were a poorer place without big bucks this year

I partly agree with you Ubar about the boring part, but I completely disagree about Big Buck's and Black Caviar.

That is what really turns me off with the flat. Due to the fact that racing the horses ultimately revolves around breeding prices, stud rights who can breed with who etc etc. Horses often won't be experimented with because losing at a certain distance when you could have won at a different one will reduce your stud fee. So horses stick at the same distance. DB's post last week about breeding summed it up much better than I could.

Why would you want to test BC over further? Her breeding is all speed so why race her over further?

As for Frankel I would have loved to see him over 6f, but there isn't as much money to be made over sprint distances as there is over 1m and 1m2f.

The problem with both black caviar and big bucks is that their unbeaten records have become this sacred object almost, that is to be risked as little as possible, and that restricts them. Ok, black caviar came to England, but on paper it didn't appear to be the most difficult of moves, but shes never stepped up in distance and big bucks has never gone to Ireland or changed distance. Peter moody has said he thinks she'll get a mile easily- why not find out? That's why in some ways Camelot losing his unbeaten record was a good thing- they're no longer worried about trying to preserve it. The difference with sprinter sacre and to a certain extent frankel is that they had confidence in their horses to risk it, though frankel was still well looked after, and I agree, it would have been great to see him over 6f, even more than it would have been to see him over 1m4. If sprinter sacre stayed at 2mile chasing and racked up 20 straight victories, people might avoid him and it would get a bit stagnant and boring. But if he varies his distance- kempton has been talked about, then it keeps it interesting. Great horses should be challenged- be it racing the best around, travelling, changing distance. Black caviar has been challenged twice- coming to the uk and when she raced over 7f. So of her 25 races, all but 2 have been walkovers on the same tracks against the same horses over the same distances. Frankel was only challenged 3 times- racing canford cliffs, stepping up to 1m2 and racing cirrus des aigles on heavy, and with the exception of the last, they were all still quite 'safe' options. Compare to brigadier Gerard, when breeding was less imortant and racing was purer and its quite depressing really. In Australia a 7yo is totally dominant. That shows how weak it currently is that in 5 seasons nothing has challenged her.

Not a single one of the horses lining up against Black Caviar yesterday had raced against her this year. In fact in her three starts this year she has raced 23 different horses (out of 23 other horses to contest those races).
The only two horses to avoid her this year that aren't injured are Snitzerland (who's owner has a major share in Black Caviar so it makes no sense) and Mrs Onassis (who ran in the Group 3 mares race yesterday and finished 10th).
More Joyous, Pierro and All Too Hard are all 7f-1m+ horses and have bigger targets.
If you were an owner of Black Caviar all you can do is enter her into the best races that are most suitable for her, you can't be blamed if no-one else wants to run against you. The only thing, in my opinion, lacking from her career is a win in either Hong Kong or Japan which I think have the second best quality of sprinters after Australia, the only horse that is a realistic threat to Black Caviar over 5-6f is Lord Kaneloa.

And besides, It's A Dundeel's win was far superior yesterday. That horse will be special.