I think a couple of these comments should be placed gently into a box entitled
visceral!!
Clearly when So You Think got unbalanced, it cost him two lengths, maybe even five, which of course should then be rounded up to ten; Additionally, because it was a small field, because it was a ten furlong race, because it was fairly fast ground, and because the Stoute yard were ever so slightly in the doldrums, it was heavily evident that Workforce had everything in his favour on Saturday and that should be easily worth another five lengths; Then you have to factor in that So You Think appeared to give a mid-race piggyback to a unicorn, which let’s face it, probably cost him another twenty lengths. Plus, despite the visual element suggesting something entirely different, I think we can take it on face-value that So You Think won with any amount in hand, given that connections almost always underplay their statements to the media.
In reality then, we can comfortably conclude that So You Think actually won the Eclipse by thirty five lengths on the snaff and I think we can all agree that he was no more than 20% fit when doing so; Superstar status indeed franked!!
What's funny is that a half-length defeat, and you go from an equine god, to a modest Group 3 yak; Then a half-length victory and your back to the greatest animal ever to grace a racetrack. I don’t think it’s at all a case of the Racing Post having a sizable Workforce fan base, but simply a case of the racing fraternity being split between those who walk around with ‘I
SYT’ t-shirts on, and those that are bored to death by the hyperbole that surrounds the O’Brien inmate. Maybe the Ballydoyle theory is that if you say something enough times, it will become true, but to quote someone far more verbose than I, “all that glitters is not gold “.
If connections had cut down on the aggrandising, I can't help but feel people would have been more willing to embrace a hugely talented horse for what he is, but the constant spoon-feeding of superiority, while simultaneously brushing the latest fallen idol under the carpet, will always antagonise and alienate in an opinionated arena.
I actually thought that the race on Saturday was a good one, and that it probably resulted in a win-win scenario given the performances that both horses posted. I echo the dislike of pacemakers, but it should be said that Fortune nailed the pre-race tactics, and Confront was used as effectively as any pacemaker I have seen for a good few seasons. The interesting aspect of the Eclipse, and the part I probably have a problem with, is that it points to Rewilding as being top banana. A line through Sri Putra suggests that So You Think wasn’t undercooked at Ascot, something I think most of us knew anyway; The Godolphin charge is still a lightly raced four year old, so it would be folly to suggest So You Think has improvement to come, yet Rewilding doesn’t and if you make the argument that So You Think took it up too soon at the Royal meeting, you equally have to accept that the same argument can be made about the events that transpired on Saturday. Either all three horses are roughly the same, ability wise, and thus could just as easily win as lose, on any given day, over both ten and twelve furlongs, or that the Prince Of Wales winner has improved to become the top middle distance horse in training, in which case why is he not a stupidly short priced favourite for the King George, given the current favourite was so readily left trailing by Midday at Epsom, a filly who isn't exactly known for lightning quick acceleration.
PS & FYI, such is the difference between both the Derby and the Arc, compared to other top middle distances contests regards European bloodstock, that it would actually be more apt to compare the stud value of a BC winner to a horse that merely placed in an Arc, rather than one who landed the Paris showpiece.