It is all too rare for the performance of a racehorse to literally take the breath away. But at Newbury yesterday, not long after noon, Sprinter Sacre put in a performance of such mind blowing brilliance that may well have heralded his arrival as a racehorse of extraordinary ability....
Of course, each and every sport is prone to hype and over exaggeration. Sport needs it's heroes and heroines, and requires exceptional performances to put as a benchmark against which the efforts of others can be judged. This might well have been a "flash in the pan". This particular bubble, which received a massive pump of air yesterday, could well be pricked, like so many have been in the past, at Prestbury Park in a little under a months time....
But this was a performance of raw class. Barry Geraghty a passenger as Sprinter Sacre tugged his way to the front half way down the back straight. Barry clearly looking for a lead for longer, but his horse giving him no option. Still hard on the bridle jumping the cross fence and turning for home. As he approached Barney and I at the second last, Barry saw a stride. A long stride. A very long stride. Sprinter Sacre answered his jockey's every call, coming up from well outside the wings......
Never remotely off the bridle. Always "tanking along". Doing too much, to be critical, but never looking as if his headstong charge down the back straight would see him tie up on the run to the last and beyond. Surely, if he stands up, he wins at The Festival.......
The sort of performance that had those of us lucky to be there speaking of little else through the day. Remarkable. I bumped into Peter Thomas of The Racing Post and his wife on the lawn in front of the stands. Like a huge number of people, they had been caught up in the horrendous traffic and had missed the first race. I tried to convey what I had witnessed. But then, as ever, couched my words with the concern that we can overhype our stars. I hope that Sprinter Sacre will go on to prove himself to be half as good as the mighty impression he created in my mind yesterday....
For the Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner to be an anticlimax was a little strange. "Workmanlike". This did not have "repeat victory" writ large to me......
Whilst Long Run's performance was anti climactic, Ruby Walsh's ride on Zarkandar was most certainly not. In Ruby and AP we have two complete masters of their trade. As Zarkandar passed the line, AP lay motionless behind the second last. A ghastly, bone crunching fall. For any normal man. But AP on his feet, albeit gingerly, and lifting home the winner of the bumper to crown an extraordinary day.....
I had no runners. I had nil involvement. Barney and I only stayed for three races. But I am mighty glad we went. A fabulous afternoon of high drama. The sort of day our sport and our administrator's need to bottle. And sell over and over again. We were glad to be there.....
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