StableTalk

The northern hemisphere season ended at a sun drenched Sha Tin racecourse on Sunday with the four Group 1 international races.

The opener was the Vase over 2400m which saw former winner HIGHLAND REEL and Breeders Cup Turf winner TALISMANIC clashing again. Local outsider HELENE CHARISMA set the early fractions but Ryan Moore had HIGHLAND REEL in a close second. Maxine Guyon had got a good break from the inside berth on TALISMANIC and sat third but as the field approached the end of the back straight the front two poached a useful four length advantage which allowed Moore to get a breath into HIGHLAND REEL while the others had to make up the ground.

In the straight, TALISMANIC closed up but Moore asked HIGHLAND REEL to go and he kicked from the front in the final 300m and soon had the race won coming home by a length and three quarters with TALISMANIC a clear second and local TOSEEN BASIL third. European raider CHEMICAL CHARGE ran a fine fourth with MAX DYNAMITE sixth and SMART CALL seventh.

A fantastic sign off for HIGHLAND REEL and not a dry eye in the house with even the usually laconic Ryan Moore a tad emotional. Win or placed in 19 of 27 runs, HIGHLAND REEL has amassed over £7.5 million in win and place money and he has been at the very top of the tree for the past three seasons. He's arguably the best international racehorse for some time if not ever. This year he won the Coronation Cup and the Prince of Wales Stakes and since winning the 2015 Arlington Million he has raced in Group 1 company every time except once when he was a close second in the Hardwicke in 2016.

For me, his best performance was the 2016 Breeders Cup win at Santa Anita and let's not forget he got to within five and a half lengths of a certain WINX one day. He is available for 17,500 euros and I suspect there are plenty of breeders who might consider that a great deal if he can pass his courage and resolution to his progeny.

TALISMANIC ran a fine race in defeat and I expect him to be a challenger to ENABLE over middle distances next summer in Europe.

On then to the Sprint over 1200m and MR STUNNING duly stamped his authority as the top Hong Kong sprinter with a smooth victory over local outsiders D B PIN and BLIZZARD. Given a great lead into the race by PENIAPHOBIA, Nash Rawiller only had to keep his cool and ask for the favourite to kick from 400m out and he was too good for these.

While HIGHLAND REEL's farewell was everything you would want, ROLY POLY's swansong in the Mile was much less dramatic. She had a big task from the car park berth and came home last in a race dominated by BEAUTY GENERATION under a fine tactical ride from K C Leung. He had a two length lead 400m out and Leung kept enough in reverse to repel the challenges of WESTERN EXPRESS, HELENE PARAGON and favourite SEASONS BLOOM who filled the places. The winner was ex-Australian and had run second to TARZINO in the Rosehill Guineas and fourth in the BMW before coming to Hong Kong.

The final race was the Cup over 2000m and this was another emphatic trap-to-line success for TIME WARP who won by two and a half lengths under Zac Purton who had won the International Jockeys Challenge last Wednesday. Purton got the winner out from the five stall and favourite WERTHER and the likes of NEOLIBERALISM never looked like running him down in the straight. POET'S WORD ran a fine sixth but it happened all too quickly for the Europeans in truth.

TIME WARP raced in England as a 2-y-o but those days are far behind him but it was indicative of the confidence connections had he would see out the 2000m trip whereas he had mostly raced and been beaten over shorter distances - in one race, he was fourth to D B PIN who had run second in the Sprint. He's an American bred and has taken well to the Hong Kong scene and there could be more to come. WERTHER was expected to win but was clearly outpointed over this trip.

That's all the racing action for 2017 up here - next stop will be the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park on January 27th and I'll feature the pick of the Meydan action once Carnival starts in mid January.

With a few days of relative peace (though not from the relatives themselves of course), I thought I’d take the opportunity to review the 2017 racing year in the Northern Hemisphere.

As always, there’s plenty to look back on in a year which didn’t go as many would have expected.

The year opened with a new race, the Pegasus, taking the title of the world’s richest race. It was expected to be a canter for ARROGATE and so it proved and the horse went on to a convincing win in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan putting himself in many people’s eyes at the top of the world racing tree. The turf races were spoiled by unseasonal rain which turned the Meydan turf soft and inconvenienced quite a few of the raiders including HIGHLAND REEL.

Spring time in Europe stuttered with some unseasonably cold and wet conditions in Britain and Ireland but the dominance of Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore looked confirmed as the Guineas Trials came and went with only BARNEY ROY’s win in the Greenham sparking any kind of interest.

CHURCHILL had been winter favourite for the 2000 Guineas and those who had invested got their winnings thanks to a tactically brilliant ride from Ryan Moore who kept to the rail and avoided all the problems which affected those racing wider including both BARNEY ROY and AL WUKAIR yet the win was workmanlike rather than impressive and dreams of the Derby were soon forgotten.

Instead, the 3-y-o colt milers headed for the St James’s Palace but the CHURCHILL bubble burst in style and BARNEY ROY emerged as the new kid on the block with a notable win. However, it soon became clear the 3-y-o colt milers were no superstars – BARNEY ROY ran well in both the Eclipse and the Juddmonte but CHURCHILL never returned to his juvenile best.

Back to Newmarket and the fillies strutted their stuff in the 1000 Guineas and if Moore was brilliant on CHURCHILL he was awful on RHODODENDRON who was outgunned by WINTER but this would not look such a bad result in time. The first two went their separate ways after Newmarket with RHODODENDRON heading for the Oaks and WINTER for the Coronation Stakes which she won with authority to establish herself as the top 3-y-o filly at a mile.

The Derby and Oaks pictures remained resolutely confused after Guineas weekend and the trials did little to improve things. Favourite for the Derby was CRACKSMAN who had won the Epsom Derby Trial but in a large field he had to face Dee Stakes winner CLIFFS OF MOHER, 2000 Guineas fourth EMINENT and Dante Stakes winner PERMIAN. In a race of fluctuating fortunes, however, it was little considered Ballydoyle runner WINGS OF EAGLES who prevailed for Padraig Beggy at 50/1.

At the time many considered the 2017 Derby a poor renewal but as it turned out it was probably the race of the year with both the aforementioned CRACKSMAN and the sixteenth horse home, REWILDING, going on to bigger and better things of which more anon.

The Oaks picture had looked inconclusive but many thought John Gosden had the answer with SHUTTER SPEED who had won a 2000m trial at Newbury beating stable mate ENABLE into third but the placings were reversed on the big day as ENABLE improved for the extra 400m to edge out RHODODENDRON for whom jockey tactics could not be blamed for defeat but who produced what in hindsight would be another excellent effort.

As Royal Ascot approached, the older horses began to stir from their hibernation. It had all gone wrong for HIGHLAND REEL when the rain came on the morning of the World Cup but he had restored his reputation with a convincing win in the Coronation Cup and with ALMANZOR off the track the bragging rights among the older middle distance types seemed up for grabs. The Prince of Wales this year wasn’t the strongest renewal but HIGHLAND REEL showed again he was the class act with a typically courageous win.

The Staying division seemed up for grabs as well though ORDER OF ST GEORGE looked the obvious choice to follow up his 2016 Gold Cup success. He faced a new rival however in BIG ORANGE who I saw win the Henry II Stakes at Sandown leading from trap to line. The question seemed to be whether he could do the same over an extra 800m at Ascot and that produced what for many was the best race of the season.

BIG ORANGE led from the start and from the home turn Ryan Moore, who had sat well off the pace on ORDER OF ST GEORGE, came with his run, got to BIG ORANGE’s quarters but no further try as he might. BIG ORANGE crossed the line to the plaudits of the crowd and the delight of Frankie Dettori. ORDER OF ST GEORGE lost nothing in defeat though Moore felt afterward he had surrendered too much ground on the favourite.

The Sprinters were also to the fore at the Royal meeting with the newly established Commonwealth Cup the centre of attention. Aidan O’Brien had quickly decided early in the season his juvenile star CARAVAGGIO was a sprinter not a miler and brought him to the new 1200m Group 1 prize which he won under a fine Ryan Moore ride but he had to work hard to beat off HARRY ANGEL, who had impressed when winning the Temple at Haydock and would go on to bigger and better things.

The older sprinters lined up in the King’s Stand over 1000m but it was a case of déjà vu as the 2016 Queen Anne winner, LADY AURELIA, blitzed the others to win comfortably. She put a series of Group 1 winners in their place and looked set to dominate over 1000m.

For the older milers, the race was the Queen Anne and while lacking the international flavour of recent years, it still looked a strong race but RIBCHESTER had mixed it with the very best as a 3-y-o and followed up here in style setting himself up for a Sussex Stakes clash with CHURCHILL.

Royal Ascot was, as always, a wonderful occasion and to me the finest meeting of the year but the circus soon rolled on to Sandown and the Eclipse and Richard Hannon sent St James’s Park winner BARNEY ROY to take on the older horses and he almost succeeded. In another pulsating finish, he was denied by ULYSSES, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Jim Crowley, who travelled into the race on the bridle and had just enough to hold the 3-y-o.

So then to Newmarket and the July Meeting and the feature July Cup once again underlined the power of the 3-y-o sprinters as HARRY ANGEL decisively turned Ascot form with CARAVAGGIO and looked a real sprinting star.

Ascot beckoned once again for the King George and it’s a race often won by a top 3-y-o and so it proved as Oaks winner ENABLE slaughtered a strong field of older horses led by Eclipse winner ULYSSES. This was an eye opening performance and established her as a leading middle distance prospect.

In Ireland the expected O’Brien/Coolmore domination continued as the Irish Derby went to CAPRI who defeated English Derby winner WINGS OF EAGLES and CRACKSMAN on whom Pat Smullen was widely judged to have ridden a poor race. It would be the last appearance of WINGS OF EAGLES who was retired shortly after the race due to injury while both CAPRI and CRACKSMAN would continue to progress.

High summer at Ascot and Newmarket ended with a jolt at Goodwood as the Sussex Stakes dissolved in a quagmire of biblical rain. An inch and a half of the wet stuff turned the ground from good to nearly heavy and Aidan O’Brien had no hesitation in withdrawing CHURCHILL. RIBCHESTER took his chance but in a strange race was outfought by WHERE OR WHEN who sprang a shock for Andrew Balding.

The ground was still soft for the Nassau but that didn’t stop WINTER recording a game success seeing off the older fillies and mares. Goodwood also saw a new 3-y-o sprinting star emerge as BATTAASH won the King George Stakes. In a year of quality sprinters, he looked the one to take on LADY AURELIA in the Nunthorpe.

York’s August meeting has grown in status in recent years and kicked off with the International which saw an exciting clash between the generations and it was Eclipse winner ULYSSES who saw off both BARNEY ROY and CHURCHILL. The Yorkshire Oaks looked to be a straightforward task for ENABLE and so it proved. The Great Voltigeur saw a more eye catching performance from CRACKSMAN who won by seven lengths but connections immediately poured cold water on Leger and Arc aspirations.

The Nunthorpe produced another pulsating race – LADY AURELIA under Frankie Dettori jumped and ran but the ground was slower than at Ascot and Abbaye winner MARSHA cut her down in the final stride. Frankie thought he’d won prompting commentator Richard Hoiles to offer the quote of the season – “Frankie thinks he’s won, he’s certain, I’m not.” MARSHA won by a nose.

Autumn begins with the Leger these days and a strong field turned up for the 2017 renewal but Group 1 form was confirmed with Irish Derby winner CAPRI scoring. For a change the Leger didn’t clash with Irish Champions weekend which saw a big crowd at Leopardstown and a meagre turn out at The Curragh. DECORATED KNIGHT won the Irish Champion Stakes, ORDER OF ST GEORGE hacked up in the Irish Leger but WINTER’s Group 1 spree came to an end with a narrow defeat at the hands of stable mate HYDRANGEA in the Matron.

The season moved toward its climax and three weeks after Irish Champions Weekend came Arc Weekend at Chantilly. All the talk was of ENABLE and she didn’t disappoint winning the Arc and putting up a scintillating performance to be crowned the undisputed queen of the crop. The news she will stay in training at four was a huge boost but she won’t have it easy in 2018.

In the other Group 1 races on Arc day, there was redemption for BATAASH in the Abbaye. He had boiled over in the preliminaries at York and thrown away his chance but here he was at his brilliant best and in a strong year for 3-y-o sprinters ended right at the top of the tree.

Redemption also for RHODODENDRON after an unlucky run in the 1000 Guineas and the misfortune to come up against a champion in the Oaks but her Opera win confirmed her as a very good filly as she saw off HYDRANGEA to underline the strength of the Ballydoyle 3-y-o fillies.

From Chantilly to Ascot for Champions Day - the autumn rains had come and the ground was soft with heavy places but it was still a fine afternoon’s racing. ORDER OF ST GEORGE just got home in the stayers race but STRADIVARIUS, who had won the Goodwood Cup before the deluge and then run third in the Leger, was only a length down in third and looks a potent threat for next year’s Gold Cup.

LIBRISA BREEZE, who had run well without quite getting involved in all the big sprints, finally got his day in the sun by winning the 1200m seeing off the 3-y-os TASLEET and CARAVAGGIO. The ever versatile HYDRANGEA showed her toughness by winning over 2400m. The Queen Elizabeth II saw a minor upset as John Gosden’s filly PERSUASIVE held off RIBCHESTER and CHURCHILL.

Performance of the day however was CRACKSMAN’s seven length romp in the Champion Stakes. He looks a really exciting prospect as a 4-y-o and while it’s far too early to tell the classic generation of 2018 will need to be of a high quality to deal with some of the older horses out there.

The Breeders Cup was generally disappointing for the Europeans on a night of shocks and upsets galore in Southern California. Aidan O'Brien had a winner as did Charlie Appleby with WUHEIDA and Andre Fabre won the Turf with TALISMANIC who had HIGHLAND REEL in third but the latter reversed the placings on his swansong in Hong Kong retiring having won over £7 million in win and place money.

ARROGATE had flopped badly at 1/20 on his return after his World Cup winn and a second lacklustre effort a few weeks later convinced most we had seen the best of the former champion and the changing of the guard was completed with GUN RUNNER winning the Classic from COLLECTED. However, the winner has been packed off to stud and COLLECTED was beaten when odds on at Santa Anita on Boxing Day. It might be the Classic third, WEST COAST, who emerges from the wreckage to be the fancy for the Pegasus at the end of January.

The strange thing about 2017 is it has seen a vintage crop of 3-y-o in almost all the divisions except the one where the 3-y-o are usually the strongest, the colt milers. They haven’t proved so this year but the middle distance colts, the sprinters and in particular the fillies have all been excellent and have come to the fore in all the big races and although the European season was mostly done and dusted, the 3-y-o weren’t and on the biggest stage of all in the southern hemisphere, it was the Epsom Derby also-ran REWILDING who scooped the Melbourne Cup for Joseph O’Brien succeeding where his father has so far failed and perhaps suggesting the son may yet prove even better than the father as a handler of horses.

In stallion terms, GALILEO continued his dominance with his progeny winning three times as much in win and place money (over £11.5 million) than the next best, DARK ANGEL. FRANKEL, in his second season, finished fourth and while it’s too early to speak of him as GALILEO’s successor, the signs are pointing that way.

Sylvestre D’Souza regained the jockeys’ title in England while Aidan O’Brien won the trainers title in both England and Ireland yet again.

Finally, to the 2-y-o and it’s fair to say Coolmore once again looked to have a very strong hand but initially among the colts it was the Sir Michael Stoute trained EXPERT EYE who looked the part after a hugely impressive win at Goodwood but he flopped in the Dewhurst and US NAVY FLAG, who had won the Middle Park, followed up to take a prominent place in the 2000 Guineas ante post market.

However, he faces two powerful rivals from his own stable – GUSTAV KLIMT won impressively at Newmarket in July but I have to admit I was struck by SAXON WARRIOR on debut and have raved about him ever since.

It’s rare for Ballydoyle juveniles to win on debut and those that do are usually out of the top drawer. SAXON WARRIOR was 20/1 for a 1600m maiden at The Curragh on debut but he scythed through the pack to win nicely and followed up at Leopardstown before landing the odds in the Racing Post Trophy. I think he’s a Derby horse more than a Guineas runner but we’ll see.

The colts market looks wide open but the fillies looks more clear cut and again Team Ballydoyle dominate. SEPTEMBER looked a really nice sort when winning the Chesham but needs firm ground and didn’t prosper on slower ground in England though she did run well in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. HAPPILY won the Moyglare and defeated a weak field of French colts in the Lagardere on Arc day but flopped in America.

However, it is CHURCHILL’s sister, CLEMMIE, who leads the 2-y-o fillies by virtue of an impressive win in the Cheveley Park. I suspect a mile will be as far as she wants but in terms of the 1000 Guineas she’s the one to beat at this stage.

Just for fun, then, my top three horses of 2017 (in reverse order of course and based on those staying in training):

3. CRACKSMAN – a horse who has always had the highest respect at John Gosden’s yard. Arguably a shade unfortunate at Epsom and not given the best of rides at The Curragh, his wins in the Voltigeur and the Champion Stakes have marked him as a serious middle distance runner. Is he better at 2000 or 2400m? It’s hard to know – for me, he has to prove he can go with the very best over the longer distance.

I suspect they will give him time in 2018 with the end game being the Arc back at Longchamp.

2. HARRY ANGEL – in what was a vintage year for 3-y-o sprinters, he was at the top of the tree winning both the July Cup and the Haydock Sprint Trophy after a close second in the Commonwealth Cup. Soft ground was against him on Champions Day but he still ran a fine race in fourth. I’d love to see him take on BATAASH over 1100m on fast ground but it will be interesting to see how he copes with the new crop of young sprinters next summer.

1. ENABLE – not the hardest decision ever. From a quiet start at Newbury this filly blossomed through the summer and autumn winning the Oaks, the King George, the Yorkshire Oaks and finally the Arc to be the champion 3-y-o filly (in a very strong crop) and the champion middle distance horse. Next year she will have to face CRACKSMAN eventually (probably at Longchamp) and the pick of the classic generation. I suspect she will be carefully and meticulously campaigned by Gosden so I don’t expect to see her too soon.

It’s worth remembering I said all this about ALMANZOR this time last year and he sank without trace so it’s a salutary lesson.

All in all, another exciting and fascinating year up here. It’s fair to say there are still problems ahead for horse racing – the relationship between bookmakers and racecourses through media rights remains central to the current power struggle but with bookmakers facing Government pressure on the issue of FOBTs in shops, the current “golden age” for the bookies may be coming to an end.

That will have impacts on well in terms of future media rights and with horse racing less and less important in overall gambling terms the sport needs to be aware of the wider political environment. More prize money will be coming in 2018 but Britain and Ireland lag far behind other countries and it’s embarrassing for us to try to lure top horses over to run for so little. Britain desperately needs a £10 million race and even a £5 million race would help. Would WINX come to Ascot if the Prince of Wales and the Queen Anne were worth £5 million each? It might help.

As I always say to the whingeing Aussies, if you don’t want so many European runners in the Melbourne Cup, reduce the pot by 50%.

The truth is horse racing at the highest level is now a global sport just as golf, tennis and Formula 1 motor racing are and Britain has to compete with the likes of Japan, Australia and the US and while there’s much about the British horse racing scene that remains strong, we can’t afford to become insular and revel in the past.

Thanks to all on ST for your comments and I hope you've enjoyed reading my bits and pieces this year.

If the Wiz could pin a new sticky thread for my 2018 contributions, I'd be much obliged.