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THE BHA HANDICAPPERS |
Weblog: View from the team behind the official ratings
Retirement thoughts on Cliffs and Hills
THIS WEEK saw the retirement of a top-class miler, writes blog editor Martin Greenwood. We offer an appraisal of his illustrious career, as well as atribute to another legend of the Turf, Trainer Barry Hills.
Deputy Head of handicapping Dominic Gardiner-Hill on a recently retired star . . .
So, no sooner had we all been bathing in theglory of Frankel's "best in the world" performance at Goodwood last week than we found out that the vanquished Canford Cliffs had run his last race and was to be retired with immediate effect.
Rated 118 after three runs as a two year old, the highlight of which was his six lengths romp in the Coventry at Royal Ascot, Canford Cliffs met with defeat in his first two starts as a three year old in the Greenham at Newbury and the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket but his success in the Irish 2,000 Guineas was the first of three straight Group 1 victories which completed his season.
The best of these was when he took on the older horses for the first time in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and earned his 2010 World Ranking figure of 127 in beating the previous year's winner Rip Van Winkle. Sadly he was unable to take his place in the QE II at Ascot later in the year and he missed out on the title of "Champion Miler" by a pound to old rival Makfi who had defeated him in the Guineas but had trailed behind the Hannon star in the St James's Palace at Royal Ascot.
He did however post a higher Rankings figure than joint top "Older Milers" Goldikova and Rip Van Winkle at 125.
His four year old career saw him start where he left off the previous year with further Group 1 success in the Lockinge (125+) and then Royal Ascot success in beating the aforementioned Goldikova in the Queen Anne and equalling his career figure of 127. That set up the mouth-watering clash of the world's best older miler against the world's best three-year-old miler (Frankel) in the Sussex Stakes - a task that proved beyond him on the day, possible injury notwithstanding. Nobody could ever suggest however, that he lost anything in defeat as he posted his sixth consecutive performance in excess of 120.
As both a racing fan and a professional handicapper, it is sad that Canford has been retired as there was a degree of "unfinished business" to see to - the likely rematch with Frankel in the QEII and as the horse most likely to push Frankel to stellar figures. He will once again miss out on the title of "Champion Miler" once the 2011 World Thoroughbred Rankings are published in January (Frankel surely has that one signed, sealed and delivered) but he is still in pole position for title of "Champion Older Miler" at this point in time and is sitting joint third in the most recently published list of the World Rankings.
Described by ever present jockey Richard Hughes as "the best I have ever ridden" he was indeed a credit to his connections and the sight of Hughes looming in those bright orange colours ready to pounce with that trademark turn of foot will be missed by all.
OVER THE HILLS
Matthew Tester gives us an early extract fromhis memoirs . . .
Before I joined this team I spent four years as private handicapper to Barry Hills and his son John. Barry's approach is that with every horse you get "a limited number of bullets in the gun".My job was to try to make sure that we did not waste any of our bullets. When a horse was spot on and ready to run a huge race, Barry wanted to make sure that we were in the right race.
What he wanted me to do was to help find those races, to tell him about the opposition and to tell him how the form his horse had shown so far stacked up. They were the four years when Barry was at Manton and John had taken over at South Bank, his father's base in Lambourn. I learned a huge amount and it was wonderful experience that has helped me no end. As Barry puts it, "you had four years trying to help me to win races and now a lifetime trying to stop me". Those were the days of Distant Relative and Handsome Sailor, Sir Harry Lewis and Gallic League, Scenic and Asteroid Field.
Barry has a reputation for being grumpy (at best) but we never had a cross word in our four years together. The tremendous loyalty of his staff speaks volumesin his favour. He told me once that his staff had been with him for four hundred years. That team is going to be a vital ingredient in the success of Charles Hills who takes over the yard. I hope that Charlie's achievements as a trainer eclipse even those of his father. And I am pretty sure that Barry hopes so too. Good luck to them both.
MALICIOUS, MISCHIEVOUS OR SIMPLY MISGUIDED?
Graeme Smith on oft touted Trainer speak . . .
The Tony Carroll-trained Malice Or Mischief gained his fifth success of the campaign in a Yarmouth claimer last Wednesday - not bad for a horse rated in the mid to high 70s. I must saythough, I was surprised to read the trainer's quote in the Racing Post following the race that said "he can't win a handicap off his current mark".
I'm not sure whether Tony meant this as a criticism of the handicapping team or whether it was just a throwaway comment, but nevertheless felt I ought to make a point of answering the claim.
As I say, this was Malice Or Mischief's fifth success of the campaign and Tony will be fully aware that his fourthwin came in a handicap, from a mark of 75 too - just 1lb lower than his pre-race rating last week (he was raised 2lb to 78 following his win). What's more, Malice Or Mischief won that particular handicap by no less than two and a quarter lengths, making him around 5lb superior to the rest of that field in a race run over a mile.
It's therefore surely hard to defend a claim that suggests it was impossible for him to win a handicap off a mark of 76. Those who know the horse might point out that the handicap he won was far from strong, whilst it's possible Malice Or Mischief is better suited by small fields where he can do things on his terms, but either way there are handicaps out there that fit that criteria. Don't blame us Mr Carroll just because you can't be bothered to find one!
This blog appears courtesy of britishhorseracing.com
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