BRITISH 2yo RACING - 2014 Season Race Result
	Race 8 : Tue, April 8th Southwell 2:00, 5f Maiden (5)
2014 Season Home 2014 Results	[Est] is the B2yoR Rating. Green indicates a 55+ level, Cream between 30 & 54, Pink less than 30. Wnr = previous/LATER 2yo Winner. Letter is Race Type. Hf = Position at Halfway. Green indicates making places to the finish. GOING TIME RcPc Video VP STD 60.48 [Compare] 1 None Link

SUMMARY

11DegC with a Strong Half Tailwind from the right. Pictures of the Finish = Slightly odd Race Shape and Hf vs Fin positions which needs some thought. Another 2yo race, like LEIC on Friday, where the clueless, start blowers, outpaced, etc, ended up in a heap quite close to, or amongst & ahead of, those folding back from running close to the pace. Untypical race for SWEL in that way with the positions not set early on and then the race turning into a Time Trial with horses fading in order, never to return. Similar in following 7f older horse maiden to some extent with the second favourite getting dropped by a long way in the BS then rallying stongly to be a running on 2nd by the line. Seems probable the pace for this race was too strong but still a surprise to see the 4 off-the-back after 2F finish 2nd and close up in the ruck. Which seems like a race collapsing together in the last 1.5f. The time seems slow given the strength of the tailwind which was of the order when solid OR70s types, and above, were running 57s & 58s, plus change, back in the equivalent races in 2010. Abscent Friends a typical Turner horse in turn out. Many of them are notably bulky and fit no matter what they cost. Can this really just be getting them going early, doing a lot of gallop work and that builds the muscle? What about the feed regime, gallop configuration, etc? Abscent Friends the biggest in frame in the field and fitter and better muscled than the other. A surprise in that context to see him drift in the Market but the amount of pointless price shortens and drifts did not suggest the Market knew much. On the negative side AF not that well put together and very 'up behind' (Pic) with a 'belly' like he wasn't that fit or like an old gelding develops (Pic). Presume he is some sort of OR67-72 type in the long term. Fitness and size meant he survived the Pacesetter line best and going ok at the finish. Jockey While (Turner's grandson) said before the race that AF had been working with Paddy Again and lacked her 'fast start' but had gone ok with her aside from that. He said PAgain would run next in the fillies' Conditions race at SALS in the first week of May. This race has been the career highlight of a number of early Turner fillies who lacked scope. Hard to believe that Hannon, as a minimum, wouldn't have a better and 'ready enough' filly to beat her at SALS even if that race is often much lower quality than the billing. Interesting asides with Kathy Turner (Turner's daughter & While's mother) winning the Best Turned Out award which seems as much of a certainty as a Kenyan winning the Steeplechase. She must earn enough from those awards to make it worth declaring them. Turner interviewed after the race and took the opportunity of the happy 'Family' win (his wife owns AF) to moan about how the number of early season sellers had been dropped and he had nowhere to run his horses. That's what really makes Bill tick, beef cattle (hmm, all those fattening techniques) and winning sellers. Prompted by the interviewer he thought AF could get around the bends at CHES for the Lily Agnes. Also when prompted suggested that AF & Paddy Again where the full extent oh his ok early 2yos. Entirely different story with Spindle both in terms of physical type and and this sort of debut not being 'typical' for the trainer. Unlike AF the filly Spindle a small and lightly made one in line with her €2,000 sales price. On the plus side she look straightforward in attitude and quietly professional. But even with being neatly made and an ok mover (Pic) she looks a lower OR50s filly and probably sets the form level in context. AF not achieving much in beating her by 1.5L carrying the same weight if you add in While's claim. Basil The Great the first into the pre-parade and seems a bit better than his yearling picture which showed him to be small and the low price he was retained for. Interesting to watch his attitude change during the prelims. Initially he was calm and bright (Pic). The jig-jogging making him look a bit bigger than he is and without another horse to refer him to. This attitude then developed into more than jig-jogging and display prancing instead (Pic). But, again all make him look a bit better physically than expected. The attitude then got a bit fizzier during and after being saddled (Pic). Which fitted with his poor start in the race. Looked less big once the field assembled but usable at his level - say OR60. Relaxed again after the race (Pic). Trainer Shaw has a truly dreadful record with 2yos and highlighted further in recent seasons with the poor performances by the expensive juveniles owned by B. Johnson. Toytown the most expensive in the field at €23,000 and Johnson owned. And he is tiny, even in this early season field. Tends not to be a good sign for a horse if your jockey can comfortably look over your withers (Pic). Competed in front rank for a while on nous and cheap speed but broken by that effort. Dire stuff. Josie Joe looked a reasonable size FTO on TV in the context of the LEIC field. Slightly leggy with some range but on this evidence adds to questions about LEIC race. Some sort of OR50s and some range but still on the green side here. Ko Cache short and smaller type and close to the least fit in the field and a suspect favourite on that alone. But, even with full fitness looked just middling in this group and perhaps OR55/6. Not the ready and better type, in the context of this race the Prf rating leant on. Interesting to note how pictures from different angles/times can give different rating ideas. This Picture makes her look an ok build and doesn't show her lack of size. It does show her lack of any muscle definition and general tightness. This Picture after the race, when she has exercised and should have tightened up a bit makes her look lacking in the 'powertrain area'. Check how she develops. Most development interest, at a low level but in the OR60s, in the last two home and both worth a check STO with unplaced runs next to their names. Smugglers Lane a negative on his attitude from the moment he arrived late, and rugged (Pic). Fizzy and too bustling and also bubbling into display prancing. Trying to get the jockey on then turned into a long running comedy routine with the horse notably unhlepful (Pic). With the picture showing the progress after about a quarter lap of the paddock with all 3 humans and the horse still in similar positions. Not a surprise that the stalls opening and being required to get out and start galloping seemed a complete surprise to the horse. But an ok bulk and neatly made overall and should be competitive OR60s. Post race, calmed down, Picture. Also worth noting how Clean he looks post-race, speaking to how he raced from the widest stall, got behind and then raced widest on the track throughout (OOK = Out Of the Kickback) with the jockey mostly inactive (while the other Evans jockey on Josie Joe was getting busy with the whip from before halfway). As regular readers will know trainer McCabe's 2yos somewhat baffle B2yoR and the inconsistent development and low level of results off-putting. He also buys a lot of horses who are the same shape and build no matter what the price level is. Low the the ground with some length and usually built ok. He then turns them out looking ok but the actual performances are poorly correlated to appearance. Lunar Knot green and 'spooky' (Pic) overall and not a surprise she was another who lacked the nous to deal with the break and get started and then run straight. But, look at these two pictures - [A] & [B] - and she looks fine. Low slung, neatly made and solid build, ok length and movement. Needing the run to improve the fitness but fitter than Ko Cache. She must be able compete OR66, say, when tight. But, since she shortened in the Market here despite being green and underdone would she be value STO?

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