Worth 10% plus this boy!!

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What a top class ride by JP - This guy is world class - He's the kind of jockey that gives you goose bumps - I hope he retains his will to win and stays in the country - What a pleasure to watch such a talent - reminds me of the rush I got from racing when the young Striker first came to ride for Brett Warren many moons ago.

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Another top ride from the front to watch here BUT with tears in my eyes(no offence Garrick) What on earth were the jockeys on the other horses doing? Cape Crawl? Fighting their mounts from the off? Did they think this was a 2400m race ? Very poor rides in my opinion - Dead slow time resulting from a totally false pace . I hope Mr Van Wyk shows his students these two races and asks the Stipes to comment on giving your horse every chance to win!

JP is a great jock with a great future (tu)

What you think of the current crop of youngsters Mr H? we had a thread on here a year or so about the youngsters,how do you think they have evolved over the last year ?

I think they really are improving in leaps and bounds hibs - I've seen major improvement in many of the guys that 12 months ago I thought would never make it - this guy De Melo (I think that's his name) also looks like he could be a fair hoop given time - lots to look forward to and I'm sure you'll agree Kegan Latham is top notch. Kudos to the Riding masters that seem to have turned things around

This is my point MRH it`s very hard to tell one young Jock from the next imo,they are all tutored very well they all have that tight style,which serves the day to day races.

But is that enough? will that breed any new Fallons or Strikers? look at all the top jocks around the world,Frankie has his smooth American style,Moore and Fallon are all strength and Bussle,Ap Mccoy looks like a cowboy..

Hibs I saw an interview with Felix some time ago when he said he was not a natural rider but worked hard(and how it has paid off) - in my opinion guys like JP or Striker are just that - Naturals

I never imagined that winning a minor and rather insignificant race would spark quite as much comment as it has done in the last few days.

Happily the cheque is already banked or I would be feeling obligated to possibly refund it to more deserving runners. Lol.

Admittedly I own the winner so am always going to be totally biased but consider this :

I was fortunate enough to have a jockey bright enough to recognise that the pace was pedestrian and ease his mount to the front. ( Karl Neisius also realised this and moved his ride up accordingly ). The remainder of the field simply took the bait and settled down to another undemanding day at the office and the eventual anonymity of being also rans.

Where I differ somewhat from general opinion ( including Messrs Lafferty & Goodman ) is in the assessment of the performance of the horses in the straight:

Make My Grey successfully repelled challenges all the way up the straight into the teeth of the south easter - an achievement very horses can claim. Polar Bound was sitting in his slipstream the entire time using my horse for both cover and as a shield from the wind. When - as was expected - he quickened up and looked as if he would cruise past the front runner he never actually found the necessary. I would almost be so bold as to suggest that he might have fallen away had the race been over further; particularly as we suspect ( read hope! ) that Make My Grey will get a longer trip.

Your horse fought them off and looks a good type as he has heart Garrick