Ballymore Novice Hurdle 2020

[charlie]

Think what he said was fine. King Roland had a big reputation and ultimately dissapointed. Fry has to manage connections expectations and he's rightly concluded based on that performance that he wouldn't be competitive in a Ballymore, which is fair enough IMO. He probably could have phrased it better and perhaps been a little less dismissive of Cheltenham, but he's given an honest view of the horses ability which I vastly prefer to the generic blaming of ground, tactics etc.

[Quevega]

Think what he said was fine. King Roland had a big reputation and ultimately dissapointed. Fry has to manage connections expectations and he's rightly concluded based on that performance that he wouldn't be competitive in a Ballymore, which is fair enough IMO. He probably could have phrased it better and perhaps been a little less dismissive of Cheltenham, but he's given an honest view of the horses ability which I vastly prefer to the generic blaming of ground, tactics etc.

Definitely better than the other excuses they trot out

[jack1092]

Another horse for whom Fry held high hopes on Festival Trials day was King Roland.

A dual victor in the bumper sphere and a runaway winner over hurdles at Exeter on New Year’s Day, the six-year-old was a hot favourite stepping up to Grade Two level for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle – but he had to make do with the runner-up spot behind Harry Senior.

While King Roland was far from disgraced, Fry admits the defeat has thrown his Festival participation into doubt too.

He added: “Turning in, you thought he was going to go and win by five or even 10 lengths – but for whatever reason he hasn’t quite gone through with it.

“Our aspirations are not the same as they were going into Saturday, that’s for sure. No disrespect to the horses he was up against, but they weren’t the very best of the British novices – and both the winner and the second were getting weight from the third and fourth.

“The Irish look to have a very strong hand in the novice-hurdling division this year – and if we couldn’t beat the horses on Saturday, he’s not going to beat a horse like Envoi Allen at the Festival.

“He still ran a good race, and plenty of good horses have been beaten in that race and gone on to bigger and better things – namely Rock On Ruby, who was beaten by Bobs Worth before going on to win a Champion Hurdle.

“We’ll just take stock of the situation and then make a plan. We don’t want to go to Cheltenham to make up the numbers, and maybe that’s what Saturday told us we’d be doing.”

Normally you'd hear a trainer make excuses for the run....in partucular Hendo.

Not sure i quite get the outcry on here about it? Toys out of pram? Remove horses from yard?

What? He's obviously disappointed, he probably thought the horse was about to catapult himself into a main challenger for the Ballymore...instead he didn't + he's been honest.

He's said he ran a good race etc. He's just being realistic.

Christ if some of the folk in here owned horses they'd be in a different yard every month by the sounds of it...worse than giggy and Phil Martin

[charlie]

Normally you'd hear a trainer make excuses for the run....in partucular Hendo.

Not sure i quite get the outcry on here about it? Toys out of pram? Remove horses from yard?

What? He's obviously disappointed, he probably thought the horse was about to catapult himself into a main challenger for the Ballymore...instead he didn't + he's been honest.

He's said he ran a good race etc. He's just being realistic.

Christ if some of the folk in here owned horses they'd be in a different yard every month but the sounds of it...worse that giggy and Phil Martin

Good post Jack, agree with all of that

[Humble Pie]

Normally you'd hear a trainer make excuses for the run....in partucular Hendo.

Not sure i quite get the outcry on here about it? Toys out of pram? Remove horses from yard?

What? He's obviously disappointed, he probably thought the horse was about to catapult himself into a main challenger for the Ballymore...instead he didn't + he's been honest.

He's said he ran a good race etc. He's just being realistic.

Christ if some of the folk in here owned horses they'd be in a different yard every month by the sounds of it...worse than giggy and Phil Martin

Yip , good response fella

[Istabraq]

So many of us talk through out pockets so emotional responses are always going to happen.
If I had a fiver for every jockey I’d want retired before their time I could probably buy myself a small Caribbean island...

[Aldie1988]

So many of us talk through out pockets so emotional responses are always going to happen.
If I had a fiver for every jockey I’d want retired before their time I could probably buy myself a small Caribbean island...

Totally Agree, swings and roundabouts.

[Humble Pie]

So many of us talk through out pockets so emotional responses are always going to happen.
If I had a fiver for every jockey I’d want retired before their time I could probably buy myself a small Caribbean island...

Continent.

[Stormy Antarctic]

Definitely better than the other excuses they trot out

“He made a noise” has to be my least favourite of the lot! He’s just ran over 2 miles, of course he’ll make a noise!

[Tangodelta]

At the other end of the Spectrum , Trainer Noel Kelly confirmed today.
Decor Irlandais going for this race , " to try and pick up place money ".
happy days for my 66-1 ticket !.

With you on this one!!! 66/1 will look massive if he lines up on the day. i’m Tempted to go in again with a view to cashing out nearer race day

[Willdunn99]

At the other end of the Spectrum , Trainer Noel Kelly confirmed today.
Decor Irlandais going for this race , " to try and pick up place money ".
happy days for my 66-1 ticket !.

Also happy enough with the 66/1, I liked the way he travelled in his last two races, can see him
Sneaking into 3rd Especially if the field cuts up badly because of envoi Allen

[Kevloaf]

With you on this one!!! 66/1 will look massive if he lines up on the day. i’m Tempted to go in again with a view to cashing out nearer race day

Also happy enough with the 66/1, I liked the way he travelled in his last two races, can see him
Sneaking into 3rd Especially if the field cuts up badly because of envoi Allen

Might be a decent price on the day still with some extra places too....

Trainer/Jockey/Owners unlikely to catch the imagination?

[Liammet]

See lamarckise entered for the ballymore
Having his first run for willie over 2 mile 5 furlongs today
Annoy a few mares novice hurdle ante posts if he wins nicely today and rocks up here with the mares allowance

[jack1092]

See lamarckise entered for the ballymore
Having his first run for willie over 2 mile 5 furlongs today
Annoy a few mares novice hurdle ante posts if he wins nicely today and rocks up here with the mares allowance

It would annoy a few alrigt. can't see it especially since his current mares have just been beat. Maiden distance isn't normally important, but i know what you mean.

[Quevega]

It's pretty common for Willie and other trainers to enter the mares novices in the other races.