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Originally posted by Kevloaf
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Worth a fiver of anyone's money. That's all they will allow anyway!! -
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Keith Donoghue on Envoi Allen
As I have been all year in everything he does, I was blown away by Envoi Allen at Naas on Sunday. He hadn't done much work at all really going into it and to win as easily as he did shows how truly special he is. The horse in second, Elixir D'ainay, is a very good horse too.
He had only really done one piece of major work between his last two runs as we just wanted to keep him fresh enough for the rest of the season and it was great to see him take such a blow after the race - it'll really stand to him.Comment
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KD is a fair judge so you,d be pretty happy if your on Envoi Allen listening to that.Originally posted by TheRowebot View PostComment
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I know I am. I've covered a few different angles each race but for the Ballymore I've put all my eggs into the Envoi Allen basket pretty much.Comment
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On the Flip Side: (ATR - Kevin Blake article)
Envoi Allen was grand... Just grand
There is a phenomenon in horse racing that I like to call Auto-Praise Syndrome. In this day and age of flagrant social media trumpeting, there seems to be a race every season to see who can be first aboard the bandwagon of the next big thing.
Having secured big-price ante-post betting slips that the owner dreams of triumphantly posting on social media in the aftermath of subsequent Cheltenham Festival victories, the supporters of the horse in question will refuse to take anything but great encouragement from whatever the horse does on the track.
They want their chosen horse to be a superstar so much that they will automatically praise their winning performances regardless of the true substance of them. It’s almost as if they are trying to convince themselves of the horse’s superstar status as much as anyone else.
In the case of a horse such as the unbeaten Envoi Allen, this sort of behaviour has run riot and was very evident in the aftermath of his victory in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle at Naas on Sunday. It wasn’t that Envoi Allen did anything wrong there as such, but for me he probably achieved less than he had when winning the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and the style of his victory certainly didn’t justify the rave reports he received in many quarters.
It is understandable why Envoi Allen has become as lauded as he has. A staying chaser on pedigree and in appearance, for him to do what he did in bumpers has raised hopes that he could be “one of the ones.” While he has gone unbeaten in all three of his starts over hurdles this season, it would be remiss not to point out that the style of his wins hasn’t necessarily compensated for what seems a slight lack of depth in behind him. There is of course a possibility, as his connections have suggested, that he isn’t the type to do too much in front, but this explanation tends to be ventured more times than it is justified. Often times there just isn’t as much in the tank as everyone would like there to be.
Envoi Allen is now reportedly likely to go straight to the Cheltenham Festival, probably to the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, for which he seems sure to be sent off at a very short price. In these short-price scenarios, it pays to be picky and there are bits and pieces that can be picked at with Envoi Allen.
The most significant unknown with Envoi Allen is how he will cope with the rough and tumble of a more competitive environment such as what he could well meet in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. He has shown hints of temperament in the prelims of his races, can take a good grip once they get underway and we still don’t know how he will respond to racing in proper tight quarters.
Indeed, it is an interesting fact that throughout Envoi Allen’s entire eight-race career, he has never raced in any sort of traffic. He has consistently been given safety-first rides around the outside or in front, including when having to overcome a four-wide no-cover trip in the Champion Bumper at last season’s Cheltenham Festival. A very good horse can get away with such things in lesser company, but it is a rare horse that can consistently get away with such inefficient trips in top-class company.
Time will tell whether Envoi Allen proves to be the real deal. However, racing analysts owe it to their craft to assess what they saw and not what they hoped to see. To this pair of eyes, Envoi Allen has yet to produce a performance that screams superstar, yet he is priced up for the Ballymore as though he has.Comment
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Without being too much of an arse it's only what i've been saying for like 2 months as well haha
Likely i'll end up wrong but sure.
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Kevin Blake makes me laugh. He has a bad thing to say about Envoi every time he runs. He is clearly miffed at not getting big AP prices on him. Lol ! He also reckons Champ should run in the Arkle......say no more.Comment
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If i didnt know better , id say Kevin trying to hard to be racings new kid on the block.Preferred him when he was more of a unknown , a lot more insightful.Originally posted by Lobos View PostComment
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Seems like he’s trying to force things a bit and be a bit contrary just for effect.... like he’s being asked to write too much and can’t bring himself to be obvious even if that’s the right answerComment
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Big Kevin Blake fan, you do need someone to play the other side occasionally.
As the great Rich Eisen used to say “I’m not saying, I’m just saying”Comment
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With EA being as dominant as he’s been so far he may scare a number of opponents away before the off therefore negating the issue of struggling in big fields as they may struggle to attract opposition. It happens every so often that a horse is too good for that race but it’s the most suitable race for them and I think Envoi is a unbeatable as a novice this season. Time will tell how he progresses but he’s something speavial. I missed the price and got him in a few multiples but like many I’ll be seeking out the extra places on the day to try and find a big priced horse to place.Comment
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I think you'll only end up wrong if he ends up an all time great?Originally posted by jack1092 View PostWithout being too much of an arse it's only what i've been saying for like 2 months as well haha Likely i'll end up wrong but sure.
Odds still be in your favour, you've just got to be patient
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What Kevin said is true, the horses ability keeps him winning, whatever the opposition, but hasn’t generated monster figures (because he only does what he needs to).Originally posted by Hurricane fly View Post
Ratings are only based on how far you’ve won, and who you’ve beat, think Sea the Stars c/w Frankel. Both absolute stars.
Of course EA is much the most likely winner, from his Irish formlines, but not so far clear that the brits shouldn’t give it a good go via Tizzard, Hobbs etc. The owners pay so much for jumping prospects now that they ought to not duck any challenge. Particularly when the hurdling formlines aren’t combined until the Cheltenham race in March."Journeys to Glory, breathing in his head".Comment
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