tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836301946075505494.post1964307961185772465..comments2023-04-29T05:32:18.995-05:00Comments on THE PEDIGREE CURMUDGEON: Ode to EpsomJohn P. Sparkmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859746883188760958noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836301946075505494.post-55421586658114979872011-06-13T16:15:25.927-05:002011-06-13T16:15:25.927-05:00Excellent post, John.Excellent post, John.Tinkynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836301946075505494.post-37617096559805349602011-06-09T10:49:27.027-05:002011-06-09T10:49:27.027-05:00Frank, it has never been clear to me why Coolmore ...Frank, it has never been clear to me why Coolmore decided not to run Montjeu in the Derby. It is worth noting, though, that their Irish Guineas winner Saffron Walden started third favorite at Epsom, so they weren't exactly without ammunition. Certainly Montjeu is a taller, leggier type than Galileo, and his temperament was also much more of an issue in training, and I suspect strongly that that had a lot to do with it. John Hammond would have been much more comfortable running the horse just down the road from his stable than exposing him to the madness that is Epsom on Derby day and possibly ruining a high-strung horse forever. <br />That may well have been wise, because I remember well talking to John a couple of days before the Breeders' Cup the following year, and he made it clear without being free to say it in so many words that he thought Montjeu had had too many hard races too close together and had called it a day.John P. Sparkmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17859746883188760958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836301946075505494.post-72097682953765393532011-06-09T07:58:02.555-05:002011-06-09T07:58:02.555-05:00Bravo, John! Lest we forget the most important thi...Bravo, John! Lest we forget the most important thing, that racing is a test, not a beauty pageant nor a commercial venture, exactly.<br /><br />And as Tesio proved time and again, the horses who perform well at Epsom, even if they cannot quite win the race, make damned good stallions for the owner-breeder to use.<br /><br />One fascinating sidelight to Montjeu's individual success with sons at Epsom is that he wasn't judged quite the horse for the course himself but breeds on a better type for it. <br /><br />Cheers,<br />FrankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com