Oh my. We’ve been there before, but if the people’s horse Paisley Park is to win another Stayers’ Hurdle only headgear will allow it to happen.
OMG I hear you cry. Our Paisley, in headgear. No no no.
GettyPaisley Park (maroon and blue) was narrowly denied again[/caption]
Yes yes yes.
We all love Paisley Park, and his second at the weekend to Noble Yeats in the Grade 1 Cleeve was another fabulous run.
But if you think Paisley Park is putting everything in right now you are from another planet.
Now don’t get me wrong, it might just be that at the age of twelve Paisley Park just can’t do anymore than he is for his fabulous trainer Emma Lavelle.
But I’d be very surprised if new regular partner Tom Bellamy thought like that.
Quite simply, Bellamy has ridden Paisley Park to absolute perfection this term and he’s been a fine second on all three starts at Newbury, Ascot and Cheltenham. But on each occasion you are left thinking why did he not win that?
Well, for me it’s because rather than being as game as a pebble, as many observers will love you to believe, our beloved Paisley Park is now a right old monkey. Albeit a talented one.
Paisley Park tried cheekpieces in November 2021 and it didn’t work. But on that occasion he made the running, which clearly is not what he wants to do. So I would just forget that as evidence cheekpieces light him up. In the Stayers’ he can be dropped in.
It should come as no surprise Paisley Park now needs some help.
Go back to 2018, he was handed a visor in the Albert Bartlett. He was again keen behind Kilbricken Storm (what happened to him!).
But forget about that.
Cheekpieces/headgear on in the Stayers’ and dropped in is the only way Paisley Park will have every chance at Cheltenham in March.
Infact I’d put on anything I could find to help him and give Bellamy a lovely pair of spurs.
And yes, like you I love Paisley. But you have to be real in this game.
I love American racing and the Breeders’ Cup is just magical. It’s my racing heaven.
But particularly in America, and with much to do with recent drug issues in the country when it comes to horse racing, you see a performance on occasions that just makes you wonder how did that happen?
That was the case in last weekend’s massively valuable Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.
How did National Treasure win for Bob Baffert and Flavien Prat?
The field went crazy early fractions in the Pegasus, with National Treasure disputing the lead until being given a small breather.
Prat conceded the lead to Hoist the Gold and jockey John Velazquez through the backstretch by a slim margin as the pacesetter posted fractions of 46.20 seconds for a half mile and 1:11.21 for 6 furlongs.
Everything told you National Treasure could not win after a couple of furlongs, and yet he kept on running. How?!
To put the effort into perspective, Frankie Dettori rode no-hoper Crupi into third, having had him out the back and in there to pick up pieces. The runner-up was also off the pace.
National Treasure delivered a quite extraordinary performance. Almost too good to believe!
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