Joey Ramsden believes that Ancestry, a close second in both the Golden Horseshoe and Premiers Champion Stakes, will be a classic contender this season – “He is very much a Guineas horse and probably even more of a Derby horse.”
Richard Fourie wins on Eyes Wide Open
Michael Clower writes on www.goldcircle.co.za that the Milnerton trainer is, however, narked that Bernard Fayd’Herbe did not employ more gamesmanship when Ancestry was beaten half a length by Eyes Wide Open (Richard Fourie) in the Premiers.
Bernard Fayd’herbe – allowed his colleague in
He said: “Bernard had the opportunity to keep him out and he let him in. I could have accepted it if he had quickened a bit and kept Richard three wide but this is racing. I don’t get an inch from Brett Crawford or Justin Snaith and nor do I expect it.”
Ramsden’s annoyance is easy to understand. There is a huge difference between first and second in a Grade 1 – several times the stake money involved in the case of a colt or a filly – and often it’s also the difference between ending up with a satisfied owner and a dissatisfied one. Both owner and trainer are entitled to expect their jockey to pull out all the stops.
Joey Ramsden – thought his jockey could have done more
However there is a certain camaraderie in the jockeys’ room, borne out of both respect for fellow riders and an acknowledgement of the dangers they all face travelling at over 50kph on animals whose steering and controllability are often suspect. The accepted creed is that, while you do everything in your power to win when the race is on in earnest, you don’t endanger your opponents by attempting to stitch them up coming out of the pens.
Watch the race – comment and tell us what you think
If you do that, you can expect to be taught a painful lesson in the very near future. Both the race review and the Tellytrack replay suggest that Fayd’Herbe’s act of sportsmanship came at the very beginning of the race.
