The Roar
The Roar

Sean Blaylock

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Joined March 2017

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Take risks: if you win you will be happy, if you lose you will be wise

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Fair point

Time to get politics out of sport

Well Paul you either feel passionately about the issue or passionately about ridiculing the author so which one is it? If you thought that you just added some intellectual depth to the discussion you’re sadly mistaken my friend.
I dare say he’s upset because they are talking about stripping our greatest ever tennis player of her deserved recognition because she expressed an opinion that she is entitled to have. I for one agree, if this is indeed what he’s saying. The whole saga is a joke.

Time to get politics out of sport

I agree!

Winx should climb Everest

Not at all hairy fat man. If there was an Australian horse in recent years adaptable and good enough to travel and win it’s Winx. She can sustain a sprint better than any we have seen in more years than I have been here. If it were up to me I would be plotting an overseas campaign with her for 2018 if she holds her form. However, there is a $10 million race in Australia in October with a very weak bunch of sprinters running around at present. I have strong doubts, but The Everest may, in time, become an honoured event on the Australian calendar. Wouldn’t winning the first one be significant, especially for a horse that has excelled over further? Not to ignore the financial incentive. Only 2 races in the world are worth more money and they are run on dirt. It would be fair to say that Australian racing fans don’t hold dirt racing in the esteem it’s held in other countries. Winx would have to head to Darwin or Alice Springs for some practice!

Winx should climb Everest

Black Caviar chasing down Hay List in the TJ was incredible, as was her Newmarket win

The five most extraordinary wins of this century

I agree David. Barring the unlikely scenario that Winx will actually head that way then the race is ripe for the best 3yo sprinter whoever that may be. The older brigade are a bit of a slow bunch at the moment – Rebel Dane winning a Manikato is a perfect case in point.

Winx should climb Everest

Lonhro’s Australian Cup win was a soul-stirring moment, but for me was a fair way off my top 5. Yes he was badly blocked for a run and suffered interference, but he’d enjoyed a peach of a run to that point and in fairness was easily the best horse in the field at that point in time. Makybe at that stage was a stayer and not in the race, Mummify punctured and Elvstroem was still a 3yo. Lonhro needed to run down Delzao over the last 200m when he found clear air, albeit having had his momentum badly halted. Appreciate your comments though, this is certainly a subjective topic and everyone will think I’ve missed an obvious one!

The five most extraordinary wins of this century

These are the most extraordinary wins (in my opinion) of this century.

The five most extraordinary wins of this century

On March 12 2005 the 2000m G1 Australian Cup was won by Makybe Diva in a time of 1:58.73 – an Australian record over the distance across more than 150 years racing that still stands to this day. Not bad for an out ‘n’ out wet tracker.

Winx is Australia's best athlete by far, but not everyone is a believer

That is not necessarily true, but even if it were The Everest is worth $10 million. That’s 3.33 times the Cox Plate or 20 times the George Main Stakes. So why does she have to run in lots of other races? She can do that next year on the back of a light Spring campaign.

Winx should climb Everest

Excellent article. I will add a related fact to your ideas. When I grew up it was very common to see 2yo geldings. The owners of these horses did not cling to a relatively forlorn idea that they might be able to make a fortune from the horse’s testicles. They bought the horse to race – their dream probably revolved around the horse winning a dozen or more races. And just what kind of racing fan doesn’t love a horse that has been around for 6 or more seasons and a century of starts? They are the warriors of the turf and in my eyes are held in high esteem. A horse like Sir Slick had 151 starts including 84 starts in Group 1 races for 22 wins in total including 6 Group 1s. How good is that!

Where have all the good horses gone?

I would be interested to hear how you justify the comment that Winx would beat Sunline across nearly every distance.
Sunline’s record up to 1400m was 19 starts for 17 wins and 2 2nds including 2 Group 1s.

Winx’s record up to 1400m is 9 starts for 6 wins and 1 2nd with no Group 1s.
I think if these two were to meet beyond 1400m then Winx would start a clear favourite, but up to 1400m I would be inclined to favour Sunline.

Winx is Australia's best athlete by far, but not everyone is a believer

The Everest is not a restricted race. I would be very surprised if winning the event was not high on the agenda of owners of colts.

The preparation for this year’s Cox Plate is a long way off – she is still in her Autumn preparation. From a practical point of view, it wouldn’t be any harder to prepare her for a sprint race in October than another Cox Plate.

Winx should climb Everest

This article never mentions international ratings although I do think that if the owners of a champion horse want to propel their horse up the all-time list then they must risk defeat. They may do this by varying the attempted distances (where a good reason exists to do so), tackling handicaps (where the money warrants such an attempt) or travelling overseas to attempt to beat otherwise non-comparable horses. I agree that we look to the past through rose coloured glasses, but I don’t subscribe to the theory that today’s horses are considerably stronger or significantly less robust. One need only to look at a horse like Gold Edition who had almost 40 starts before she turned 4 to see that a horse is a horse. Winx will be among the all-time greats regardless of the path they take, but I feel protecting a horse’s record is like a champion boxer who carefully picks and chooses his opponents. Black Caviar was the best sprinter I have ever seen, but I still admire the management of horses such as Manikato who was a champion sprinter that almost won an Australian Cup at 2000m and Takeover Target that went globe-trotting to meet the best from around the world on their home turf. At the end of the day what is horse racing about?

Winx should climb Everest

So why shouldn’t she run in it?

Winx should climb Everest

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