Sometimes the blogs just come to you and the words flow and other times, like tonight, the words are strangled by a combination of embarrassment and dismay. I am a Leicester fan but decided not to subject Kim to two hours of football in a bar and instead waited for Match of the Day. I was concerned they were going to be outplayed and it could have been the worst two hours of sport watching in 2019. So, I guess, the 15 minutes of humiliation and despair I suffered watching the highlights as they were beaten 4-0 at home by Liverpool, was actually proof I can make great decisions and also know how to put limitations on the agony I am prepared to endure.
Talking of potential agony, Freedom to Dream makes his second appearance tomorrow and expectations are low and, hopefully, will stay that way. I say hopefully because I have a bad habit of starting with low expectations and then, inexorably, they evolve into hope followed by increasing and then absolute confidence (apart, fortunately, from Leicester). It’s as if travelling 3000 miles to be here will, somehow, make the horse run faster. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way and I am determined to be more realistic/pessimistic this time around. It shouldn’t be too difficult: the form of his 3rd at Galway has not worked out well and his final gallop was disappointing last week. I know some people will shout out that his blood was a little off at Galway, his penultimate gallop was his best ever and we have Derek O’Connor booked but, to those people, I say: “there’s no room in this blog for rationale or, indeed, hope”
Looking on the bright side, I have dragged Kim over for a few days and we are going out with Peter and Ber after racing. On the not so bright side, Kim is already choosing what seem to be an excessive number of vacations next year and my head will not be good come Saturday morning.
We had said we would go wherever the ground was softest and entered him at both Leopardstown and Limerick. However, talk is just that and the truth is we were looking for any excuse to go to Leopardstown. I must confess to wondering about our decision when the ground at Limerick was heavy this morning and the Leopardstown ground had dried out to yielding. However, having watched the racing from both courses, Leopardstown seems plenty soft enough to me (and Peter said as much when he walked the course earlier) and Limerick seems like treacle with the races being run in really slow times.
I was prepared to go to Limerick though…well, sort of! We are staying in Dublin so do not need a car. As a result, and because I thought it would be relaxing, I got a few quotes for a car service to Limerick. I think it was actually one car service operating under different names as all quotes were within 10 euros of each other and the median price was 800 Euros. No way was I going to pay that, so I made a provisional booking for a Toyota Yaris (or equivalent) and fervently hoped that it would keep raining at Leopardstown.
As regards tomorrow’s race, I really don’t have a good sense of what is going to happen. It’s the longest Bumper of the year at 2 ½ miles and I just hope that they go a good pace as he gives every sign of staying the distance. Unfortunately, I can’t see for the life of me who is going to make the running and I just hope it doesn’t turn into a dawdle for the first 1 ½ miles- that will not be in our favour. But, of course, according to me and my pessimism, we have no chance so why I am worrying about that, I have no idea.
Peter says the horse “looks a million dollars” and I have to say he will look great walking around the parade ring. The ground is in his favour, the trip is as well, he has the best jockey in the race and he seems really fresh and in great form. You see how easy it would be to get confident and, so at this point, I have to point you in the direction of those informed and intelligent bookmakers who have priced him up at 14/1 – I would like to thank them for allowing me to maintain my pessimism.
Oh no! Oddschecker has gone BLUE across the board meaning his odds have contracted – he is 10/1 and even 9/1 in a place. Not to worry, I will post this blog on their Twitter account – that should restore some common sense.
At least the Owners and Trainers lounge is nice at Leopardstown……..
I will update you all when I regain my optimism … it just needs Peter (or anybody actually) to say “you won’t see him at his best until he goes chasing”