Only the Maktoums can afford immunity, but it is wrong to expect them to suspend absolutely every business principle as a result. Godolphin are perfectly within their rights to exploit their strength in an open marketplace. And their endeavours with the horses they recruit from other yards mean that the public wins too.No stable has ever been more adventurous. When a top runner joins Godolphin, the objective expectation should not only be that the horse will be handled with dexterity - witness the way mature specimens in Swain, Daylami and Fantastic Light flourished under Saeed bin Suroor - but also that his talents will be deployed with riveting bravado.Would Electrocutionist ever have been risked on dirt for any other stable? The chances are that he is indeed a turf horse. He was off the bridle almost throughout on Saturday, and only his generosity and class got him home.Paradoxically, however, it is precisely the same instinct for adventure that casts a delicious dread over the next move for Discreet Cat.
Sheikh Mohammed has made his craving for the Kentucky Derby too plain for many to believe that he might, just this once, consider discretion to be the better part of valour.This race, above all others, could wreck this colt as soon as make him. It presents a savage test of stamina and maturity, and Discreet Cat has not come off the bridle in three starts His physique remains adolescent. As a May foal, walking behind the beefy Chilean runner in the parade ring, he looked positively delicate. With that rival failing to run his race, moreover, the strict form is only a foundation.Discreet Cat has as much charisma as any horse in the stable since Dubai Millennium, but if he does stay 10 furlongs at the top level then it would be kindest to postpone his first trip to Churchill Downs to November, for the Breeders' Cup Classic. On the way he could pick off exhausted Triple Crown horses in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, and he could even start off in its second leg, the Preakness Stakes - over a shorter trip, just a fortnight after the Derby principals have slugged it out in Louisville.But it is hard to see his owner favouring prudence and caution over adventure and ambition. As a true horseman, he will abide with the stable's dictum to see how Discreet Cat has taken his race before making any decisions. As a sportsman, however, he has probably made up his mind already.Chris McGrathNap: Wise Owl (Kempton 4.40)NB: Indian Edge(Wolverhampton 5.00).
How are you going to celebrate your Commonwealth Games decathlon gold medal when you get home? We're going to have a couple of parties - one for family, one for mates They wanted me to have a party before I left, but I refused I thought it would be bad luck I also refused to learn "Land of Hope and Glory". I thought I'd rather look like a melon not singing on the podium than learn it all and not be there. It was fantastic to have so many friends and family in Melbourne. My mum and dad have travelled all around the world supporting me, and to get on top of the podium was payback for them. What were you thinking on the podium when you saw the flag go up? I was thinking, "Don't cry Be a rock." It was weird. When you are second or third you can just get on the podium and have a laugh But when it's you winning the gold it's different.
What I wanted to do all through was to shout "Yeah! Come on!" but I had to contain myself What I will never forget is the lap of honour. English people were running to the barriers with pieces of paper to sign and silly hats It was 25-30 people deep all the way round. Some of them were screaming at me, "It's about time Macey!" And I was shouting back, "Too f***ing right!"What are you going to do with your gold medal? I don't know. If you come to our house, you wouldn't know that an athlete lived there I like to switch off when I come back home. I was looking at my medal just a few minutes ago and it's hard to believe it's real But I don't do it for that.
I just wanted the feeling in my belly of knowing that I was the best man there on the day.. Whether it was the change of scenery or the attentions of the veterinary surgeon can be debated, but the fact is that Blythe Knight, hitherto regarded as something of a cheeky monkey, turned up at Redcar yesterday in brave tiger guise and won the 153rd Lincoln Handicap at 22-1. The six-year-old, who both transferred from Ed Dunlop's yard in Newmarket to that of John Quinn in Malton and was gelded during the close season, took the historic prize by a hard-pressed three-quarters of a length from the 25-1 shot Royal Island. As Zero Tolerance formed the point of the 30-runner arrow down the straight mile, Graham Gibbons settled Blythe Knight in the pack before starting to pick off rivals and take the lead more than a furlong from the line. The horse had plenty of time to shirk the issue but as soon as Royal Island began to challenge, he pinned back his ears, lowered his head and battled. "Brilliant," said Gibbons.