 |
To find the latest news go to the Pinpoint Blog - 2008 (click here)
November 9th
As expected the Handicapper assessed the James Seymour Stakes on the basis that Mashaahed and Pinpoint ran to their official ratings, Fairmile has been dropped 2lb to 111 and Viva La Flag has been raised a whopping15lb to 97.
Timeform have rated the race around Mashaahed, rating Pinpoint’s run at 113. They comment “though ridden close up, is probably best given a stronger gallop, and ran creditably that borne in mind, but his season hasn’t delivered what was promised early on.” Their rating of Pinpoint’s Suffolk Stakes run at 120 is clearly too high and 115 on their scale looks more realistic. So their opinions are based on unrealistic expectations. The Racing Post rated the run at 102 compared with their highest rating for Pinpoint of 116. Their ratings for the race are dictated by the highest credible figure they feel they can give to Viva La Flag. So they assume that Mashaahed, Fairmile and Pinpoint all ran well below their best ratings. All of these approaches have disadvantages in different ways, and the race is a classic example of how conditions stakes form can be tricky to interpret.
Having now digested all of this I think that Pinpoint probably ran around 5lb below his best due to the modest early gallop, and I am more convinced than ever that 8f is a better trip for him than 10f. The evidence mounts up all the time.
November 4th - James Seymour Stakes (Listed), Newmarket.
The best thing about yesterday was that Pinpoint was back to his best, or very close to it. His mid season problems behind him. Ratings-wise he ran his best race over 10f yet. Worries about the race being very slowly run and a tactical mess were dispelled as Mashaahed immediately went on from the stalls at a reasonable pace. Pinny got a nice lead along the rail. We would have been suited by a much faster pace but in the circumstances could not complain. Richard Hills on Mashaahed rode a canny race slowing things down, then gradually winding the pace up inside the last half mile. For a furlong or more it looked as if Pinny might get by him but Mashaahed was always finding just enough and he saw off Fairmile’s final thrust too. The time was 5.66 slower than standard and 1.77 slower than the 10f 2YO Conditions Stakes won by Twice Over. The 8f Ben Marshall Stakes was won in only 1.52 seconds slow and with the faster tempo and slightly weaker opposition would have been an altogether better choice imo.
Before the race Mashaahed had an official rating of 112, Fairmile 113 and Pinpoint 109. The Handicapper will only have to think for a few seconds to conclude that for his purposes Mashaahed and Pinpoint ran to their ratings and Fairmile ran to 111. The proximity of Viva La Flag (rated 82) was down to the slow pace and although flattered she will probably go up enough to make her a forlorn hope in handicaps for most of next season. Black type chasers always risk a massive hike in the weights from finishing too close to good horses.
Afterwards there was some humourous discussion about plans for 2008. Everything from the Champion Hurdle to the July Cup via the Lockinge. All being well it is likely that he will start off in Listed and Group 3 races next season. Walter seems confident that he will win one when things just fall his way. He did not think Pinpoint was quite 100% yesterday. The Earl of Sefton Stakes, a Group 3 run over 9f at the Craven meeting, must be high on the early 2008 option list.
So 2007 ends with Pinpoint having won a Heritage handicap, been short headed in another Heritage handicap off 106, finished 4th in a Group 3 and now 3rd in a Listed race. He won a shade under £40,000 gross prize money over the season.
A few pictures from yesterday.
and now a slightly spooky photo of Pinny, just mounted and ready to go, in Mr Hyde mode. A glint in his eye, flared nostrils, pricked ears and Christopher Lee expression.
someone heading for the jockey debriefing, stage right.
and the bucket photo.
November 1st
It is to be the 10f James Seymour Stakes on Saturday. Pinpoint has only 5 opponents. Two are black-type chasers. 3YO fillies rated 82 and 90 who should not have a chance in a well run race. There is a lightly raced ex-Italian 3YO colt who could be a better than his 90 rating. Then there is, in theory, the main opposition Fairmile (rated 113) and Mashaahed (rated 112). Like Pinpoint these are hold-up horses and there are no front runners in the field at all. A messy race and a unpredictable outcome a worry. That is unless one of the outsiders can be induced to make a decent pace. Tactics and jockeyship at a premium. Fairmile will be favourite and Pinny probably third favourite. A chance to settle the Fairmile/Pinpoint who’s best question?
October 30th
Pinpoint is on track for his final run of the season on Saturday. Monday’s blood test was Ok and he also scoped very clean. Adam rode him in a piece of work last Saturday. Bill tells me that Valley Observer led with Pinny coming passed to lead by half a length before easing up, the final 3f in around 36.5 secs.
That would have been one of the last gallops on the Church Farm Polytrack which is now being torn up and replaced. So this morning’s exercise Second Lot comprised two spins up the Pendley gallops.
He has another new temporary companion, Viking Spirit. They are getting on well and will stay together until after Saturday’s race when they will both join the herd.
Kid brother Ahoy was withdrawn from the Horses In Training Sale.
The weights are out for Saturday’s races. 17 have entered the 10f James Seymour Stakes, headed on Official Handicap Ratings by Fairmile (113), Mashaahed (112), Admiral’s Cruise (111) and Pinpoint (109). 26 have entered the 8f Ben Marshall Stakes headed on official ratings by Hard Rock City (112), Tell (111), Pinpoint and Caradak (108). An intriguing possibility is that Pinpoint could meet ex-stablemate Fairmile at level weights in the 10f race with Adam Kirby on Pinny and Ted Durcan on Fairmile i.e the reverse of the situation in the 2006 Cambridgeshire.
I know that Jim and Jenny are in favour of the 10f race and Jenny is looking forward to the Fairmile clash. At the risk of repeating myself, as if, I would go for the 8f race. It is likely to have a bigger field, more cover, stronger early pace and the field is more likely to come back to him as he stays on up the hill.
October 28th
Here are some pictures from 23rd October.
After exercise, in the field with Eastern Emperor.
And a couple of pictures of “The Herd” in the field behind Aldbury Church on a typical misty Autumn morning. A good few of the horses are “roughed-off” now and out in the fields, where they will stay for a few weeks or until really harsh weather brings them in.
October 26th
Yesterday’s blood test was better and he is due to work tomorrow morning (Saturday) with a further blood test on Monday. So fingers crossed. Today he had another gentle canter. Grand Show led, with Pendulum Star and Pinny a couple of lengths behind finishing more or less in the same positions that they started. The final 3f was covered in around 41 secs.
Ahoy, Pinpoint’s halfbrother by Danehill Dancer is due to be sold at the Newmarket Horses In Training Sale on Tuesday morning. Lot 489. Pendley Stables consignment of 16 (1 withdrawal) are due to be sold on Monday.
October 24th
Pinpoint’s last blood test result was not too good. Possibly indicating an infection? We will know more on Thursday 25th. This puts in some doubt his run on 3rd November. For this reason his exercise yesterday was just a slowish canter. Let’s hope this is just a minor blip. He is looking in excellent condition still.
Ex-companion Nordwind was sold to Evan Williams for 26,000 guineas at Doncaster Sales on Monday. No doubt we will see him over the obstacles soon.
October 21st
Yesterday, after a spell of 476 days off the track Ahoy, Pinpoint’s expensive 3YO half-brother by Danehill Dancer, won his maiden at Cork. The 8 1/2 furlongs on going just on the easy side of Good seemed to suit him. Where have I heard that before? Ahoy is owned by Michael Tabor and trained by David Wachman. He is officially rated 84, which is a bit high on what he has achieved. But there must be more to come. He seems to be well regarded and has been favourite on the four occasions he has run so far, and only 7/4 yesterday in a field of 18 runners.
October 19th
Frosty early with mist patches clinging to the ground, but by the time first lot came up it was a bright clear sunny morning. Pinpoint followed Viking Spirit up the gallops, with Golden Platitude and one other bringing up the rear. It was just a gentle canter, 41 secs for the final 3f. Pinny seemed to make more noise than ever in the still air.
He has a new companion for a while. This is Eastern Emperor, a Halling 3YO who was getting knocked about in the herd, particularly by bully Bee Sting, so he is having a nice quiet safe time with Pinpoint. To keep his coat Pinny now has two thick rugs on plus his “hoodie”. He did look extremely well this morning.
He is going to be entered in the 10f James Seymour Stakes as well as the 8f Ben Marshall Stakes, on the same Newmarket card. A decision on which race he runs in will depend on the entries and possibly the going. We can expect Godolphin to have a strong hand in both.
Pinpoint’s yearling half-brother by Refuse To Bend was sold for 25,000 guineas.
October 11th
The handicapper has reacted to the third run down the field in a row and dropped Pinpoint’s handicap mark to 109. This is more realistic and will enable him to qualify for 0-110 Handicaps which do not allow higher rated horses in.There are not many but at least the options are increased.
The downside is he will have to run very well on 3rd November to get into the International Classifications. Though it has to be said that high ratings are more easily obtained in Listed and Group races than they are in handicaps.
October 10th
Sid phoned this afternoon with news that Pinpoint will be aimed at the Ben Marshall Stakes at Newmarket on 3rd November. This is the 8 furlong Listed race, which is the one I hoped for in preference to the 10 furlong Listed race on the same card.
The Computer Racing Form computer has rated Pipedreamer’s Cambridgeshire performance at 113 (111 timefigure)(no added 3YO wfa allowance), which is 2lb higher than my own assessment. So Pinpoint’s performance is rated 110 (108 timefigure), which is only 4lb below his best. A very different assessment to Timeform or the Racing Post. In my experience it is also likely to be proved far more accurate. Time will tell. It does suggest that Pinny is as good as ever. His stand side group were three or four lengths down after a couple of furlongs, he saw more daylight than ideal, and Adam was not hard on him in the final furlong, all reasons for thinking that he could have been nearer in more favourable circumstances.
Perhaps he can match or improve on his best, so far, in the Ben Marshall Stakes and get into the year end International Classifications (110 and above).
October 9th
Flu jab time and Pinpoint had a jab yesterday. So he was on the easy list this morning with only horsewalker exercise. Apparently it is likely that he will be aimed at the 10f Listed James Seymour Stakes at Newmarket on 3rd November, and a decision may be made later today. It was damp and dreary on the gallops with poor visibility. Through the rain there was not a lot to see but Sovereign Spirit moved nicely.
Pinny’s latest kid brother is due to be sold on Thursday. He is lot 534 at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. This is the catalogue entry :-
Some photographs from 2007 Cambridgeshire day.
Depending on which ratings you use, you can come to some radically different conclusions as to how well Pinpoint ran at Newmarket. As below I came to the conclusion that he was about 6lb below his best. It will be interesting to see what the computer comes up with. The Racing Post go 105, which is 11lb below their best of 116. Timeform are at the extreme with a best of 120 (surely too high) and a performance on Saturday of only 102. To some extent the differences are accounted for by the different pounds per length allowances used. Timeform use an allowance that has been handed down from father to son which they think works for them. The computer of CRF has been fed with a best fit algorithm which works on the data over the years to compute the most accurate allowances which fit all the data. The result is an allowance which goes from 3lb per length over 5f, 2.6lb at 6f, 2.33lb at 7f, 2.0lb at 8f, 1.85 at 9f etc. Somewhat smaller allowances than those used by most manual handicappers. The other main difference is the merit of the Suffolk Stakes run. In hindsight this was not as good as it seemed at the time. However Timeform have, as usual, not adjusted their rating in the light of later evidence. It is tempting to believe that Timeform are accurate in their rating of 120 if you are connected with the horse, but ultimately it doesn’t pay to overrate a racehorse. Only frustration, disillusion and bad decisions are likely to result when the horse fails to live up to unrealistic expectations.
October 7th
Pinpoint came through the Cambridgeshire in good shape with no sign of the bleeding problem he had at Goodwood. A huge relief !!
Although he finished only mid div, 16th out of 34 to be exact, he ran quite well in the circumstances. It was certainly encouraging for the future. I’ll explain why, firstly with the numbers. His best performances so far, as currently rated by Computer Racing Form, are the Suffolk Stakes rating 114, Newbury Spring Cup 113 and the 2006 Cambridgeshire 112. Rating Saturday’s performance I came up with 108+, only 3 lengths below his very best. Considering he was beaten 9 lengths by Pipedreamer it just illustrates the impossible task he had at the weights yesterday. The form of the race is likely to be very strong with five of the first six places going to the well fancied improving three year olds, who in all probability will be much higher in the weights this time next year. I rated Pipedreamer at 111 (no wfa allowance) which is 7lb higher than Goodwood, and Docofthebay 105 which is 2lb lower than Ascot.
Unfortunately Pinpoint’s low draw was a disadvantage. After an average break he was left in a group of nine racing down the stand rails. The rest of the field went centre to far side where most of the front runners were. The early pace was not strong in the stand group and Pinpoint was soon in touch seeing more daylight than ideal towards the outside of the group. Adam made his effort from about three furlongs out and around two furlongs out Pinny was leading the group, but could find no extra after that. Two horses from the group,Teslin (3rd) and Humungous (8th) finished strongly but the stand side runners were probably disadvantaged by at least a length or two. [Teslin is one to be very interested in next time] Pinny finished 4th in the group. It was the horses held up in rear who filled all the front positions in both groups.
Adam came back to say that Pinny travelled well through the race. He did tend to hang right a little towards the horses ahead of him in the centre, and he did not really get the cover and pace he needed. Otherwise he seemed happy that he had run his race.
All things considered we have to be happy with that and looking forward to the next run.
Walter wanted to see how he comes out of the race and have a good look at the programme book before commenting on running plans. So whether he will run again this season is not yet decided. However the Ben Marshall Stakes, a one mile Listed race on 3rd November was mentioned as a possibility. Other possiblities could be the 9 furlong Group 3 Darley Stakes on 19th October and the 10 furlong James Seymour Stakes (Listed) also on the 3rd November card, all of them at Newmarket.
For me, now that we know more about him, the 8 or 9 furlong races are more suitable than further. I think that he is as good as ever but perhaps 3 or 4lbs too high in the handicap and unlikely to come down yet. The hope has to be to find the right Listed or Group 3 race on Good ground, with a strong pace and plenty of cover.
October 5th
All systems go for the Cambridgeshire tomorrow. Pinpoint had his pre-race breeze up the gallops this morning and is in fine fettle. Chilly and misty early it was a beautiful cloudless sunny morning by the time they got on the gallops. Pinny came up first. Nordwind followed behind, head high, pulling and messing about. Nordwind goes to Doncaster sales soon so Pinpoint will be needing a new companion.
Pinny has scoped clean each Monday for several weeks. He looks a picture, full of himself, pushing Jimmy around the yard when he slowed down a bit to chat.
Let’s not kid ourselves. It would take one of the handicap performances of the decade to win a Cambridgeshire from a mark of ‘Nelson’ (111). However I thought that Advanced had no chance from 109 in the Ayr Gold Cup and he won. Jimmy expects Pinny to run well and something in the first six or eight within 5 lengths of the winner will probably require him to run at his very best. Pinpoint is 28/1 with a couple of bookies.
Drawn 4 is not great but the front runners are scattered across the track Benandonner(6), Supaseus (14), Annemasse (16), My Paris (19), Zero Tolerance (24), Ace of Hearts (29).. As the meeting has gone so far it looks likely that most of the field will race down the centre.
Whatever happens in the race you cannot help but feel proud of Pinpoint. Topweight in the Cambridgeshire giving lumps of weight to everything else.
The first prize is just a few quid short of £100,000 and worth more than the Group One at Longchamp tomorrow.
Well you can dream.
September 25th
Pinpoint is much fitter now than two weeks ago. The difference in his appearance very noticeable. This morning he came up the gallops with Nordwind. Pushed ahead by Jenny in the final furlong and a half Pinny finished 1 3/4 lengths up in around 36 secs for the final 3 furlongs.
There has been no racecourse gallop this time with none planned. Just 10 days to go before the Cambridgeshire. Pinny is 20/1 generally, with eight horses at shorter odds, some of which are doubtful to get in the race. This morning Pricewise fuelled a gamble on Pipedreamer who is now 7/1 favourite. He will probably go shorter still.
September 11th
It was a very bright fine morning on the gallops with not a cloud in the sky. A real pleasure and a contrast with Friday when a mist reducing visibility to a couple of furlongs is my excuse for missing all but the tail end of a gallop with Wild Fell Hall. Today he was out with Nordwind and they went a fair gallop from the bottom with Pinny coming past comfortably in 38 secs for the final 3f. He looks a little fitter though he huffed and puffed at the end of the gallop as usual. With three and a half weeks to the Cambridgeshire he is well on track.
After the gallop circling the yard in the warm down he suddenly decided he had had enough and despite Jenny giving the opposite signals he aimed for the lawn and some picks of grass. Just to emphasise who was in charge he then walked in front of the row of boxes munching away whilst his stablemates stuck in their boxes looked on.
All the members of the syndicate have voted to keep him for 2008. It looks like there will not be a meeting on Sunday as I am the only one who has asked for one.
September 3rd
The annual meeting to decide whether to keep Pinpoint is fixed for Sunday 16th. Walter’s letter is upbeat. His conclusion “I have no doubt that he retains the ability he showed at the beginning of the season and if he were my horse I would undoubtedly keep him in training next year.” At the moment owning a fraction of Pinpoint is more about patience and apprehension than pleasure, but he has taken us along on an amazing ride, and perhaps there is still more to come. You could wait a lifetime, or longer, for a horse this good to come along again. Anyway I would probably be the last person to drop out of a syndicate. Hopefully everyone else will feel the same. One vote to keep him, here.
August 31st
Went to see Pinpoint today. Lindsey rode him in a moderate solo gallop from the bottom, completing the final 3f in 40.2 secs. He looked well but is carrying a fair bit of condition, from being on the easy list. It made me think that there is unlikely to be a prep run before the Cambridgeshire, as he will need most of the five weeks to get fully fit. Jimmy seemed happy with him and surprised that a horse with his lifestyle should have bled. Lindsay said that she hadn’t ridden him since his yearling/early 2YO days and that he does not move as well as she remembered. Maybe she was expecting a Ferrari and all she got was the usual Pinny in home gallops Ford Cortina mode?
Him bleeding in the Goodwood race has certainly changed the way I regard him, for now. Beforehand he seemed like an iron horse, very tough and consistent and capable in the right conditions of matching all but the very best. Now, Pinny seems rather more fragile and we do not really know what to expect next time. All part of the normal anxiety of being a racehorse owner I suppose.
August 28th
Pinpoint has been entered in the Cambridgeshire which is to be run on 6th October. Assuming a prep race about three weeks before that race there are limited options. Firstly there are no handicaps over 8-10 furlongs for which he is eligible. The John Smith Stakes has a maximum rating of 105 and others stop at 110. There are three possible Conditions Stakes races -
13th September, a Class 2 over 10f at Doncaster
16th September a Class 3 over 8f which will be switched from Great Leighs
22nd September a Class 3 over 9f at Newbury.
Of the limited number of bookmakers who have issued prices on the Cambridgeshire Pinny is best priced 25/1 with Stan James. Joint favourites on 12/1 are Third Set, Pipedreamer, Sagredo and Mutajarred.
August 23rd
Geoff informs me that Pinpoint did a gentle canter on Tuesday and was fine afterwards. The plan is to continue with gentle canters through the week and scope him again on Monday. If he scopes clean then the aim is to get him fit again and look for a race. Fingers and everything else crossed.
August 13th
The tracheal wash turned out to be inconclusive as to the root cause of Pinpoint’s problem. Therefore the next step is a blood test. I think he is only having light exercise on the horse walker at present.
Two stable winners at Windsor today, Lytton and Constant Cheers, following Fisher Bridge at Leicester yesterday. A welcome boost for the stable, and for Adam. It is a pity that Pinny is out of action right now.
Never mind, here to tide us over, a few photos showing the Glorious Goodwood pre-race atmosphere.
Why is it they go anti-clockwise in the paddock at Goodwood? Is it to hide the lad’s armbands from racegoers?
For a while we were mob handed - Jenny and Tony leading-up, Mary, Alan(not in picture), Walter and Adam.
August 7th
Bad news I fear. Pinpoint broke a blood vessel at Goodwood on Friday. On the day the issue was clouded by talk of him hitting his head badly as he half-reared on exiting the stalls. After the race he was examined by the racecourse vet. Later I talked to Mary, who said that he was “OK” and would be scoped when he got back home. From that I took it that he “broke” a blood vessel, as stated by the Racing Post in its Comments In Running. On Monday he had an endoscopic examination which showed blood clots in the lungs and he had a tracheal wash which will be sent away for analysis.
These articles on racehorses “bleeding” are the most informative that I found on a quick search of the internet .
Animal Health Trust - Physiology - EIPH
Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage - general article
EIPH Research: Past and Present
Imperial College Research on “transmitted impact”
Pinny is fine in himself and should be having a gentle canter First Lot as I write this. What effect the EIPH will have on his racing career only time will tell. Whether the early signs were evident in his bad run at Sandown is a question which springs to mind. As far as I know he was not scoped after that run.
The race itself was memorable for mostly the wrong reasons, three fallers will be what sticks in the memory of many racegoers. Pinny seemed to get excited just before the stalls opened and half reared as they opened. The slow start put him at the back. From there he had no chance, not being a horse at his best making up ground down the outside. Adam tried outside and inside with limited response and came back with his silks blood splattered.
August 3rd - Totesport Mile at Glorious Goodwood.
Well the day is here at long last. Pinpoint goes in the 3.30 in which he is currently 9/1 second favourite.
I expect the favourite, Third Set to win. He is the sort of horse you can put anywhere in a race and has plenty of speed. He was a good second to Orpsie Boy in a six furlong race at Salisbury only three runs ago. The way he won the International Stakes suggests that he is still well ahead of the handicapper and he has the best draw. I will be delighted if Pinny can get a place. He may need a career best performance to achieve that.
Whatever it is a privilege to watch him run and I cannot tell you the pride I feel when he comes into the paddock before the race. There is plenty of pace in the race, mostly coming from the lower numbers - Supaseus (8), Pintle (1), Blades Girl (3), My Paris (10) and River Tiber (9). I would like to think that Pinny could track the first bunch but I actually expect him to be near the back. That will make it more difficult for an individual who is best coming through the pack rather than around the outside. He will need a lot of luck.
Go Pinny !!!
July 31st
Glorious Goodwood starts today and Pinpoint is still on course for Friday’s race. This morning he followed Nordwind up the gallops at a modest pace, Nordwind pulling hard. Pinny kept within a couple of lengths all the way, the final 3f in a gentle 42.5 secs. Apparently Kempton woke him up and he changed into Mr Hyde, the racecourse Pinpoint, ears pricked, nostrils flared and veins standing out. Today he was back to good old Dr Jekyll.
Goodwood has awoken the displeasure of the stables once again, with their six owners badges limit. There is no real safety reason for this restriction as Goodwood has a large paddock, with room for all, with one or two possible exceptions? (eg Steward’s Cup). Time for Goodwood to embrace the Syndicate Age, rather than maintain their snooty attitude.
July 29th
45 runners stood their ground for the Totesport Mile. The favourite, Third Set, won the Tote International Stakes at Ascot yesterday. His 5lb two-win penalty takes him to a mark of 90. He must be close to the borderline of those who will be balloted out.The safety limit is 20.
Pinpoint is now a best priced 14/1, available only with Betfred, Paddy Power and William Hill. If Third Set fails to make the line up it looks like Supaseus may inherit favouritism. His free running style is well suited to Goodwood.
Ea, another well backed horse, ran second to The Illies at Ascot yesterday, and he is probably on the wrong side of the borderline. Yesterday looked like an alternative race rather than an attempt to get a penalty?
The betting market will settle down again now, waiting for news of the draw on Wednesday.
As to Pinny’s prospects, I think it would take a Group 1 performance to win the Totesport Mile off 111. Most of these top handicaps seem to be won by horses who have 5-10lbs in hand. Very unlikely, but you never know.
July 24th
Out first lot again today. Pinpoint followed Nordwind up the gallops at a respectful distance in a relaxed 43 secs for the final 3f. The exercise was gentle because he is going for a racecourse gallop tomorrow, Wednesday, at Kempton. Today Danny put a set of racing plates on him.
He remains on course for Goodwood. Still 16/1 best price for the Totesport Mile.
Viking Spirit moved very smoothly in a solo gallop. He is currently best priced 11/1 for the Steward’s Cup, fourth favourite.
July 16th
Dropped by to see Pinpoint yesterday afternoon with Sue and Clare. The rain was falling and the stables were almost deserted, only hard working Alan plus one or two others were around, feeding the horses. Pinpoint seemed fine and is to gallop first lot tomorrow.
Almost choked on my cornflakes this morning when reading the Racing Post price table for the Totesport Mile. Pinny was nowhere near the top. Boylesports going 33/1? Whilst I had no intention of backing Pinny, as he does have a high enough handicap mark, we don’t know what the going will be and the draw is important over the Goodwood mile, nevertheless the temptation of some 33/1 each way had me going to the Spoilsports website. Huh actually 16/1. And the supposed 25/1 at Betdirect was not there either. It never was. Pinny is still 16/1 best price and it is probably a good thing that he isn’t available at 33/1.
July 11th
In the early market for the Totesport Mile Pinpoint is best priced 16/1 (William Hill). Ea, who was second in the Britannia Stakes, is favourite at 10/1. Colorado Rapid and Desert Dew are at 12/1, with Supaseus, Pride of Nation, King of Argos, Artimino and Ordnance Row at 14/1.
July 10th
There are 75 entries for the Totesport Mile at Goodwood on 3rd August. Surprisingly Pinpoint is not top weight. That “honour” goes to Dark Islander who is now rated 112, on account of a success in the Oak Tree Derby at Santa Anita, California (Grade 2). Mine, Tobosa and Vortex come after Pinny in the weights. Tucker is in the field on a rating of 102.
July 7th
From the moment it was decided not to run Pinpoint it has been drying out at Sandown. This morning the going is described as Good/Soft (Soft in places) Going Stick reading 7.1. The Racing Post has yesterdays race times as indicating Good/Soft. Today its warm, sunny and breezy and the track is drying out quickly. By the time of the race it will be on the Good side of Good/Soft. Perfect for him in my opinion.
Sandown is another matter. Having seen him run there twice and taken more of an interest in other races run there over 8-10f I think it isn’t the best sort of track for him. The sharp bend and a tendency for the runners to take it easy then sprint up the straight, and fan out on easy ground, does not play to his strengths.
Apparently the John Smiths Cup is to be cut to 9f this year due to flood damage to the track.
July 5th
One thing you need if you ever get involved in racehorse ownership is patience.
Patience..............................and a sense of humour.
Two things you need.........
Last season Pinpoint did not run for three months on account of the firm ground. Before every race we were doing a raindance. This year he will not run for nine weeks or more on account of the ground being too soft.
July 4th
The going description has now gone to Soft (Heavy in places) at Sandown so Pinpoint is not going to race on Saturday.
The next thought was to run him in the 10 furlongs WBX.com World Bet Exchange Conditions Stakes at Nottingham on Thursday 12th July in the evening. However there is a strange set of conditions for this race and double checking reveals he is not eligible. The Sony Summer Mile at Ascot on the 14th must have been a possible. This is the race won by Shot To Fame in 2004 when it was a Group 3, but now a Group 2 it did not find favour.
So it is on to Plan C, which is to let him down briefly, forget the Steventon Stakes at Newbury on the 21st July and aim Pinpoint at the Totesport Mile (formerly The Golden Mile) at Goodwood on Friday 3rd August. This is one of the biggest handicaps of the year with £150,000 added. It is his sort of race. Eight furlongs, a furious pace, lots of argy bargy and the need for a horse that can quicken through tight gaps. The downside is that a high draw is important, lots of luck is required if you are coming from the back and he will be giving lumps of weight away. No problem. Bring It On !!
July 3rd
Pinpoint was out on the gallops first lot today. The rain relented when he came up with gallop companions The Albury Flyer (Adam Kirby) and Eastern Emperor. The Flyer led with EE pulling, head high, a length behind. Pinpoint started four lengths down. EE went by The Albury Flyer 2f out and Pinpoint finished upsides The Flyer, the final 3f in 37.08. All three of them are entered for Saturday, Pinpoint at Sandown, The Aldbury Flyer at Nottingham, and Eastern Emperor at both. Whether Pinny runs at Sandown will probably depend on the weather over the next two days and the weather forecast. I sense that he will run if the going is primarily Good/Soft but probably not on Soft.
There are 37 entries for the Totescoop6 Heritage Handicap. Pinpoint is on 9st 11lb with the next highest in the handicap Rio Riva and Nayyir on 9st 5lbs, and Babodana on 9st 2lb. Few horses with ratings as high as Pinpoint’s are entered in handicaps, let alone run in them, Pinny’s participation would spread the weights out, but with the weight range going down to 7st 12lbs it will probably not affect anyone else, apart from jockey bookings. Only five horses are out of the handicap proper. A few trainers will be looking for Pinny coming out of the race. I hope we don’t oblige them. It is now five weeks since he ran and there is a cracking card at Sandown on Saturday with Pinny adding a touch of class. :-)
Oh, and there is also Authorized, George Washington and Reverence. You don’t get much better than that.
June 28th Update
He is out of the Windsor race. Because of the going, which will most likely be Heavy come Saturday. There may even be doubts about the meeting going ahead judged by the heavy rain showing up on the BBC Weather website for Friday morning.
The two alternatives being considered are the 8 furlong Totescoop6 Heritage Handicap at Sandown on Eclipse Stakes day (7th July) and the 10 furlong Steventon Stakes, a Listed race at Newbury (21st July).
June 28th
Adam Kirby is riding at Chester and Wolverhampton on Saturday.
Ted Durcan is at Newmarket and Wolverhampton.
So Pinpoint will have a new jockey. Daryll Holland is at Windsor, but presently shown to be riding a Mick Channon 3YO. Steve Carson is about the only other jockey the stable uses quite often, who is at Windsor on Saturday.
Watch this space.
Plenty more rain is due to fall on Windsor overnight, on Friday morning and on Saturday.
The going is reported as Soft, and will only get softer.
June 27th
Here are the options for the race after Windsor, assuming he stays at 8-10 furlongs and does not run again for at least ten days :-.
12th July WBX.com @ Nottingham - Conditions Stakes 12K added 10f
14th July Sony Summer Mile @ Ascot - Group 2 100K 8f
21st July David Wilson Homes (Steventon) @ Newbury - Listed 26K 10f
21st July Ladbrokes.com @ Newbury - Heritage Handicap 45K 8f
26th July Bohemian Rhasody @ York - Conditions Stakes 16K 8f
28th July Skybet @ York - Group 2 100K 10f
29th July Pomfret @ Pontefract - Listed 30K 8f
31st July Bank of Scotland @ Goodwood - Heritage Handicap 50K 10f
3rd Aug Totesport Mile @ Goodwood - Heritage Handicap 150K 8f
Go for glory or realistic winning chance? 8f or 10f? Sharp track or galloping track?
Which would you choose?
June 26th
The gallops were bathed in sunshine this morning for those lucky enough to be out first lot. But there was an autumn-like chill in the air. Pinpoint galloped with Nordwind. Starting one length down he gradually drew alongside 2f out and pushed along by Jenny soon went 2 lengths up, holding the gap in the final furlong. They did a fairly quick time, probably around 36 secs for the final 3f, but I messed up the timing. Apparently he did a quick piece of work in the rain on Friday with Adam aboard, again with Nordwind.
After exercise, with his ‘hoodie’ on he had a good roll. Not for him the hay strewn rolling pad, instead he immediately chose the muddiest part of the field by the gate. Nordwind was much more choosy about where to roll. He spent ages surveying the chosen spot, pawing the ground before deciding a medium muddy spot was just right. Conditions are so different this year both in the field and on the racecourse.
Pinpoint is 4 lb clear of his nearest competitor on Racing Post ratings and 3 lbs on Timeform ratings. If only it was that simple.
June 25th
The Midsummer Stakes has turned out to be rather popular with 22 entries. The highest rated are the Godolphin horse Opera Cape on 113, and Dunelight and Pinpoint on 111. The next highest rated is Bahia Breeze, a mare on 106. The going for this evening’s meeting was soft. Windsor does not dry out particularly quickly, so easy ground looks on the cards for Saturday.
I have to say that it is a race I am not really looking forward to. Windsor is a track that is never likely to suit Pinpoint. Perhaps his best chance is if he is ridden close to the pace tucked up behind the leader, as at Doncaster when he won his maiden? On soft ground they tend to head for the far side but often fan out, so getting him covered up in a good position will be tricky, that’s if they are going far side come Saturday. Adam rode four for the stable this evening and they headed for the far side each time. Adam went for the rail but there was plenty of jockeying for position and some messy races.
Pinpoint has not been put in the John Smith’s Cup at York.
Heaven Sent, 3rd in the Newbury Spring Cup behind Pinny and Royal Oath ran a cracker at Royal Ascot on Friday, only beaten by Championship Point off a 17 lb higher mark than at Newbury. Charlie Cool was 3rd.
June 20th
Another compliment to Pinpoint’s form today, with the running of the Royal Hunt Cup. Supaseus looked as if he was going to make all, on his own, down the far rail. He just tied up, having gone too fast too early and lost second and third place close home. The winner was Royal Oath, 2nd to Pinny in the Newbury Spring Cup, who powered four lengths clear in first time blinkers winning most impressively. Other horses beaten by Pinpoint this year, Yarqus and My Paris were 5th and 6th, five lengths clear of the pack. The ground was a little easier today and would probably have suited Pinpoint, as would the strong pace. Taking all things into account there is a fair chance that he would have been in the first four if he had run.
There is really no reason at all why the unrestricted Heritage Handicaps can not be on his agenda.
June 8th
Some pictures from the Brigadier Gerard Stakes
and the obligatory bucket photo 
June 5th
A decision has been made about Pinpoint’s next race. It is to be the Totepool Midsummer Stakes, an 8 furlong 67 yd Listed race to be run at Windsor on Saturday 30th June. Shot To Fame came 2nd for Pendley in this race in 2004 and he ran again in 2005. Windsor water a lot, so the ground is unlikely to be too fast for Pinpoint. The disadvantage of another race at Windsor is the stop/start pace which is a feature of most mile+ races, due to the long sharp bend. Last year there were only five runners in the Midsummer Stakes with Librettist winning from Prince Of Light. The prize fund has £26,000 added.
Pinny is still in excellent shape. This morning he was out first lot having an exercise canter on his own. He came back from Sandown very tired, but without any signs of soreness or other problems.
June 1st - Brigadier Gerard Stakes, 31st May at Sandown Park
In sport it is often said that you learn more in defeat than you do in victory. It would be easy to just blame the ground or assume Pinpoint was not at his best yesterday, and to follow the same path next time. However we now have enough clues about Pinpoint’s ability and preferences to have a good idea about his optimum requirements.
The computer is now rating his last few performances as follows:-
106 Victoria Cup (7f good)(hampered add 3 or 4lbs)
104 Royal Hunt Cup (8f good/firm)(ground was too firm)
106 John Smith’s Stakes (10f good)
112 Cambridgeshire (9f good/soft)
103 Windsor (10f good/soft)(stop/start pace, staying on)
109 Spring Cup (8f good/firm)
113 Suffolk Stks (9f good/firm)
This is a very different picture to that portrayed by Timeform ratings and the Official Handicapper whose assessments suggest relentless progress. Timeform’s ratings for the Cambridgeshire are now comically out of step with its own performance assessments of the horses who ran in it eg Formal Decree +10 lb, Blue Bajan +11 lb, Pinpoint +17 lb, Take A Bow +7 lb etc etc. The CRF computer is the best available basis for understanding Pinpoint’s results. and making good decisions for the direction to go in the future.
There is no doubt that he was well below his best yesterday. My rating on the CRF scale is 99. In the Cambridgeshire he and Take A Bow finished side by side with Take A Bow giving Pinny 2 lb and staying on just the better. The computer retrospectively rates the Cambridgeshire performance much better than was apparent at the time and now it is rated roughly on a par with Pinpoint’s last two runs at Newbury and Newmarket. Take A Bow’s form has been consistent and he is a good yardstick. Yet Pinpoint was beaten 8 lengths yesterday, and the distance was not due to easing down as Adam had first to get ahead of Tam Lin and then stay ahead of Papal Bull to secure 4th place. So Pinpoint ran about 12-14 lb below the Cambridgeshire form on ground which was very similar, Good/Soft drying out from Soft. What is the reason for this?
Pinny broke well and it took Adam about 2f to get him dropped in, but he was not really covered up for long. Then he was on the outside around the bend and TV pictures show Adam not really happy with his position. Into the straight he briefly had a reasonable place, but as the front rank pressed on Pinny was soon unable to stay in touch and under pressure he faded right out of it in the last 2f, looking laboured. Adam’s first words after getting off were that he could never get covered up in a good position.
Leaving aside the issue of the ground for now Pinpoint’s preferences are looking like this :-
Strong pace, big fields/plenty of cover/horses to run through, straight track, 8/9f.
At Sandown the small field, lack of cover and modest early pace were against him. It is also looking unlikely that 10f will be his optimum trip. He is more likely to get his type of race over a straight 8f.
There are very few suitable races for him in the next month as he has no entries at Royal Ascot. There are 8f Listed races at turning tracks, Goodwood and Windsor, on the 9th and 30th June. Nothing at 9f or 10f in June. A better option could be to drop back in trip for the 7f Group 3 Criterion Stakes at Newmarket on 30th June. He would be eligible for the 8f Totescoop Heritage Handicap back at Sandown on 7th July and the John Smith’s Cup at York on 14th July. That is just about it for now.