More Pats Than Kicks

At this stage of his life Kieren Fallon probably knows only inches separate a pat on the back from a kick in the arse. It’s interesting to ponder how many of those queuing up to praise his winning 2,000 Guineas ride on Night Of Thunder would be pointing to the colt’s dramatic late drift as proof the former champion jockey is ‘gone’ had the verdict gone the other way. But because he won that drift becomes just more evidence of Fallon’s genius horsemanship.

The impact has been pretty immediate too with confirmation that Godolphin have promoted the Irishman in their jockey pecking order and Fallon will be on board their big Derby hope True Story in the Dante. No doubt such moves were being considered before Night Of Thunder’s victory but any qualms would have been quashed by the classic success, something that’s hardly likely to help Silvestre De Sousa’s state of mind right now. As kicks in the arse go, this one is pretty definitive.

There was a time with Fallon when pats and kicks seemed to be interchangeable and most of the kicks were self-inflicted. Genius is rarely straight-forward but few other top sportspeople can have mapped out more tortuously convoluted routes for themselves. What has never been in doubt is Fallon’s raw talent. But his capacity for getting into trouble has been extraordinary. At times his life must have been exhausting to live.

So you’d want to be stone-hearted not to recognise the redemptive aspect to an unlikely 40-1 classic victory on a second-string that gets the better of two hyped-to-the-skies colts from two of the world’s most powerful bloodstock outfits. And even Fallon’s most trenchant critics – and there are plenty of those – might recognise how it was a victory that kicked sand in the face of those too eager to write off jockeys purely on the basis of age.

Most subjects are too subtle for generalisations and this one certainly is. Fallon’s Guineas reviews revolved around inches and winning has always made everything forgivable. But surely racing’s passion for the new and the next-big-thing means the benefits of experience too often get overlooked. Mick Kinane was widely whispered to be ‘gone’ too before teaming up with Sea The Stars for the sort of final hurrah that made earlier doubts seem ridiculous.

No doubt some of the most strident whisperers were amongst those slapping Kinane’s back the hardest and it will be fascinating now to examine the long-term sustainability of Fallon’s latest rehabilitation. His big-race CV certainly justifies Godolphin’s move. Should Fallon reward them with a Derby victory it will be the story of the season.

What the Guineas also highlighted yet again is the danger of getting wrapped up in hype. One old-time American racing writer’s advice to cub-reporters was blunt – “nothing on this beat ever justifies a superlative.” The nature of sport means non-superlative coverage could easily wind up in no coverage at all but the cold-eyed logic behind the dictum is hard to argue with.

Australia ran a perfectly good race at Newmarket and with his Derby pedigree, finishing third in the Guineas is hugely encouraging for the future when he steps up in trip. Anyone considering very short odds for Epsom though might consider Aidan O’Brien’s post-race comments where he acknowledged Australia’s pedigree but also pointed out how he’d been showing mile speed in his work.

Is that more ‘loads-of-speed’ commercial speak, or is it a lurking fear the colt might wind up falling between two stools a la Hawk Wing? Whatever it is, the winter hype surrounding Australia looks to have been pricked. He’s nearly going to have to win the Derby by ten, and the Arc by twelve, if he’s going to justify some of the stuff said about him. Maybe he’ll wind up doing just that but what otherwise would be an entirely honourable Guineas effort has to be taken in the context of the hype beforehand. Speaking of ageism, it doesn’t just apply to humans. Quite a few people at Punchestown expressed the hope that Hurricane Fly might be retired after a comprehensive defeat by Jezki that really did feel like an emphatic changing of the hurdling guard. However Willie Mullins is having none of it and it’s hard to argue with the logic of his pondering a step up in distance for the great horse next season.

We are talking about a ten year old who may have lost some of his two-mile zip but can still bring lots of quality to a staying division where they go a stride slower, especially now that he has proven he is prepared to settle a lot better than before. And let’s not forget Hurricane Fly won a Grade 3 over two and a half miles at Auteuil as a four year old, and landed the Hatton’s Grace at the trip four years ago. In fact what odds he might make it Grade 1 No.20 in the same race?

Punchestown 2014 was clearly a success and now purrs like a well-oiled festival machine. Part of that includes a justifiable determination to keep ground conditions on the yielding side in an attempt to avoid injuries and the attendant welfare headlines that can come from them, which in turn makes the contrast with the cross-country course even more glaring.

Last week’s official going on the cross-country course was “good to firm” and one observer who tramped over it said it veered more to the firm than the good. Watering the infield appears to be impractical, just as it is at Cheltenham. But the contrast is obvious and invites the obvious query that if running horses on quick ground on the main course is undesirable, why is it OK on the cross-country?

There are enough prophets of doom within racing without this space adding to them. But this does look a problem in waiting.