/ Alex Steedman / 10 June 2011 / Leave a Comment 
So You Think pictured winning at Flemington back in October
"While everyone around him blows positively worded smoke towards his backside, So You Think continues to perform like an extravagantly talented powerhouse."
Don't listen to Aussie moaning, says Alex Steedman, So You Think may have won all the big Australian prizes but he's based in Ireland, is a product of New Zealand and is all set to wow the English.
My English friends will take enormous pleasure in the following statement but, here goes, you've got to feel for those Aussies. Once proud rulers of the sporting world they seem to have lost their way and now they've lost their favourite equine son too. So You Think was the burgeoning star of the southern hemisphere but his part-sale to the Ballydoyle massive allows him the unlikely opportunity to strut his stuff on our stage and he bids to enhance an already tall reputation in the Prince of Wales's Stakes on Wednesday.
It may be unfair to our cousins from down under but their self-acclaimed wonder horse isn't actually Australian. No mate, he's a Kiwi. But I digress. What is certain is that So You Think ([1.5]) has looked a monster on numerous occasions in Oz, cutting a swathe through the ranks; logging five Grade 1 wins including two historic Cox Plate victories and he went close to nailing the big one when stamina and perhaps timing just failed him in the Melbourne Cup.
Former trainer and Australian legend Bart Cummings has described So You Think as one of the best he's seen, let alone nurtured, and there have been glimpses of that prodigious talent in two straightforward wins since shipping to in Ireland.
Even Ryan Moore said the son of High Chaparral was impressive in landing his first European Group 1 when scooting clear in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last time, hyperbole indeed! Beating Campanologist comfortably is not the stuff of dreams yet, but it was delivered non-plus as a starter for ten and a hint at what the future might hold.
While everyone around him blows positively worded smoke towards his backside, So You Think continues to perform like an extravagantly talented powerhouse. I sense from his finishing efforts that he will prove a 12 furlong star but his trainer will probably tell you he could win the July Cup. First though he faces his stiffest test since leaving home and the challenge of Planteur ([4.3]) and Rewilding ([11.5]).
Cummings wouldn't be impressed by the calibre of the opposition: "the racing over there isn't worth two bob" he said in reference to his former charges' early Irish efforts and in truth, I don't think this is enough of a test either so despite the trip, it ought to be a race So You Think can look good when winning. Planteur is the main threat having finally bagged a Group 1 in the Prix Ganay last time and he appears to be showing more speed these days. It is difficult to know how much he has improved but if so he has a squeak.
Less of a threat is Rewilding who surely won't have the pace to trouble So You Think over ten furlongs. He deservedly landed a Group 1 in Dubai over the winter and has the scope to develop into one of those hardy, money-spinning middle distance horses Godolphin used to produce, but in time.
It is no easy gig taking the stage after Canford Cliffs, Goldikova and Frankel have all taken a bow but there are many who reckon So You Think could steal the show. And they'll be dancing in the streets of Tauranga (New Zealand) if he does.
Isabel Mathew - fresh from picking out Pour Moi for the 2011 Epsom Derby - assesses the chances of a handful of French challengers chasing the big prizes at Royal Ascot...
Frankel blitzed the 2000 Guineas and goes in to the St James Palace Stakes as firm favourite. Does Alex Steedman believe that any of his opponents can cause an upset on the opening day at Ascot?...
The Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot has what many will class as the day two 'banker', with ex-Australian superstar So You Think currently a short-priced favourite to keep his unbeaten European record intact, but Timeform's Phil Thompson reckons he's got to be taken on......
No comments:
Post a Comment