2 Great Britan questions

[Radarobrian]

Anyone have any inside info on Potefract race course and Mahmood al Zamooni as a trainer?




Brian

[Flanders]

I answered in your other thread.

Pontefract is a racecourse in England. http://www.pontefract-races.co.uk/

Mahmood Al Zarooni is a trainer for Godolphin.
His stats: http://www.godolphin.com/FactsAndFig...l.aspx?id=5536
His bio: http://godolphin.com/StaffMember.aspx?id=65&cid=6
He has trained such horses as the ill-fated MG1SW Rewilding, MG1SW Blue Bunting, G1SW Buzzword, G1SW Biondetti, etc.
He became a Godolphin trainer in 2010 and his first winner was at Pontefract.

[weatherbird]

I have a GB question:
Whose idea was it to card two Group 1 2yo stakes races on the same Newmarket card yesterday? One at 6 furlongs the other at 7 furlongs. I guess the choice was to go for the bigger purse at 7f or go for the easier G1 at 6f? When I saw them both on the card, I assumed one was for fillies. Or one was "short" and the other "long". But no. I don't get it.

[Elphie]

I have a GB question:
Whose idea was it to card two Group 1 2yo stakes races on the same Newmarket card yesterday? One at 6 furlongs the other at 7 furlongs. I guess the choice was to go for the bigger purse at 7f or go for the easier G1 at 6f? When I saw them both on the card, I assumed one was for fillies. Or one was "short" and the other "long". But no. I don't get it.

Are you refering to the races on the 10/8? The 2.35 Group 1 over 6 furlongs was only for entire colts. The next Group 1 after that, the 3.10 was the 7 furlongs that was open to both fillies and entire colts. Hope that is some help and those were the races you were refering to

[arkle]

I have a GB question:
Whose idea was it to card two Group 1 2yo stakes races on the same Newmarket card yesterday? One at 6 furlongs the other at 7 furlongs. I guess the choice was to go for the bigger purse at 7f or go for the easier G1 at 6f? When I saw them both on the card, I assumed one was for fillies. Or one was "short" and the other "long". But no. I don't get it.

Those two races, the Middelpark and the Dewhurst, were traditionally held 2 or so weeks apart. Dream Ahead, recent conqueror of Goldikova, actually ran in both these races last year. The decision to hold them on the same day was quite controversial. It is part of a "Future Champions" day at Newmarket, dreamed up by the same people that came up with British Champions day at Ascot. I suppose giving Newmarket a "day" was meant to ease the pain of taking away the Champion Stakes.
The logic behind holding them on the same day is supposed to be that the Dewhurst is the real classic/Guineas trial, and the Middlepark more for future sprinters. But as been pointed out, horses have run in both in the past. They should probably bite the bullet and make the Dewhurst an 8f race.

There is also the irony of having the Cesarewitch, grand race that it is, on the "Future Champions Day" card.

[Radarobrian]

Another quick question. Anyone know what Tfig and Trat stand for?

[Grade1]

Another quick question. Anyone know what Tfig and Trat stand for?

Probably:

Tfig - Timefigure (Timeform speed rating)

Trat - Timeform rating