Simple Verse St Leger Appeal Finally Heard, Victoria Pendleton Finishes 13th and Don’t Touch Takes the Ayr Gold Cup
Our news is a little late this week as we’ve been too busy getting violently drunk after one or two bad results went against us! So, whilst it may well be Wednesday, we’ll be looking back at the weekend a little, as well as providing an update on the appeal of Simple Verse.
Demoted Simple Verse in Appeal
Simple Verse, or more accurately her team, unless you think she’s one hell of an intelligent horse, who crossed the line first at the St Leger, will hear today whether or not her appeal against demotion from first to second has been successful.
It was the first time since way back in 1789 that the winner had been disqualified/demoted and instead Bondi Beach, second past the post, was awarded the Classic victory. Qatar Racing, the owners of the first past the post, had paid £50,000 to supplement their horse and she would have become the first filly to land the St Leger for more than 20 years, so their appeal is hardly a surprise. Oh, and the small factor of a difference in prize money between almost £400,000 for first and just under £150k for second!
Hopefully whichever horse you backed got paid out on, with the result of the appeal unlikely to impact past bets, although many of the best racing betting sites would already have paid out on both horses anyway.
It’s Not As Easy as Riding a Bike
Two-time Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton has finished 13th in her second race as an amateur jockey, after finishing second on her debut in the silks. 13th of 16 may seem like a step backwards but Pendleton said “I made a bit of a Royal Etiquette sandwich coming into the last three furlongs, but that’s racing”, commenting on the hampered run she got after a slow start. The double gold medal winner still hopes to ride in the Foxhunter Chase at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival but we won’t be piling in on her based on this latest showing at Beverley!
The Oldest News of the Day
Don’t Touch won the Ayr Gold Cup in good style last Saturday as Tony Hamilton led the 6/1 favourite home to take his unbeaten run to five races. Poyle Vinnie, a 50/1 outsider in the betting, was half a length back, whilst Ninjago was third at odds of 33/1 and Toofi fourth at 10s.
Don’t Touch is something of a late starter but is showing remarkable and continued improvement and is clearly one to keep an eye on. Having become the first three-year-old to land the Ayr Gold Cup since 2002 it will be interesting to follow this one over the next year or so.
