"MAKFI" - dashes Goldikova's record bid in Marois 15/08/2010

[drofheim]

Makfi won a 2000 Guineas on good to firm, I think he just had his on and off days, Goldikova was beat in the Foret in good ground so she had an off day too, some horses cant compete at the highest all the time.

[GBeret83]

The only reason that Makfi beat Goldikova in this race, pure and simple, was because of soft ground. On good to firm, Goldikova would dust Makfi's broom for him all day long and twice on Sunday. IMO.

[armaha]

Goldikova is an amazing miler! Absolute joy to watch!

[queenluciaa]

I love how she keeps her head low, and really extends her stride. At the end of the race she looks like she is a little bay blur darting across the track. You can hardly see her at top speed xD

[GBeret83]

This race is a great example of the only way Goldikova loses a race at a mile on turf. If the ground is too soft, and just doesn't suite her. As was the case on this day. Because on firmer ground, Goldikova thrashes Makfi all day long, and twice on Sunday, IMO. She's beaten all of the best turf milers in Europe. Save Canford Cliffs. And also the best turf milers in America. I.E., Gio Ponti, Court Vision, The Usual Q.T., and Sidney's Candy. When the ground suits her. There's no answer for her.

[GBeret83]

Goldikova and Paco Boy must have really struggled badly with ground in this race? I still can't believe that Makfi was able to outrun both of them in this race. Wasn't long after this race that Makfi went back to Ascot again, and got run off of his feet again. His first race at Ascot, thumped by Canford Cliffs and Dick Turpin. His second race at Ascot, thumped by Poet's Voice and Rip Van Winkle. This colt is strictly a soft ground specialist, IMO. He can't handle firm, fast turf at all. JMO.

[bgardiner2000]

@GBeret83 And he outran them convincingly. I think you're pretty much on the mark with him being a wet tracker.

[Frazynut]

Here's the thing. While I largely agree that Sidney will be overbet and outrun, IF he replicated his last effort he would win. It's unfair to say that his fractions weren't suicidal. The colt absolutely freaked that day. I'll take my chances with Gio Ponti, but Goldi is the one to beat obviously. I don't like that Paco Boy got re-headed late in this race by Goldikova. Will Goldikova be even money in the Mile? Not much of a wager. Zen will be a good price though thanks to bias against CA.

[mminer58]

Congratulations to the connections of Makfi. I expect Goldikova to win her third straight Mile at Churchill come November. My win parlay will involve two mares racing against the boys: Goldikova and Zenyatta.

[corny165]

Saw how good Makfi was today in the QE2. This race was a one off. On better ground i'd fancy Goldi and Paco Boy to decisively turn the tables.

[motosneerful]

Goldikova will never catch Sidney's Candy at Churchill. He was on a suicide 45 and change 108.4 pace duel with Bafert's Macias, 14 lengths ahead of the field. People began to tear up their tickets on him. Lo and behold, Sidney kept right on running and broke the track record at 139 and change for a mile and a sixteenth. Check out the most impressive race of the year on You Tube

[shooter297]

@motosneerful Are you kidding me? The only reason that Sidney's Candy is even running on the turf is because it's his only option as far as the Breeders Cup is concerned. He certainly won't be running in any of the main track races because he can't run on dirt. So after he got beaten fair and square after setting slow fractions in the Swaps, they switched him to the turf and he ran lights out against a weak field. But, he doesn't stand a chance against a world-class mare like Goldikova.

[eblp4life]

@motosneerful Whoa. You're kidding, right? Sidney's Candy will get run into the ground. He dueled Macias that day, that horse is a G3 winner, and he stole that one from a weak field. Goldikova will have no problem keeping up, or coming and getting Sidney's Candy. If you're going to pick an American horse to upset Goldikova and whoever ships along with her, pick a better one than that. And as far as that suicide pace.. they went 45.1 for a half in last year's Mile.

[drofheim]

To be fair on Makfi, Goldikova had two pacemakers to set the race up for her.

[drofheim]

Soumillion: If I started my challenge earlier he would have beaten them even further, by about 8 lengths.

[GBeret83]

I'll admit. Until I saw Makfi win this race. I was a bit skeptical about how good this 3yr.old really was. But I also didn't hear the news about Makfi having raced with a bad throat infection at Ascot in the St James's Palace Stakes either. So that could certainly explain why he ran so poorly against Canford Cliffs and Dick Turpin in that race. But taking down Goldikova and Paco Boy, both, in the same race. Leaves little room for any doubt about how talented this colt is.

[thepoacher2010]

@GBeret83 dont be fooled by what makfi had wrong with him at ascot richard johnson maid a mystake in the 2,000 guinees by letting the winner go they all make mystakes canford cliffsis in my opinion the best,but they boath like differant going.

[GBeret83]

@thepoacher2010, Don't get me wrong. Look at my comments I made on the English 2000 Guineas. I said that Makfi is better than I thought. But he's not always going to have the soft ground like he had at Deauville when he beat Goldikova and Paco Boy. Makfi is kind of a grind it out horse. Canford Cliffs, an explosive turn of foot. I don't see Makfi ever beating Canford Cliffs again. JMO.

[kelletman]

@thepoacher2010 Canford Cliffs as never beaten DT by more than a 1L yet Makfi beat DT by 1 1/4 if you forget the Ascot race because Makfi had a throat infection, Makfi form on the book would be better than CC, I do not think the form of CC v RVW is great because both Byword & Twice Over ran away from RVW & DT in the Juddmonte, but got out stayed by RVW close home, would RVW or DT have beaten Byword or TO at the Mile Pole? Maybe RVW needs a mile 1/4 now, so maybe CC race against RVW was not>>

[kelletman]

@thepoacher2010 that good, plus RVW was said to have improved from Ascot & Goldikova ran away from Byword at the mile pole in the D'ispahn.

[kelletman]

Richard Hughes said: Goldikova as never won on that type of ground and goldikova & PB ran about 2 L below their best on that ground while Makfi probably runs 2 length better on that ground.

[tommy444able]

@kelletman it hated the ground im thinking goldikovas at least got 5 lengths on mafki

[kelletman]

@tommy444able I hope these 2 meet in the breeders cup then goldikova put the record straight

[kelletman]

The reason being the ground was bottomless, the last time Goldi ran on this type of ground she was beaten hd by Azabara, the next time she ran against Azabara was on better ground she then beat the same horse by 12 1/2 L, this is the slowest time goldikova as ever put up over a mile.

[drofheim]

lol Soumillion was celebrating before the line.

[kelletman]

Makfi as many middle distance horses in his pedigree so was always going to outstay Goldi if it came to a slog, Goldi is not over big so she would find it doubly difficult to give weight on this ground at this time of year, the ground must have been very dead as the time of the race was only 0.60 faster than the listed handicap in the previous race, Goldi ran this race 7 sec faster last year, that tells you that this was not her ground. hope to see them both at the breeders cup.

[GBeret83]

@kelletman, I live about an hour from Keenland, and about 90 minutes from Churchill Downs. Baring a drenching the day before. Which, at the beginning of November is always possible. All of the Breeders Cup Turf races will be ran over extremely fast turf. Churchill Down's turf course, when it's dry, is one of the fastest turf tracks on the east coast. But now under wet conditions. It quickly becomes one of the softest, deepest, and deadest turf tracks in American racing.

[kelletman]

@GBeret83 Thanks for the advice, I will wait till the day of the race before I place my bet in the US. You seem to like the international horse racing like me, I love to watch great horses like Sacred Kingdom, Goldikova, Ouija Board, Singspiel, Pilsudski,Swain who have all proved to be world class on the world stage, Ouija Board won races in Europe, US, HK, she was only beaten 2 1/2 lengths by the great Deep Impact in Japan, a mare taking on colts in G1 races all over the world, Great Mare.

[tcacVII]

@GBeret83 Makfi won the Guineas on Good-to-Firm, so he seems to be capable of a range of surfaces

[PascalJeker]

I would put Makfi on the equation, not to rule him out because of the St James