蘇銘倫提議閹割爆炸 ~~~~
Fearless Soumillon won't be stopped
"We will find a way, or make one." The quote belongs to the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca but it may well have been the war cry of Christophe Soumillon on his return to Sha Tin yesterday, finding space where none seemed to exist to present the appropriately named Inspiration for his winning run.
Hannibal's determination to find a way through the Alps to surprise and ultimately defeat the Roman army in 218BC made him one of the most famous military leaders in history and Soumillon is making a good fist of gaining comparable respect in the global jockey business with a similar brand of aggression and will to win.
In fact, his absolute fearlessness earned a caution from his retaining trainer John Moore, who told the Belgian ace not to take so many risks on the lesser-grade horses.
"That ride of Christophe's [on Inspiration] was quite sensational, you could see from the home turn he was determined to find a way through," Moore said. "He has this incredible ability to put a horse's head into small gaps and he gives the horse the courage to go through - it's quite remarkable."
Soumillon's most famous barge through, in Hong Kong at least, came on Viva Pataca in the Hong Kong Derby last March and Moore is concerned that that the champion horseman not stretch his good fortune on less important occasions.
"I took him aside and said, listen, don't be forcing the issue so much especially in these lower-class races," Moore recalled. "All of a sudden, he'll give something too much of a push and find himself suspended, and that could mean missing a more significant engagement.
"I have to say, he's very good. He listened to what I had to say and I'm sure he's taken notice."
In the ninth event, however, it was Inspiration by name and Inspiration by deed as Soumillon turned the chestnut's racing pattern upside down, settling the habitual leader into a midfield-rails position.
"I had experimented with a crossed-nose band on him and it seemed to do the trick, made him more willing to accept restraint," Moore said. "He's been doing it the hard way, up front, and I just knew that if he could be ridden more patiently, he had a strong turn of foot that he hadn't been showing."
With Soumillon's execution of the plan being par excellence, Inspiration burst out of the pack inside the 200 metres and put the Hebei Handicap away in a matter of bounds, unleashing that killer kick that Moore had been hoping to see.
"I knew the horse from a year ago when I thought he was a young horse with a nice future," Soumillon said. "John told me that he saw too much daylight last start, that the horse needed cover but that it was not easy to get him to settle behind.
"But I don't agree - he could put his daughter on this horse and he would settle. Today, ridden quietly, he came very quickly at the finish and I believe that he could race over a little bit further."
Soumillon said he was unlikely to equal his tally of 29 winners from last season, and suggested a more conservative agenda this term.
"Last year, I came and rode a lot of winners in very quick time, but this year I have come with my family, I don't think I will win as many races - I want a bit easier life," he said.
"I will do my best to win for John, and for some outside stables. But this year I will be a little bit more relaxed. One thing I want to do, however, is to help John get Viva Pataca and Joyful Winner back to form, and I'd also like to see Viva Macau make the transition to his new home. He's a very smart horse when he's right but he's not yet acclimatised and I think he might want gelding."
蘇仔佢話今次嚟唔會好似舊年咁博，主要博大賽; 另佢話爆炸尚未完全適應水土，應該要閹 。
[ 本帖最後由 吉野名捕 於 2/1/2007 08:22 PM 編輯 ] | |
