Alessandro Volta - pacemaker?
October 31st 2008 23:54
Earlier this year I wrote about Alessandro Volta as part of a story on the 2008 Irish Derby. This race was won by his Ballydoyle stablemate Frozen Fire - also one of many nominations from Aidan O’Brien for the Melbourne Spring.
(photo: Wayne Taylor)
If any English or Irish Derby winner, or placegetter, ventured to Australia for our Cups, I would believe that there would considerable interest in this horse from punters and the press.
Alessandro Volta was third over the line at the Curragh in the Irish Derby, but later relegated to fourth position. And of course he travels to Australia as stablemate to Septimus (and Honolulu) and he is expected to be the pacemaker in the race for the benefit of stable elect Septimus. It is not so much his race performance that has created interest - but rather, it is his expected race position (pacemaker) that sees him make the news.
I will quote myself from that earlier article:
“The Irish Derby was completed with more hard-luck stories than you would wish for in a classic of the turf. When the field straightened for the run to the post Aidan O'Brien's more fancied horse, Alessandro Volta (ridden by Johnny Murtagh), claimed the lead and it looked a contest between him and the closing Tartan Bearer and Curtain Call. But Alessandro Volta veered off a straight course and seriously inconvenienced Tartan Bearer and Curtain Call. The runner-up, Casual Conquest stayed out of this scrimmage, while Frozen Fire was hooked wide around most of the trouble and stormed down the outside for an easy win. Seamus Heffernan rode Frozen Fire and has now won two Irish Derbies in succession after an earlier success on Soldier Of Fortune last Year. The brilliant Dylan Thomas is the other Aidan O'Brien horse to (recently) win and be part of this Ballydoyle hat-trick.”
“Aidan O'Brien believes that Alessandro Volta took fright after he turned for home and saw and heard the crowd that he was quickly approaching." - Racingwrite, Frozen Fire.
Even when Alessandro Volta won the Lingfield Derby Trial he did show an intractable manner, and took quite a time to get balanced before claiming a win. Perhaps it may be best for him - and all - if he is allowed to dictate the pace. As long as he continues to hold a straight line from beginning till end.
The discussion of ‘team racing’ still follows Aidan O’Brien to Australia after the fines and suspensions that followed the inquiry by the British Racing Authority into the running of the Juddmonte International won by Duke Of Marmalade, with perennial Ballydoyle pacemaker Red Rock Canyon making the running (and subsequently shifting and an easy path) for his favoured stablemate.
Ignorance of the law is no defence in Australian racing. And besides - before the Cup is run the stewards’ will well and truly have laid down in easy-to-understand terms that every horse is expected to be given an even chance of winning.
But it is not so much that one horse will lead and ensure a true tempo. If any horse is left alone in front it may always steal a race at any time - so the line to draw between opportunity and sacrifice is very fine (and usually debatable). But there will be no tolerance to a shift in ground to allow clear passage as was the case with Duke Of Marmalade - and let’s not mention Haradasun from even earlier in the season.
A fast pace does not always ensure lack of traffic and no interference. The Caulfield Cup was run at a terrific clip - and still we had Mad Rush caught in traffic and other horses deep and working. And in a Melbourne Cup when a horse stops, it often stops very quickly and may fall back into the lap of a horse with a winning chance.
Jane Chapple-Hyam is at present locked in a battle of wills over the fitness of her charge Yellowstone. She says he has an unusual action all of the time - but Racing Victoria vets still need to be convinced. With the possibility that she will be denied a start she says this (which also relates to our story in total):
"If they take my run, I'm not going to be happy, am I?. We do know they (Honolulu and Alessandro Volta) are pacemakers."
“They're not going to hang about, those boys from Ireland," - Jane Chapple-Hyam, as told to the Sydney Morning Herald.
If Alessandro Volta is to be the pacemaker - and nothing more - then he is not exactly the typical donkey that might be sacrificed. In the Epsom Derby he started at 33/1 but finished a respectable sixth. Subsequently he would start in the Irish Derby at a well-fancied 7/1 - this time the pick of the Ballydoyle 5 entries - and would place 3rd before relegation to 4th.
His next start would be against Zarkava’s brilliant stablemate Montmartre (one time Arc favourite) at Longchamp when he was 6th. His latest start was in the St Leger at Doncaster when a disappointing 10th to Conduit (remembering Conduit came out in the Breeders’ Cup and was a brilliant winner last weekend).
Comments from racingpost after the Irish Derby:
“Alessandro Volta's demotion was inevitable, but the decision to place him fourth, keeping him in front of Curtain Call, the horse whose cause he had most severely damaged, seems highly questionable. In the process of running an excellent race, proving that his poor display at Epsom was all wrong, last season's Beresford Stakes winner had the misfortune to have the momentum of his challenge brought to a premature halt."
"Alessandro Volta seems to have inherited some of the quirks associated with his sire, as well as a considerable level of ability. He might well benefit from a pair of blinkers, and has the makings of a St Leger type.”
Alessandro Volta (blinkers) with Septimus (left) & Honolulu
(photo: Wayne Taylor)
If any English or Irish Derby winner, or placegetter, ventured to Australia for our Cups, I would believe that there would considerable interest in this horse from punters and the press.
Alessandro Volta was third over the line at the Curragh in the Irish Derby, but later relegated to fourth position. And of course he travels to Australia as stablemate to Septimus (and Honolulu) and he is expected to be the pacemaker in the race for the benefit of stable elect Septimus. It is not so much his race performance that has created interest - but rather, it is his expected race position (pacemaker) that sees him make the news.
I will quote myself from that earlier article:
“The Irish Derby was completed with more hard-luck stories than you would wish for in a classic of the turf. When the field straightened for the run to the post Aidan O'Brien's more fancied horse, Alessandro Volta (ridden by Johnny Murtagh), claimed the lead and it looked a contest between him and the closing Tartan Bearer and Curtain Call. But Alessandro Volta veered off a straight course and seriously inconvenienced Tartan Bearer and Curtain Call. The runner-up, Casual Conquest stayed out of this scrimmage, while Frozen Fire was hooked wide around most of the trouble and stormed down the outside for an easy win. Seamus Heffernan rode Frozen Fire and has now won two Irish Derbies in succession after an earlier success on Soldier Of Fortune last Year. The brilliant Dylan Thomas is the other Aidan O'Brien horse to (recently) win and be part of this Ballydoyle hat-trick.”
“Aidan O'Brien believes that Alessandro Volta took fright after he turned for home and saw and heard the crowd that he was quickly approaching." - Racingwrite, Frozen Fire.
Even when Alessandro Volta won the Lingfield Derby Trial he did show an intractable manner, and took quite a time to get balanced before claiming a win. Perhaps it may be best for him - and all - if he is allowed to dictate the pace. As long as he continues to hold a straight line from beginning till end.
The discussion of ‘team racing’ still follows Aidan O’Brien to Australia after the fines and suspensions that followed the inquiry by the British Racing Authority into the running of the Juddmonte International won by Duke Of Marmalade, with perennial Ballydoyle pacemaker Red Rock Canyon making the running (and subsequently shifting and an easy path) for his favoured stablemate.
Ignorance of the law is no defence in Australian racing. And besides - before the Cup is run the stewards’ will well and truly have laid down in easy-to-understand terms that every horse is expected to be given an even chance of winning.
But it is not so much that one horse will lead and ensure a true tempo. If any horse is left alone in front it may always steal a race at any time - so the line to draw between opportunity and sacrifice is very fine (and usually debatable). But there will be no tolerance to a shift in ground to allow clear passage as was the case with Duke Of Marmalade - and let’s not mention Haradasun from even earlier in the season.
A fast pace does not always ensure lack of traffic and no interference. The Caulfield Cup was run at a terrific clip - and still we had Mad Rush caught in traffic and other horses deep and working. And in a Melbourne Cup when a horse stops, it often stops very quickly and may fall back into the lap of a horse with a winning chance.
Jane Chapple-Hyam is at present locked in a battle of wills over the fitness of her charge Yellowstone. She says he has an unusual action all of the time - but Racing Victoria vets still need to be convinced. With the possibility that she will be denied a start she says this (which also relates to our story in total):
"If they take my run, I'm not going to be happy, am I?. We do know they (Honolulu and Alessandro Volta) are pacemakers."
“They're not going to hang about, those boys from Ireland," - Jane Chapple-Hyam, as told to the Sydney Morning Herald.
If Alessandro Volta is to be the pacemaker - and nothing more - then he is not exactly the typical donkey that might be sacrificed. In the Epsom Derby he started at 33/1 but finished a respectable sixth. Subsequently he would start in the Irish Derby at a well-fancied 7/1 - this time the pick of the Ballydoyle 5 entries - and would place 3rd before relegation to 4th.
His next start would be against Zarkava’s brilliant stablemate Montmartre (one time Arc favourite) at Longchamp when he was 6th. His latest start was in the St Leger at Doncaster when a disappointing 10th to Conduit (remembering Conduit came out in the Breeders’ Cup and was a brilliant winner last weekend).
Comments from racingpost after the Irish Derby:
“Alessandro Volta's demotion was inevitable, but the decision to place him fourth, keeping him in front of Curtain Call, the horse whose cause he had most severely damaged, seems highly questionable. In the process of running an excellent race, proving that his poor display at Epsom was all wrong, last season's Beresford Stakes winner had the misfortune to have the momentum of his challenge brought to a premature halt."
"Alessandro Volta seems to have inherited some of the quirks associated with his sire, as well as a considerable level of ability. He might well benefit from a pair of blinkers, and has the makings of a St Leger type.”
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