4 months ago
70
AIDAN O’BRIEN’S comments after Auguste Rodin’s King George defeat were branded ‘insulting to Ascot’ by commentary great Simon Holt.
The Ballydoyle handler watched in horror as the 7-4 fav completely ran out of gas on going officially labelled good to firm last Saturday.
GettyFrench raider Goliath sprung the ultimate shock at 25-1 as O’Brien also had Luxembourg finish out the places as well as pacesetter Hans Andersen.
THE SUN RACING MEMBERS ENCLOSURE
THE best bet for savvy punters.
Sign up now for just £1* to be part of racing’s best winner’s enclosure and get…
- Two free racing tickets, four times a year
- Templegate’s daily tips before anyone else
- Tomorrow’s copy of The Favourite at 9pm today
- Exclusive insights from Andrew Balding and Hayley Turner
- VIP competitions from Racing Breaks each month
- New customer offer with Coral
Become a member today for just £1*
*For the first month then £3 per month thereafter.
18+ Ts and Cs apply. First month membership £1, then £3 per month unless you cancel at least 7 days before your next billing date. For more information contact [email protected]
The writing looked somewhat on the wall as former Derby winner Auguste Rodin drifted in the betting all morning.
That came on the back of O’Brien walking the track ahead of the £1.25million Group 1.
O’Brien let rip in an ITV interview afterwards claiming the official going description was simply not as advertised.
The legendary trainer said: “We walked the track and we were very worried then. It was good, good to soft in places, it was nowhere near good to firm.
“It was cut up on the rails and it was full of sand. We knew we had no choice, that’s where we were and we had to go down there.
“With the benefit of hindsight we should have kept out on the quicker ground, but that’s the way it is.”
But Ascot clerk of the course Chris Stickels defended the track’s decision to water on Friday, before what was a hot weekend.
And he said the times of the races backed up the official going description.
He said: “The times indicate it’s as described on the round course.
“It was a fast time in the King George and the Valiant (Group 3 earlier on the card) time also indicated a mixture of good to firm and good ground.”
O’Brien’s comments sparked a flurry of comments online, including one from famed commentator Holt.
In response to the clip of O’Brien’s interview, he wrote: “Quite insulting to Ascot.
“King George run over two seconds below standard. Looked like they went too fast before Luxembourg ‘drifted’ off the rail.”
It’s fair to say a few others disagreed with what O’Brien had to say.
One wrote: “Bit of a kick in the nuts for punters who keep the faith with the stable.
“If you had that strong feeling about the ground, withdraw the horse and save punters a few quid.”
And another said: “The excuses are boring.”
However, a post from ratings experts Timeform flew in the face of what O’Brien thought.
Their post read: “The times suggest the the ground at @Ascot was close to the official description of good to firm, good in places.”
FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
Bengali (BD) · 
English (US) ·