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Monday, May 3rd, 2010. We let the French snatch the Vermeille from Dar Re Mi and then we hand over the 1000 Guineas by demoting Jacqueline Quest in favour of Criquette Head’s Special Duty: what’s going on?
The day before the fillies’ Classic, which in all honesty went to the best filly in the race (as it was run – as two races, those drawn higher than six having no chance) we had all but donated our neighbours the 2000 Guineas.
If 26,000gns, the amount Makfi cost Mikel Delzangles as an unraced two-year-old at Newmarket In Training Sales last autumn, was a little more than the average takeaway, there hasn’t been a better bargain in recent thoroughbred history.
The word is that Delzangles was tipped the wink by a French stable lad at Marcus Tregoning’s yard that joint and knee problems wouldn’t be a permanent issue with the colt.
Employ that man: Makfi is “straightforward” to train according to Delzangles.
Mention of Dar Re Mi raises another issue.
French official word on her disqualification pointed out that betting across the Channel is different in that there is a Gallic prejudice against single bets in favour of combinations - meaning, Dar Re Mi did influence the Vermeille betting pots considerably by her interference of the fifth horse.
Yet here we have those same turfistes betting like Japanese (remember how they swallowed the market backing Deep Impact in Rail Link’s Arc) on a single horse, Makfi, who returned 12.80 (including stake) on the Tote as opposed to 33-1 with the bookmakers and an eye-watering 74-1 with Betfair.
Money from the PM bombarded the weak British 'Nanny goat' – hence the meagre dividend.
Special Duty gave half as attractive a dividend on the Tote as with the bookmakers – and on Betfair was odds against getting the race in the stewards’ room.
Before the reversed placings were announced Criquette Head thought that if the race had been run in France she would get it.
In fact at the Cartier awards last November I was fortunate enough to be drawn next to the most charming lady in racing, and she told me then she would get it!
Newmarket stewards thought so too, though they took a long time about daring to announce that Henry Cecil’s seventh fillies’ Guineas would have to wait.
Before the announcement Cecil said seven was his lucky number, that his filly had been drawn seven and had finished seventh on her last two outings – hence her starting price of 66-1.
The luck this weekend has had a distinct French flavour.
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Frogwatch, by Rolf Johnson 
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