G'day Mango,
There's something that really spins my head in this game.
When you're fortunate enough to get a good one, it's nothing short of amazing just how many people you meet who will feel not only compelled but somehow entitled to tell you how to train and drive it.
Do this not that, use this driver not that one, feed them this way, shoe them that way, rig them in such and such a fashion. It never ends.
There's always someone with the good oil, there's always someone who wants to set you straight. Always someone who can do it better than you or the existing trainer or driver can, there's always someone who thinks they can do a better job.
Often...paradoxically, those same guys with the good oil will have the arse out of their pants...and haven't had a good horse looking over their barn door in years, if ever.
Of course, that small matter does not seem to prevent them from sharing their 'valuable insights' with whomever finds themselves unfortunate enough to be within earshot.
In keeping with the above, I'll close with the name of Hunter's Folly, a son of Southern Brigade. He graced HP many years ago. If you ever feel so inclined, look up the horse, his record and his trainer/driver. EVERY big name trainer in Sydney wanted that horse & EVERY big name driver in Sydney wanted the pilot's job, and this on the basis that if the horse could do what he did for the bloke who was training & driving him, imagine what he could do in so & so's barn or with such & such driving. 'tis often not the case however.
