Jockey Angle - 'Horses like to be in a slipstream, much the way a cyclist is in the Tour de France'

Former jockey and racing analyst Paddy Flood turns his attention to Nothing Hectic's run at Ballinrobe last week.

On the latest episode of The Jockey Angle sponsored by William Hill, the jockey coach talks through the footage and highlights the problematic trend of overwatering on summer jumps tracks.

Paddy Flood’s Analysis

I would have said this horse had absolutely no chance, because Ballinrobe's golden ticket is the rail - always been the rail.

Every time I rode it, if you were three off the rail, you were too wide.

We can tell this fella is probably nine horses off the rail - Nothing Hectic, Phillip Enright, for Miss Hillary McLoughlin and Martin Ferris.

The rail was always the key. Sometimes in the middle of winter, okay, if the ground is completely poached around a Navan or a Punchestown or something like that, then big open tracks - you tended to spread out a bit more and try to find fresh ground.

He's probably last in the field, and if we look at him from there, it's Ballinrobe - lads are knocking each other down to get out.

Is it the watering? is it too much, is it unnatural ground, that when they've watered the actual rail itself, it's cutting up too much?

It's not a natural surface anymore when you put that much water on it.

But like I said, Friday's jump card - the ground looked good and then they had a flat card in between which kept the ground good, and then on Sunday it looked like the middle of winter.

I have sympathy with punters and anyone who tries to do speed maps or anything like that.

Watch the full analysis of Nothing Hectic's win

Racing across the track doesn't suit all horses

He’s last on the wide, wide outside - eight to ten wide.

You can see here there's so much kickback in the middle of that, where those horses are going.

Horses like to be in a slipstream, much the way a cyclist in the Tour de France is. You rarely see cyclists or bike riders spread out.

They always want to get a bit of slipstream, and it's easier for them.

So for me, the way all these horses are racing, fanned out, it doesn't suit all horses. So form can go out the window.

And him going that wide, he's obviously getting an advantage because he's getting the nicer bit of ground.

Poetic Focus - if you watch here now, Danny Gilligan actually gives Phillip Enright a good bump.

Now, it ended up good, tight riding, but that's to get to the outside.

I mean, it's not that long ago where, as I said, the rail was king in Ballinrobe. I just wonder, is it that we now have hurdles on probably overwatered summer ground?

I know it's very hard to keep everyone happy, but it feels like we're seeing more and more of this, and I really don't like it.