Aidan OBrien is keeping his cards close to his chest after leaving seven horses from a total of 18 in the Investec Derby. Marvin Plattenhardt Germany Jersey . The Ballydoyle trainer has a strong hand, headed by US Army Ranger, as he goes for a sixth win in the premier Classic at Epsom on Saturday.US Army Ranger was making only his second racecourse appearance when just beating stablemate Port Douglas in the Chester Vase, with the runner-up that day still in consideration for the Derby. Completing OBriens team are Dante Stakes second Deauville, Idaho, Shogun, Beacon Rock and Bravery.As expected, OBrien withdrew French 2000 Guineas winner The Gurkha.They are all still in the mix for the Derby, and the first half of the week will tell us a lot and well see the forecast, he said.Nothing has been decided yet about riding arrangements, and Ryan (Moore) will be left as long as he wants to make up his mind.The French Derby is the next day and well try to have runners in both.Connections of Deauville were pleased with his effort at York behind Wings Of Desire.Alex Cole, racing manager to co-owners Jim and Fitri Hay, said: It was a wonderful run. He got to the front a bit early.We dont know about the mile and a half yet, so lets hope.Jim Bolger would like to see good ground for Moonlight Magic, who had Shogun, Idaho and Beacon Rock in his wake when landing the Derrinstown Stud Trial at Leopardstown.Moonlight Magic is in good form and on target for Epsom, said the Coolcullen handler.I dont think the ground will get much worse than good, and Ill be happy if it is good.The other Irish-trained entry is Dermot Welds Harzand, who won the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown last month.The market leader is Wings Of Desire, who was supplemented at a cost of £75,000 along with Cloth Of Stars, Humphrey Bogart and Red Verdon.Wings Of Desire burst on to the Derby scene when victorious in the Dante, having only made his racecourse debut last month.He bids to give trainer John Gosden back-to-back successes after Golden Horn 12 months ago.Godolphin, who own Moonlight Magic, have a second string to their bow in Cloth Of Stars, who won the Group Two Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud for trainer Andre Fabre.Ed Dunlops Red Verdon has earned his big chance by winning handicaps in tremendous fashion.Silvestre de Sousa, the champion jockey, has been booked for Red Verdon. He commented: I cantered him yesterday morning and he felt good.Red Verdon is a nice horse with lots of scope and we have not seen the best of him yet. He won very easily last time with George (Baker).The Richard Hannon-trained Humphrey Bogart won the Lingfield Derby Trial and has had experience of Epsom, having chased home So Mi Dar in the Investec Derby Trial.I am looking forward to the Investec Derby immensely. The horse is in great form, moving well and you never know, Hannon said.He has surprised me all along this season. I didnt think he would get a mile and a quarter - he did, I didnt think he would get a mile and a half and he did.He has been to Epsom, he gets the trip and has got a lot of speed for a Derby horse - he will have more of a turn of foot than a lot of them. I hope he settles and the faster they go the more it will suit him.To get in the first four of the Investec Derby with Humphrey Bogart would be outstanding. We are pleased to get him there, he has earned the money it cost to supplement him and he has earned his spot.Sir Michael Stoute is double-handed with impressive Newbury maiden winner Ulysses and Lingfield Derby Trial third Across The Stars.The form of the 2000 Guineas is represented by Massaat, who was runner-up to Galileo Gold. He will bid to give Owen Burrows a Classic winner in his first season as a trainer.Completing the list of entries are David Simocks Algometer and the Karl Burke-trained Biodynamic. Sky Tickets Fast, secure racing tickets: Exclusive racing offers near you Also See: Live results service Full racecards Get Sky Sports Matthias Ginter Germany Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Toni Kroos Jersey . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday.Marc-Edouard Vlasic is one of the most intriguing players in the National Hockey League. Hes become a staple of the San Jose Sharks blue-line. He earned national recognition after being named to Team Canadas roster at the Sochi Games. And yet, despite consistent performance on the biggest stages, hes often left off of the list of the leagues best rearguards. One of the elements that seems to hold Vlasic back from proper consideration as an elite defender is that he doesnt necessarily fit neatly into the boxes used to describe his comparables. Players like P.K. Subban, Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, and Duncan Keith are recognized for their ability to create offensively and drive play territorially. Players like Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber, and Ryan Suter are more regarded for their ability to deter shot attempts and scoring chances, relatively excelling in the defensive zone. Generally, the above group of players – you can throw in Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Giordano and Ryan McDonagh – are talked about as the games best on the back end. I find the regular omission of Vlasic here odd, and I think its largely because hes a unique player. Theres no definitive aspect of his game that stands head and shoulders above everyone else. He doesnt have Erik Karlssons skating, or Zdeno Charas physicality, or Shea Webers slap shot. Hes just pretty good at – well, everything. Consider this simple plot of the top defenders performances over the last three seasons. Here, the x-axis is raw Corsi%, or the shot-share the players team had when he was on the ice. The y-axis is Goal%, or the goal-share the players team enjoyed when he was on the ice. The size of the bubble indicates 60-minute scoring rates. The larger the bubble, the more productive the scorer. These are fairly crude multi-year numbers, but the driving point here should be that Vlasic is right in the mix with some of hockeys finest. Here, Vlasic has enjoyed just over 54 per cent of the shot-share with his team on the ice, and just under 54 per cent of the goal-share. As an aside, other bubbles of note: Chara, for an older guy, has still more or less dominated (56 per cent of shot-share; 58 per cent of goal-share). Karlssons bubble is the size of Jupiter because his scoring rate is miles aand miles ahead of the competition. Niklas Sule Jersey. . Its also remarkable to see how close Ryan McDonagh and P.K. Subban are here. Terrifyingly, Montreal could have had both. Back to Vlasic. Where I think he ultimately stands out is in his relative numbers, in which we can compare San Joses performance with the player on the ice as opposed to San Joses performance with the player off the ice. Intuitively speaking, if Vlasic was really driving play, wed see San Joses numbers spike when he takes a shift. So, lets take Marc-Edouard Vlasics Relative Corsi% over the last three years, and roll it over 10-game spans. I prefer to use rolling averages for player and team data analysis because it can smooth out short-term fluctuation and help identify longer-term trends. What we generally see with the leagues leading defenders is consistency over break-even or 0.0% Relative Corsi% - which is the threshold where a team sees the same shot-share with the player on the ice as off the ice. How does Vlasic fare? The games are chronologically ordered, starting in 2011 and 2014. Other than a small blip (games 43-50) where Vlasic was lagging behind the team average, hes generally been a positive Relative Corsi% player. And youll quickly notice the longer-term trend here, too – Vlasics numbers continue to rise above the team averages, which probably speak both to his improvement as a player, and San Joses reliance on him to drive play at even-strength. The latter part is interesting. While it speaks to Vlasics capabilities, it may also speak to San Joses capabilities – or, lack thereof – when Vlasic steps off the ice. San Joses still getting the better part of the shot-differential when Vlasics off (its a touch over 50 per cent over the last three seasons), but its considerably lagging behind what the teams accomplishing with Vlasic. For a team with legitimate Stanley Cup hopes, bringing their "without Vlasic" numbers closer to their "with Vlasic" numbers should be an organizational goal. All in all, it seems to me that Vlasic is one of the leagues premier defenders. San Joses recognized it. Team Canadas recognized it. But, the discussion of the leagues best defenders has far too often omitted the rock on San Joses back-end. Lets try and change that going forward. Cheap Jerseys 2020 Discount Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Discount NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys ' ' '
Aidan OBrien is keeping his cards close to his chest after leaving seven horses from a total of 18 in the Investec Derby. Marvin Plattenhardt Germany Jersey . The Ballydoyle trainer has a strong hand, headed by US Army Ranger, as he goes for a sixth win in the premier Classic at Epsom on Saturday.US Army Ranger was making only his second racecourse appearance when just beating stablemate Port Douglas in the Chester Vase, with the runner-up that day still in consideration for the Derby. Completing OBriens team are Dante Stakes second Deauville, Idaho, Shogun, Beacon Rock and Bravery.As expected, OBrien withdrew French 2000 Guineas winner The Gurkha.They are all still in the mix for the Derby, and the first half of the week will tell us a lot and well see the forecast, he said.Nothing has been decided yet about riding arrangements, and Ryan (Moore) will be left as long as he wants to make up his mind.The French Derby is the next day and well try to have runners in both.Connections of Deauville were pleased with his effort at York behind Wings Of Desire.Alex Cole, racing manager to co-owners Jim and Fitri Hay, said: It was a wonderful run. He got to the front a bit early.We dont know about the mile and a half yet, so lets hope.Jim Bolger would like to see good ground for Moonlight Magic, who had Shogun, Idaho and Beacon Rock in his wake when landing the Derrinstown Stud Trial at Leopardstown.Moonlight Magic is in good form and on target for Epsom, said the Coolcullen handler.I dont think the ground will get much worse than good, and Ill be happy if it is good.The other Irish-trained entry is Dermot Welds Harzand, who won the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown last month.The market leader is Wings Of Desire, who was supplemented at a cost of £75,000 along with Cloth Of Stars, Humphrey Bogart and Red Verdon.Wings Of Desire burst on to the Derby scene when victorious in the Dante, having only made his racecourse debut last month.He bids to give trainer John Gosden back-to-back successes after Golden Horn 12 months ago.Godolphin, who own Moonlight Magic, have a second string to their bow in Cloth Of Stars, who won the Group Two Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud for trainer Andre Fabre.Ed Dunlops Red Verdon has earned his big chance by winning handicaps in tremendous fashion.Silvestre de Sousa, the champion jockey, has been booked for Red Verdon. He commented: I cantered him yesterday morning and he felt good.Red Verdon is a nice horse with lots of scope and we have not seen the best of him yet. He won very easily last time with George (Baker).The Richard Hannon-trained Humphrey Bogart won the Lingfield Derby Trial and has had experience of Epsom, having chased home So Mi Dar in the Investec Derby Trial.I am looking forward to the Investec Derby immensely. The horse is in great form, moving well and you never know, Hannon said.He has surprised me all along this season. I didnt think he would get a mile and a quarter - he did, I didnt think he would get a mile and a half and he did.He has been to Epsom, he gets the trip and has got a lot of speed for a Derby horse - he will have more of a turn of foot than a lot of them. I hope he settles and the faster they go the more it will suit him.To get in the first four of the Investec Derby with Humphrey Bogart would be outstanding. We are pleased to get him there, he has earned the money it cost to supplement him and he has earned his spot.Sir Michael Stoute is double-handed with impressive Newbury maiden winner Ulysses and Lingfield Derby Trial third Across The Stars.The form of the 2000 Guineas is represented by Massaat, who was runner-up to Galileo Gold. He will bid to give Owen Burrows a Classic winner in his first season as a trainer.Completing the list of entries are David Simocks Algometer and the Karl Burke-trained Biodynamic. Sky Tickets Fast, secure racing tickets: Exclusive racing offers near you Also See: Live results service Full racecards Get Sky Sports Matthias Ginter Germany Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Toni Kroos Jersey . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday.Marc-Edouard Vlasic is one of the most intriguing players in the National Hockey League. Hes become a staple of the San Jose Sharks blue-line. He earned national recognition after being named to Team Canadas roster at the Sochi Games. And yet, despite consistent performance on the biggest stages, hes often left off of the list of the leagues best rearguards. One of the elements that seems to hold Vlasic back from proper consideration as an elite defender is that he doesnt necessarily fit neatly into the boxes used to describe his comparables. Players like P.K. Subban, Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, and Duncan Keith are recognized for their ability to create offensively and drive play territorially. Players like Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber, and Ryan Suter are more regarded for their ability to deter shot attempts and scoring chances, relatively excelling in the defensive zone. Generally, the above group of players – you can throw in Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Giordano and Ryan McDonagh – are talked about as the games best on the back end. I find the regular omission of Vlasic here odd, and I think its largely because hes a unique player. Theres no definitive aspect of his game that stands head and shoulders above everyone else. He doesnt have Erik Karlssons skating, or Zdeno Charas physicality, or Shea Webers slap shot. Hes just pretty good at – well, everything. Consider this simple plot of the top defenders performances over the last three seasons. Here, the x-axis is raw Corsi%, or the shot-share the players team had when he was on the ice. The y-axis is Goal%, or the goal-share the players team enjoyed when he was on the ice. The size of the bubble indicates 60-minute scoring rates. The larger the bubble, the more productive the scorer. These are fairly crude multi-year numbers, but the driving point here should be that Vlasic is right in the mix with some of hockeys finest. Here, Vlasic has enjoyed just over 54 per cent of the shot-share with his team on the ice, and just under 54 per cent of the goal-share. As an aside, other bubbles of note: Chara, for an older guy, has still more or less dominated (56 per cent of shot-share; 58 per cent of goal-share). Karlssons bubble is the size of Jupiter because his scoring rate is miles aand miles ahead of the competition. Niklas Sule Jersey. . Its also remarkable to see how close Ryan McDonagh and P.K. Subban are here. Terrifyingly, Montreal could have had both. Back to Vlasic. Where I think he ultimately stands out is in his relative numbers, in which we can compare San Joses performance with the player on the ice as opposed to San Joses performance with the player off the ice. Intuitively speaking, if Vlasic was really driving play, wed see San Joses numbers spike when he takes a shift. So, lets take Marc-Edouard Vlasics Relative Corsi% over the last three years, and roll it over 10-game spans. I prefer to use rolling averages for player and team data analysis because it can smooth out short-term fluctuation and help identify longer-term trends. What we generally see with the leagues leading defenders is consistency over break-even or 0.0% Relative Corsi% - which is the threshold where a team sees the same shot-share with the player on the ice as off the ice. How does Vlasic fare? The games are chronologically ordered, starting in 2011 and 2014. Other than a small blip (games 43-50) where Vlasic was lagging behind the team average, hes generally been a positive Relative Corsi% player. And youll quickly notice the longer-term trend here, too – Vlasics numbers continue to rise above the team averages, which probably speak both to his improvement as a player, and San Joses reliance on him to drive play at even-strength. The latter part is interesting. While it speaks to Vlasics capabilities, it may also speak to San Joses capabilities – or, lack thereof – when Vlasic steps off the ice. San Joses still getting the better part of the shot-differential when Vlasics off (its a touch over 50 per cent over the last three seasons), but its considerably lagging behind what the teams accomplishing with Vlasic. For a team with legitimate Stanley Cup hopes, bringing their "without Vlasic" numbers closer to their "with Vlasic" numbers should be an organizational goal. All in all, it seems to me that Vlasic is one of the leagues premier defenders. San Joses recognized it. Team Canadas recognized it. But, the discussion of the leagues best defenders has far too often omitted the rock on San Joses back-end. Lets try and change that going forward. Cheap Jerseys 2020 Discount Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Discount NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys ' ' '
