Horse Racing questions and answers

[str]

Sorry guys. Long day but I'm all over this stuff in the morning.

Should be around all day.

[batt33]

[QUOTE=JBEX;n29864987]by army mule

gulfstream 5

#5 molly's a bullet (4-1)
@2:58





.[/QUOTe
watched the replay..... may have not been her day.... no excuses as far as I can tell... ran at the class level in the past.

[JBEX]

by army mule

gulfstream 5

#5 molly's a bullet (4-1)
@2:58





.

finished out of money @ 7-1


one more by army mule

oaklawn

R10 #1 battleoftheravine (15-1)
@ 6:34

track is muddy




.

[JBEX]

by army mule

gulfstream 5

#5 molly's a bullet (4-1)
@2:58





.

[Easy-Rider 66]

Hey STR: in looking at the comment section of the form I saw a statement that the horse in question was "Pulled". What does that entail? THX

[batt33]

Ugh... pins and needles..... the MRH /Dan blacker stable people are really amped up over him.... I Hope he runs his "A" game and everyone comes home safely...
He just looks so much the part.... "visually ",training super..... acting like " the boss" cause he knows it.....

One thing I keep thinking about is after his last race the announcers were saying as he jogged by.... he isn't even breathing hard..... okay I'm amped too!
Straight No Chaser Race Overview



Fresh off securing an exciting stud deal, champion Straight No Chaser will look to continue building his bankroll in another one of the most prestigious dirt sprints in the world, the $2-million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Your son of Speightster is arguably the horse to beat once again, but this is likely the toughest test he’s faced to date as last year’s Golden Shaheen champion Tuz rides a five-race win streak into his title defense at the ripe old age of eight.

Straight No Chaser has looked great in the mornings since traveling from Saudi Arabia to Dubai, and gives every indication that he’s ready to run another big one.His now proven ability to rate gives us slightly less concern about any potential hot paces, and one of the speediest runners in the race—Jasper Krone, who showed the way early in G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint—has since been ruled out of the race.

The Golden Shaheen will go as the sixth race on the Dubai World Cup card with a post time of 11:40 a.m. ET and 8:40 a.m. PT. It will be broadcast on FS1 and available on most if not all U.S. ADWs.

Click here for a story about Straight No Chaser with quotes from MRH shareholder Will Diaz.

Here’s a look at the competition (note that the numbers below are program numbers and not post positions; Straight No Chaser was assigned #9 for both, but will move one slot in due to the scratch):

#1 Colour Up - Has not been able to run with the better local sprinters and was most recently fourth behind Tuz in the prep for this. Not seeing it.

#2 Drew’s Gold - Winner of his first four starts in the U.S. followed by a runner-up finish in the 2023 G1 Woody Stephens while earning a strong 106 Beyer Speed Figure. His form started to tail off sharply towards the end of his U.S. campaign, however, and he hasn’t shown much since the private purchase and move to the Middle East while breaking very poorly in both tries. Would need a major turnaround.

#3 Eastern World - Similar profile to Colour Up—just hasn’t quite shown he’s good enough.

#5 Kurojishi Joe - First of the Japanese contingent was second behind Gabby’s Sister—who was third behind Straight No Chaser in Saudi—two back at Nakayama. Cuts back a furlong off a fifth-place run last month in Tokyo. Six-year-old seems to suffer from a bit of seconditis. Maybe for a piece.

#6 Nakatomi - American invader is probably the third-most likely winner of the race. Third in this race last year, he returned to the States to take the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt before finishing second in the G2 Phoenix and then sixth at the Breeders’ Cup. Trainer Wesley Ward is one of the best at having a horse primed off the bench, and this one’s off-the-pace style could prove dangerous if the big two tussle early.

#7 Remake - Familiar face from last time as he appeared the main danger to Straight No Chaser in Saudi, but settled for seventh. Didn’t have the cleanest stretch run last out, but it’s also very fair to say he’s not in the form he was last year or anywhere close to it (was also fourth in this race). Seems to be heading in the wrong direction, and all the travel he’s done may be taking its toll.

#8 Royal Commando - Enters off of back-to-back wins going five furlongs at the U.A.E.’s second-tier track, Jebel Ali. Fair to question how he classes up.

#10 Super Chow - A winner of 10 of his 24 tries in the U.S., with 20 on-the-board finishes. Enters off a 3/4-length win in the listed Gulfstream Park Sprint, for which he earned a 97 Beyer but faced a pretty weak group of five rivals. Would need to run the race of his life by far, and not sure that’s in the cards at this stage of his career—he’s extremely consistent, but fairly exposed at this point.

#11 Tuz - Watch last year’s Golden Shaheen victory here—he dueled up front and then absolutely exploded in the lane. This was his prep last time. He’s not the prettiest mover, but he’s a beast for sure. With that being said, he probably hasn’t faced a horse like Straight No Chaser and we do like that he’s drawn inside of us. This should be a real heavyweight battle in the stretch.

#12 American Stage - $500K son of Into Mischief came in from Japan riding a three-race streak to take on Tuz last time, and briefly looked like he might make a race of it before settling for a well-beaten second. Should duke it out with the likes of Nakatomi for third.

#13 Dark Saffron - $120K OBSAPR grad by Flameaway is still relatively lightly raced, but steps up steeply in class off of an allowance win. Only off-the-board finish previously came when he tried group competition, but that was on the turf. Seems to be in a bit tough and isn’t drawn the best.

[batt33]

Real Savvy Update



Real Savvy continues to train on at Christophe Clement’s winter base at Payson Park, most recently working an easy five furlongs last week in 1:04.20. All seemed to go well in that work, although his throat/breathing will continue to be monitored closely. As previously mentioned and based on the expert opinions of two vets, we have elected to train on with him for now and move towards a 3-year-old debut. The recent inclement weather in Florida has pushed back his next work a bit, but we expect another work here in the next week or so. As always, we will report back with any updates as they come to us.

[str]

don't get remember the chief..maybe the full view of horses breaking inside of him (vs blinkers) made him less aggressive ? on pp's he was the speed of the race imo

I will be sure and watch the race in the morning and see if I can see anything.

[JBEX]

[QUOTE=batt33;n29864804]

don't get remember the chief..maybe the full view of horses breaking inside of him (vs blinkers) made him less aggressive ? on pp's he was the speed of the race imo [/QUOTE

it looked like his head was moving a little bit from side to side and wasn't quite ready for the break.

yeah he did move his head to the left just before the gate opened..maybe that had to do with not being used to having no blinkers in the gate and was just unlucky when they sprung it open

[batt33]

[QUOTE=JBEX;n29864785]don't get remember the chief..maybe the full view of horses breaking inside of him (vs blinkers) made him less aggressive ? on pp's he was the speed of the race imo [/QUOTE

it looked like his head was moving a little bit from side to side and wasn't quite ready for the break.

[JBEX]

don't get remember the chief..maybe the full view of horses breaking inside of him (vs blinkers) made him less aggressive ? on pp's he was the speed of the race imo

[batt33]

aqu 6..has the box (if a 1 turn mile counts for that and hoping i described it right using box), 2nd off long layoff,stretching out and blinks off..could see him potentially getting an easy lead and like that pleasant colony blood on the bottom to go longer ..if he does wind up on the lead do you think not wearing the blinkers might help him str ?

gulfstream 6 is a first time starter .. AM one of the better debut sires and works are very steady and sharp imo .. not bad at potentially large odds

Following the AQ race
Agree with you at Gulfstream with the workouts JBEX

[batt33]

If and when the search function works, I went into a ton of detail about the box years ago.

It is a tremendous angle for finding bets with great opportunities for trips. Well worth finding it Batt. It not only makes perfect sense once you see it, it allows you to understand What the jockey is going to do and what the jock is doing and thinking during the race as it takes shape.

I never saw a speed horse who had a chance to be solo, breaking from the outside post especially out of a chute, and the longer the run down the backside the better, going 1 turn, that I did not heavily consider. It is as close to an unfair advantage as you will see Batt.
One of the best kept handicapping secrets there is out there.

Copy that STR!

[JBEX]

chad browns 2nd and 3rd place finishers behind the extremely slow pace in the tampa bay derby are scheduled to run in the wood memorial and blue grass
..latter I mentioned is postponed till tuesday and chancer mcpatrick is the one there..in the wood memorial it's hill road..lots of pace in the wood and coming off that even run behind that crawling pace in the TBD think he's primed for a good effort..his run in the bc juvenile would make him tough .. classy distance pedigree so he should love the extra ground

[JBEX]

It absolutely counts as the "box". Probably more so than normal because the horse has the opportunity to control the outside pressure on others while having no outside pressure on itself from the gate and all the way around the track.
And the blinkers OFF should help the horse settle and not get too hyper early and instead relax and work WITH the rider instead of against the rider. A perfect setup if the horse cooperates . I LOVE these angles JBEX.

good to know I used it right .. thx str

[JBEX]

Wow I never heard the term "box" as a betting angle thanks you 2 for pointing it out! Always learning!

I learned it from str .. had never heard of it before

[str]

I never saw a speed horse who had a chance to be solo, breaking from the outside post especially out of a chute, and the longer the run down the backside the better, going 1 turn, that I did not heavily consider. It is as close to an unfair advantage as you will see Batt.
One of the best kept handicapping secrets there is out there.

[str]

Wow I never heard the term "box" as a betting angle thanks you 2 for pointing it out! Always learning!

If and when the search function works, I went into a ton of detail about the box years ago.

It is a tremendous angle for finding bets with great opportunities for trips. Well worth finding it Batt. It not only makes perfect sense once you see it, it allows you to understand What the jockey is going to do and what the jock is doing and thinking during the race as it takes shape.

[batt33]

aqu 6..has the box (if a 1 turn mile counts for that and hoping i described it right using box), 2nd off long layoff,stretching out and blinks off..could see him potentially getting an easy lead and like that pleasant colony blood on the bottom to go longer ..if he does wind up on the lead do you think not wearing the blinkers might help him str ?

gulfstream 6 is a first time starter .. AM one of the better debut sires and works are very steady and sharp imo .. not bad at potentially large odds

I thought I had you and str's post linked together.... but it was on 2 different pages.... I guess that makes a difference. good info JBEX!

[batt33]

It absolutely counts as the "box". Probably more so than normal because the horse has the opportunity to control the outside pressure on others while having no outside pressure on itself from the gate and all the way around the track.
And the blinkers OFF should help the horse settle and not get too hyper early and instead relax and work WITH the rider instead of against the rider. A perfect setup if the horse cooperates . I LOVE these angles JBEX.

Wow I never heard the term "box" as a betting angle thanks you 2 for pointing it out! Always learning!

[batt33]

friday (opening day) and saturday's keeneland cards are canceled due to heavy rain there over the next few days ..opening day now will be sunday ,conditions permitting , while friday and saturday's cards will be made up on monday and tuesday respectively ..so the bluegrass will be next tuesday

Tuesday wow that's kinda strange , But I get it if they want space between now and the derby.

[str]

He looks good! I did say it earlier... But Dan Blacker is super happy and confident..... He is normally more reserved....
Straight No Chaser Draws Post 9



Straight No Chaser drew post nine of 13 Wednesday for Saturday’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Note that post time was pushed back an hour due to expected hot temperatures on race day, so the Golden Shaheen will go as the 6th with a post time of 11:40 a.m. ET/8:40 a.m. PT.

FS1 will broadcast the race in the States.

Your champion had another great morning of training as well, and a sizable group of owners who made the journey got to watch him train and then attend the draw.

See the accompanying video for sights and sounds from the day, including an interview with trainer Dan Blacker.

https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/b...3592072509.mp4

9 out of 13 is a great spot to start IMO. If he relaxes like last race, the others better have their running shoes on.

[str]

aqu 6..has the box (if a 1 turn mile counts for that and hoping i described it right using box), 2nd off long layoff,stretching out and blinks off..could see him potentially getting an easy lead and like that pleasant colony blood on the bottom to go longer ..if he does wind up on the lead do you think not wearing the blinkers might help him str ?

gulfstream 6 is a first time starter .. AM one of the better debut sires and works are very steady and sharp imo .. not bad at potentially large odds

It absolutely counts as the "box". Probably more so than normal because the horse has the opportunity to control the outside pressure on others while having no outside pressure on itself from the gate and all the way around the track.
And the blinkers OFF should help the horse settle and not get too hyper early and instead relax and work WITH the rider instead of against the rider. A perfect setup if the horse cooperates . I LOVE these angles JBEX.

[JBEX]

He looks good! I did say it earlier... But Dan Blacker is super happy and confident..... He is normally more reserved....
Straight No Chaser Draws Post 9



Straight No Chaser drew post nine of 13 Wednesday for Saturday’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Note that post time was pushed back an hour due to expected hot temperatures on race day, so the Golden Shaheen will go as the 6th with a post time of 11:40 a.m. ET/8:40 a.m. PT.

FS1 will broadcast the race in the States.

Your champion had another great morning of training as well, and a sizable group of owners who made the journey got to watch him train and then attend the draw.

See the accompanying video for sights and sounds from the day, including an interview with trainer Dan Blacker.

https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/b...3592072509.mp4

9 is not a bad post..not too far outside and less chances they'll be a horse outside to press him early .. his next race in the states will really be something to look forward to if he can get this one

[JBEX]

aqu 6..has the box (if a 1 turn mile counts for that and hoping i described it right using box), 2nd off long layoff,stretching out and blinks off..could see him potentially getting an easy lead and like that pleasant colony blood on the bottom to go longer ..if he does wind up on the lead do you think not wearing the blinkers might help him str ?

gulfstream 6 is a first time starter .. AM one of the better debut sires and works are very steady and sharp imo .. not bad at potentially large odds

will take a look!

just moving forward

[JBEX]

friday (opening day) and saturday's keeneland cards are canceled due to heavy rain there over the next few days ..opening day now will be sunday ,conditions permitting , while friday and saturday's cards will be made up on monday and tuesday respectively ..so the bluegrass will be next tuesday

[batt33]

He looks good! I did say it earlier... But Dan Blacker is super happy and confident..... He is normally more reserved....
Straight No Chaser Draws Post 9



Straight No Chaser drew post nine of 13 Wednesday for Saturday’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Note that post time was pushed back an hour due to expected hot temperatures on race day, so the Golden Shaheen will go as the 6th with a post time of 11:40 a.m. ET/8:40 a.m. PT.

FS1 will broadcast the race in the States.

Your champion had another great morning of training as well, and a sizable group of owners who made the journey got to watch him train and then attend the draw.

See the accompanying video for sights and sounds from the day, including an interview with trainer Dan Blacker.

https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/b...3592072509.mp4

[batt33]

aqu 6..has the box (if a 1 turn mile counts for that and hoping i described it right using box), 2nd off long layoff,stretching out and blinks off..could see him potentially getting an easy lead and like that pleasant colony blood on the bottom to go longer ..if he does wind up on the lead do you think not wearing the blinkers might help him str ?

gulfstream 6 is a first time starter .. AM one of the better debut sires and works are very steady and sharp imo .. not bad at potentially large odds

will take a look!

[batt33]

more sensible thing to do .. have a hunch they might be pointing garamond (longshot derby future) for the preakness also ..he's not running in the wood memorial

agreed! I haven't heard any chatter about Garamond in my groups yet.

[JBEX]

by army mule ..thursday

aqueduct 6 @ 3:45

#7 remember the chief (6-1)


gulfstream 6 @ 3:29

#7 militia (20-1)


#7 in the 6th race for both




.

aqu 6..has the box (if a 1 turn mile counts for that and hoping i described it right using box), 2nd off long layoff,stretching out and blinks off..could see him potentially getting an easy lead and like that pleasant colony blood on the bottom to go longer ..if he does wind up on the lead do you think not wearing the blinkers might help him str ?

gulfstream 6 is a first time starter .. AM one of the better debut sires and works are very steady and sharp imo .. not bad at potentially large odds

[JBEX]

by army mule ..thursday

aqueduct 6 @ 3:45

#7 remember the chief (6-1)


gulfstream 6 @ 3:29

#7 militia (20-1)


#7 in the 6th race for both




.

[JBEX]

Caldera Breeze and Plan Update

https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/blog/video/IMG0395_1743437105682/MP4/IMG0395_1743437105682.mp4

Caldera returned to the work tab at Oaklawn today, breezing a solo five furlongs in 1:01.20.(3/17)

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has decided to bypass the G1 Blue Grass S. and instead point Caldera to the $200K Bathhouse Row S. at Oaklawn Park going 1 1/8 miles on Apr. 19. That race carries with it an automatic berth into the G1 Preakness S. Rafael Bejarano is booked to ride.

The Blue Grass is coming up a very tough race, and it would be ambitious to try and take on that group of horses on two weeks’ rest off of Caldera’s last outing.

The Bathhouse Row, on the other hand, gives us much better spacing coming out of the Louisiana Derby and should hopefully set Caldera up to be the fresh, new shooter heading into the Preakness if all goes well. It’ll certainly be an easier field, a good spot to let Caldera build his confidence back up, and we also like the idea of running him back at Oaklawn.

We were game to try the Blue Grass if The Coach felt strongly that it was the right move, but we do feel this is a more prudent and realistic path that will hopefully pay off with a stakes win in a few weeks and a big rest of the spring and beyond.

Note that today’s breeze did not really impact the decision—it was decided before the work.

I'm happy with the race change! While the thought of the derby was nice.. It's still better for the horse.

more sensible thing to do .. have a hunch they might be pointing garamond (longshot derby future) for the preakness also ..he's not running in the wood memorial

[batt33]

Straight No Chaser Update



Straight No Chaser is one of 13 runners who were declared today for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on Saturday. Note that actual post positions will not be drawn until Wednesday. Post time for the race is expected to be around 10:40 a.m. ET on Saturday and the Golden Shaheen will be race 6 on the card. We’ll be back with plenty more throughout the week.

[batt33]

Caldera Breeze and Plan Update

https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/blog/video/IMG0395_1743437105682/MP4/IMG0395_1743437105682.mp4

Caldera returned to the work tab at Oaklawn today, breezing a solo five furlongs in 1:01.20.(3/17)

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has decided to bypass the G1 Blue Grass S. and instead point Caldera to the $200K Bathhouse Row S. at Oaklawn Park going 1 1/8 miles on Apr. 19. That race carries with it an automatic berth into the G1 Preakness S. Rafael Bejarano is booked to ride.

The Blue Grass is coming up a very tough race, and it would be ambitious to try and take on that group of horses on two weeks’ rest off of Caldera’s last outing.

The Bathhouse Row, on the other hand, gives us much better spacing coming out of the Louisiana Derby and should hopefully set Caldera up to be the fresh, new shooter heading into the Preakness if all goes well. It’ll certainly be an easier field, a good spot to let Caldera build his confidence back up, and we also like the idea of running him back at Oaklawn.

We were game to try the Blue Grass if The Coach felt strongly that it was the right move, but we do feel this is a more prudent and realistic path that will hopefully pay off with a stakes win in a few weeks and a big rest of the spring and beyond.

Note that today’s breeze did not really impact the decision—it was decided before the work.

I'm happy with the race change! While the thought of the derby was nice.. It's still better for the horse.

[JBEX]

For a second entering the far turn I thought Wisconsin gal could get in the money!
at sa it looked like Mike and her had a little issue of" getting into stride" Mike put her good position entering the turn and she just got tired."

she (WG)was making a move and just kind of pooped out @ around 60-1..my thought was avg loss in her 3 prior races (all listed stakes) was about 6L and today's loss was by that same amount ..this would make her competitive in a high clm tag n2l race and imo that's where she belongs

only CF (6-1 final) 2nd start, still finding his way and he ran a very even race .. dirt debut wasn't bad and considering that wouldn't be surprised to see him back on it in his next start ..if not vs msw sure he'll get it done at some point vs maiden claimer's