Originally posted by str
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STR and I have chatted about this( he did it for ages.... I had a chance to enjoy for a few) but to para phrase..... up too early.... open the door to start up the car....smell the ocean breeze(yes some smells you just associate with the track DELMAR!)off to the track.....San L Buzzabout the barn as staff and horses know it's training time....(I was ONLY involved and with the grace of my cousin involved with the prep of horses for the 2 year old and training sales) smell of leather smell of straw..... (not going to mention the other lol) grooms HARD at work... riders show up instructions given... saddle up and off to training! sip of coffee wow what a wonderful feeling.... How lucky was I... pretty dang!!!Comment -
Looks like a full field for the Preakness.
Good for them. I find myself rooting for them of course, but man there are somethings I see going on that are sickening in my book.
Can't elaborate but it's detrimental to the game as well as it's participants IMHO.
But... let's stay positive right ? I'll try harder.Comment -
Is anyone surprised that the Derby winner will skip the Preakness?Comment -
As an outsider, I've made this comment b4. They should (seemingly) stretch out the series to allow longer recovery-time.Originally posted by strWhere's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
meant to quote str post 2 above
worked for sovereignty last year and he won the derby with a similar running style .. you get a chance to go the derby distance in the belmont again at saratoga (for the last time) off 5 weeks rest and 6 weeks off prior to the derby worked well for GT .. if things go well in the belmont you'll be fresher for the jim dandy and the travers which also overlaps what sovereignty did
as much as I would've liked to see him run in the preakness ,I think for the above reasons , skipping it makes some sense
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in my opinion space them a month apart and that moves the belmont back 3 weeks to the final week of june..Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat
you probably wouldn't run in the haskell after the belmont as it's a little soon (unless they push that back a week or two) but it lines up nicely with the saratoga big 2 which are the jim dandy and travers .. sure we've discussed this before and I like the idea chucky .. fits modern racing much better and you'd certainly get more horses in the preakness with that scheduleComment -
No... If she thought she had a shot she would take it.....Originally posted by str
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If they did it..might as well place and astrek by any future triple crown winner.... takes away from great horses....Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat1919 Sir Barton 1930 Gallant Fox 1935 Omaha 1937 War Admiral 1941 Whirlaway 1943 Count Fleet 1946 Assault 1948 Citation 1973 Secretariat 1977 Seattle Slew 1978 Affirmed 2015 American Pharoah 2018 Justify Comment -
Caldera UpdateOriginally posted by batt33
We checked in with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. as he has returned to Florida following Kentucky Derby week. Caldera remains in good order out of his dominant comeback win. Our plan will be to target a second-level allowance next, which will likely take Caldera on the road for his next race, and then from there hopefully it’s stakes from there on out.
The last three notable second-level allowance races were won with 97 (Original Sin @ Keeneland), 96 (Vibe @ Churchill) and 95 (Bramito @ Aqueduct) Beyer Speed Figures, so our son of Liam’s Map will need to take a step forward next out, but with a race under his belt we feel that is well within reach.
We do think it makes more sense to run back in an allowance race as the reality is that Caldera faced pretty weak competition in that return race. While he won convincingly, he should have if he’s the horse we think he is and can be. That race was also around one turn and it would be nice to get another race around two turns against allowance company before jumping back into the deep end. This measured approach will increase his chances to perform at the higher levels as we continue to climb the class ladder.
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Bacio remains in good order today. Check out the accompanying video for more straight from trainer Wesley Ward (apologies for the audio quality—it was a windy morning in Kentucky).
As you’ll hear from Wesley, he has his eyes on the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes on Friday, June 19 at Royal Ascot for your colt’s next start.
This handicap event is a true five-furlong dash. Wesley expects Bacio to be very tough to beat in that spot, and he likes as it as prep for another exciting target as it will give Bacio experience on a straightaway course (some races overseas are run on courses with no turns).
Assuming he runs to expectations at Royal Ascot, Bacio would stay in Europe and train there towards a start in the G2 King George S. at Goodwood on July 31. That prestigious race is a straightaway, downhill, five-furlong event that favors speed horses and should play to Bacio’s strengths.
After that, Bacio would head home to freshen up and point for something in the States—hopefully the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint if he’s proven up to the challenge.
Of course, plans could change or be adjusted along the way, but that’s Wesley’s thinking at the moment. For now, Bacio will enjoy an easy stretch at the farm as he prepares for his big trip across the pond.
Bacio Beyer Figure
Bacio’s Beyer Speed Figure has been released, and he earned a solid number of 92. That’s in line with what we expected and is a strong figure for a 3-year-old turf sprinter at this point of the year. By comparison, the recent Palisades S. at Keeneland was won with
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I think they need to call them something different because the spacing is different .. maybe " the classics" and you're going for a sweep of them .. needs to be distinguished from the old format in my opinionOriginally posted by batt33
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Finally after a long wait nakoma races tomorrow!
Good Luck Nakoma!
Nakoma is set for her unveiling in the fourth race tomorrow at Belmont at the Big A. She’ll be the #2 and has been quoted at 5-1 on the morning line, which is probably a bit lower than we might have expected. Morning-line maker and DRF/TimeformUS handicapper David Aragona, who is considered very sharp, picks your filly second behind the #5 Only for Now.
Nakoma Race Overview
Nakoma will make her belated debut in the fourth race on Friday at Belmont at the Big A. She’s the #2 among a field of 7 (plus one main-track-only, but based on the current weather forecast they should stay on the grass). Post time is 2:40 p.m. ET. The race will be live-streamed on NYRA’s YouTube channel.
We’ve been waiting for quite some time to see what this one can do, and are eager to get her going. Trainer Jena Antonucci is typically one who prefers to race her horses into fitness and let them learn as they go, though she can occasionally surprise with a newcomer and Nakoma has so much foundation that we would think she’s fairly fit at this stage. She’s also flashed speed in the mornings, which we’d hope to see from her in the afternoon as well.
The surface is perhaps a question mark, and debuting on the grass mostly came down to race availability and distance, but the filly’s siblings have run well on turf and synthetic and Vekoma’s progeny are pretty versatile surface wise. Ultimately this race will be about giving Nakoma that first afternoon experience and getting a better gauge on her talent level.
Good luck! See below for more on the competition:
#1 Florida Patriot - Fellow firster by Vekoma fetched $125,000 last June off of a solid :10 flat breeze. Unraced dam is a full-sister to a G1SP juvenile and her one prior foal had speed and was a second-out winner on the dirt. Trainer Tom Morley wins at a solid 17% clip first out in turf sprints, good for a $3.39 ROI.
#3 Angels Envy - Shortens up off of a pair of fourth-place runs in turf routes, once when rallying from far back and most recently after setting the pace here going a mile. She set very slow fractions in that last race and in general cutbacks are not very effective on the grass. Could go favored depending on the money the firsters take, but we’d side slightly against.
#4 Jet Mist - Relatively pricey daughter of Frosted ($220K yearling) showed brief speed in her main-track unveiling before fading abruptly. Is half to a pair of stakes winners on the turf, but not sure that’s enough to give this one the nod.
#5 Only for You - Homebred by super sire Not This Time out of a juvenile turf sprint graded stakes winner. Dam’s first foal finished second in her own debut. Must be respected for a hot barn that does well with firsters.
#6 Time for You - Off the board in all four previous tries at various distances and on both turf and synthetic. Pretty exposed already; have to think some of these firsters will be better.
#7 Cataenjo - $200K daughter of Into Mischief it out of a mare who was third in her debut on the grass but ultimately proved to be more of a dirt horse. Pedigree’s not screaming turf, but it’s Pletcher and Prat.
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Hers is a peek as to what Md. racing is in the midst of. Sad to see . I’m friends with all them. My frustration runs deep as all I see is disfunction . Now you can see why I was fine when the MTHA declined any affiliation with the non profit I am forming to help retired and semi retired backstretch workers.
This is an article just written and posted about Md. racing :
The next skirmish in the battle over the bylaws governing the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (MTHA) may be fought in an Anne Arundel County courthouse.
Trainer John Robb sued the MTHA April 27, claiming two of its recent actions violate its own bylaws and are illegal. It’s the latest step in a multi-month fight that’s included dueling lawyers, a heated meeting, and efforts to involve state regulators.
The larger question behind the struggle: Who should make decisions on behalf of Maryland’s horsemen, and whom should they represent?
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Robb and other dissatisfied Laurel Park trainers, who claim to represent a “substantial and decisive majority” of Maryland horsemen, say they have been left out of the loop or ignored on important decisions.
They have been pushing the MTHA to amend its bylaws in ways they claim will make the board of directors better informed, more responsive, and more representative of the trainers and owners with the most involvement in Maryland racing.
But MTHA officials defend the board’s work and say the primary effects of the proposed changes would be to disenfranchise numerous owners and trainers and shrink the pool of potential board members. They portray it as an effort by Robb and others to take over the organization.
Robb’s lawsuit followed a testy meeting March 19, when an effort at compromise ran aground. The MTHA board rejected one of the three proposed compromise bylaws and amended two others to – in the eyes of Robb and his supporters – weaken them.
That led Robb to demand a special meeting of the membership and to seek the intervention of the Maryland Racing Commission, which declined to become involved.
“Your allegations regarding MTHA’s corporate governance are not within the Commission’s jurisdiction,” Commission executive director Chris Merz wrote in a letter to Robb.
The legal issue at hand in the lawsuit: whether the MTHA can require members seeking a special meeting to pay the costs of calling that meeting, which the organization estimates will amount to $15,000, and whether a bylaws amendment, which could it more difficult for members to change the bylaws and which the MTHA adopted April 15, well past the start of the current unpleasantness, should apply.
Alan Foreman, general counsel for the MTHA, said both actions were at the advice of outside counsel the organization has retained to advise it in this matter.
Under federal and state law, the MTHA, as the organization representing the majority of the state’s owners and trainers, plays a major role in the racing landscape, signing off on the import and export of simulcast feeds, overseeing the purse account, and more.
Moreover, under the legislation enabling the Pimlico Plus project, it is the purse account that must backstop operating losses incurred by the nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club; that subsidy is projected to reach $18 million this year, sources said.
The board currently is comprised of 15 members elected by the entire membership: seven owners, seven trainers, and one additional member, who is the top vote-getter not otherwise elected.
Robb and his group are seeking three major amendments.
The first would require that those only those owners who owned at least 25% of a horse or horses that made a combined total of at least 10 starts in Maryland in the preceding 12 months would be eligible either to vote or to serve on the board.
The second is a similar restriction on trainers, requiring them to have, in the prior 12 months, made either 50% of their starts in Maryland or a total of at least 50 starts here to vote for or serve on the board.
And the third is an unusual provision that would direct that, while both owners and trainers could vote for the owner representatives, only trainers may vote for the trainer representatives.
The effort, said retired trainer Dale Capuano, who has advised the dissident group and who served a long tenure on the MTHA board, is designed to get “people that have a lot more skin in the game” onto the board.
But MTHA president Katy Voss said the notion that current board members are insufficiently committed to Maryland racing is unfair.
“You can’t find people that are more actively involved and heavily invested [in the industry]” than current board members, she said.
Voss provided The Racing Biz an analysis claiming that the first two provisions would dramatically reduce – by, perhaps, as much as 85% in the case of owners – the number of owners and trainers who could vote or serve on the board. Some of those who would be rendered ineligible currently serve on the board.
That, it seems, would be fine with many of the trainers, who portray the MTHA board as out-of-touch.
“They were saying, ‘You guys can come here and say what you want, and then we figure it out together.’ But that’s not the truth,” said Jonathan Maldonado, a Laurel-based trainer. “If they decide they want something else, they make the decision. They always do whatever they want. I always thought that the board represents the whole community.”
“There is no working with the general population of horsemen,” agreed Kenny Cox, another Laurel trainer. “When you do go to them, you always feel like you’re dismissed.”
Their frustrations run the gamut: the size of the subsidy paid to the racetrack. Races that don’t fill. A racing strip that Maldonado said used to be “the best one on the East Coast” but is now too inconsistent. The imposition of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which the MTHA’s umbrella group, the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, ultimately supported though many rank-and-file horsemen opposed it. The infrequency of open board meetings. Even the number of breaks during morning training.
“There was a poll — one or two breaks — and it was pretty much unanimous [that] everyone just wanted the one break,” said trainer Hugh McMahon. “It was brought to the board, and they denied the one break. That’s not representation.”
Voss, the MTHA president, believes the anger is more a result of challenging circumstances in the industry writ large than in anything the MTHA has done or failed to do.
“I think that times are tough now, and it’s tough for a lot of people just trying to make ends meet in this business,” she said. “You’ve got a horse shortage, so we’re having a tough time filling races. A lot of times, you’re pointing for a race and it doesn’t go. I just think it’s total frustration.”
Oddly enough, it was Robb, Voss, and Foreman, now opponents in this fight, who were among the leaders in the effort, 40 years ago, to unseat the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association as the local horseman’s group and replace it with the MTHA.
For his part, Robb says, “I just want to get the MTHA back to what it was supposed to be, and the first thing I would do is start having monthly meetings again.”
Voss and Foreman point out that it’s an election year for the MTHA board. All 15 seats are up.
“We have an election this year, and we’ve told them, ‘Get your guy elected,’” Foreman said in an interview prior to the lawsuit. “Every other organization does it that way.”
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Pretty happy how she ran...Can't complain. I loved the way she galloped out past the finish line!Originally posted by batt33Comment -
shaking my head STR I can understand your frustration...Originally posted by strHers is a peek as to what Md. racing is in the midst of. Sad to see . I’m friends with all them. My frustration runs deep as all I see is disfunction . Now you can see why I was fine when the MTHA declined any affiliation with the non profit I am forming to help retired and semi retired backstretch workers.
This is an article just written and posted about Md. racing :
The next skirmish in the battle over the bylaws governing the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (MTHA) may be fought in an Anne Arundel County courthouse.
Trainer John Robb sued the MTHA April 27, claiming two of its recent actions violate its own bylaws and are illegal. It’s the latest step in a multi-month fight that’s included dueling lawyers, a heated meeting, and efforts to involve state regulators.
The larger question behind the struggle: Who should make decisions on behalf of Maryland’s horsemen, and whom should they represent?
This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.
Get tickets now!
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
Robb and other dissatisfied Laurel Park trainers, who claim to represent a “substantial and decisive majority” of Maryland horsemen, say they have been left out of the loop or ignored on important decisions.
They have been pushing the MTHA to amend its bylaws in ways they claim will make the board of directors better informed, more responsive, and more representative of the trainers and owners with the most involvement in Maryland racing.
But MTHA officials defend the board’s work and say the primary effects of the proposed changes would be to disenfranchise numerous owners and trainers and shrink the pool of potential board members. They portray it as an effort by Robb and others to take over the organization.
Robb’s lawsuit followed a testy meeting March 19, when an effort at compromise ran aground. The MTHA board rejected one of the three proposed compromise bylaws and amended two others to – in the eyes of Robb and his supporters – weaken them.
That led Robb to demand a special meeting of the membership and to seek the intervention of the Maryland Racing Commission, which declined to become involved.
“Your allegations regarding MTHA’s corporate governance are not within the Commission’s jurisdiction,” Commission executive director Chris Merz wrote in a letter to Robb.
The legal issue at hand in the lawsuit: whether the MTHA can require members seeking a special meeting to pay the costs of calling that meeting, which the organization estimates will amount to $15,000, and whether a bylaws amendment, which could it more difficult for members to change the bylaws and which the MTHA adopted April 15, well past the start of the current unpleasantness, should apply.
Alan Foreman, general counsel for the MTHA, said both actions were at the advice of outside counsel the organization has retained to advise it in this matter.
Under federal and state law, the MTHA, as the organization representing the majority of the state’s owners and trainers, plays a major role in the racing landscape, signing off on the import and export of simulcast feeds, overseeing the purse account, and more.
Moreover, under the legislation enabling the Pimlico Plus project, it is the purse account that must backstop operating losses incurred by the nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club; that subsidy is projected to reach $18 million this year, sources said.
The board currently is comprised of 15 members elected by the entire membership: seven owners, seven trainers, and one additional member, who is the top vote-getter not otherwise elected.
Robb and his group are seeking three major amendments.
The first would require that those only those owners who owned at least 25% of a horse or horses that made a combined total of at least 10 starts in Maryland in the preceding 12 months would be eligible either to vote or to serve on the board.
The second is a similar restriction on trainers, requiring them to have, in the prior 12 months, made either 50% of their starts in Maryland or a total of at least 50 starts here to vote for or serve on the board.
And the third is an unusual provision that would direct that, while both owners and trainers could vote for the owner representatives, only trainers may vote for the trainer representatives.
The effort, said retired trainer Dale Capuano, who has advised the dissident group and who served a long tenure on the MTHA board, is designed to get “people that have a lot more skin in the game” onto the board.
But MTHA president Katy Voss said the notion that current board members are insufficiently committed to Maryland racing is unfair.
“You can’t find people that are more actively involved and heavily invested [in the industry]” than current board members, she said.
Voss provided The Racing Biz an analysis claiming that the first two provisions would dramatically reduce – by, perhaps, as much as 85% in the case of owners – the number of owners and trainers who could vote or serve on the board. Some of those who would be rendered ineligible currently serve on the board.
That, it seems, would be fine with many of the trainers, who portray the MTHA board as out-of-touch.
“They were saying, ‘You guys can come here and say what you want, and then we figure it out together.’ But that’s not the truth,” said Jonathan Maldonado, a Laurel-based trainer. “If they decide they want something else, they make the decision. They always do whatever they want. I always thought that the board represents the whole community.”
“There is no working with the general population of horsemen,” agreed Kenny Cox, another Laurel trainer. “When you do go to them, you always feel like you’re dismissed.”
Their frustrations run the gamut: the size of the subsidy paid to the racetrack. Races that don’t fill. A racing strip that Maldonado said used to be “the best one on the East Coast” but is now too inconsistent. The imposition of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which the MTHA’s umbrella group, the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, ultimately supported though many rank-and-file horsemen opposed it. The infrequency of open board meetings. Even the number of breaks during morning training.
“There was a poll — one or two breaks — and it was pretty much unanimous [that] everyone just wanted the one break,” said trainer Hugh McMahon. “It was brought to the board, and they denied the one break. That’s not representation.”
Voss, the MTHA president, believes the anger is more a result of challenging circumstances in the industry writ large than in anything the MTHA has done or failed to do.
“I think that times are tough now, and it’s tough for a lot of people just trying to make ends meet in this business,” she said. “You’ve got a horse shortage, so we’re having a tough time filling races. A lot of times, you’re pointing for a race and it doesn’t go. I just think it’s total frustration.”
Oddly enough, it was Robb, Voss, and Foreman, now opponents in this fight, who were among the leaders in the effort, 40 years ago, to unseat the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association as the local horseman’s group and replace it with the MTHA.
For his part, Robb says, “I just want to get the MTHA back to what it was supposed to be, and the first thing I would do is start having monthly meetings again.”
Voss and Foreman point out that it’s an election year for the MTHA board. All 15 seats are up.
“We have an election this year, and we’ve told them, ‘Get your guy elected,’” Foreman said in an interview prior to the lawsuit. “Every other organization does it that way.”Comment -
First off unlike in other decades there's been a switch to the importance of the summer races making it more appealing to target those races, altering the series would interfere with the scheduling for those races and most tracks aren't going to go along. However the biggest reason for leaving them as they are is for what they have always stood for, the test of a real champion. Not just a horse with racing luck on derby day, or any other race, but a truly great horse. We all know their names and speak with reverence when we remember what they did. The triple crown isn't about making it easy it's a true test of greatness that must remain for the future of this sport.Originally posted by JBEXComment -
considering there's been 2 triple crown winners in the last dozen years is another argument not to change the format .. also had flighline (2021) been able to start his career a few months earlier good chance he would've done it also .. you're gonna have a significant amount of derby winners skip the preakness in modern times but imo as long as there are horses that are capable of doing it I agree (changed my mind) it should be left aloneOriginally posted by batt33Comment -
top 3 choices in the peter pan stakes at aqueduct tomorrow are all by sons of uncle mo
3 growth equity (6-5)
nyquist
5 talk to me jimmy (9-5)
modernist
1 trendsetter (3-1)
modernist
nyquist is an elite stallion ($175k) but the other two are from modernist's 1st crop and he's only a $5k fee ..pretty remarkable that he has 2 in there at that inexpensive fee and both are logical contenders .. might bode well for kingsbarns (also UM) whose 1st crop we won't see till 2028
that's how it finished in ml order and final odds were very close .. $1 triple pd $7.64Comment -
B-O, you saying you can get us jobs tilling the Iowa farm-land this summer?Originally posted by BOA12Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Not my side of town Goat,Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat
but I hear many openings exist.Comment -
I was on a rode trip so I will try and get caught up in the next day or two.
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Chucky. I would love to see the triple crown stay the way it was. I mean, don't we all love the tradition of some of the greatest events that have played out over the years? But times do change, and it's never easy to just have things change and everyone be cool with it. That said, the spreading out of dates in the triple crown seems inevitable.Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat
Lowering the mound in baseball was bigger at the time than people think today. Moving the goal posts to the back of the end zone was as well.
And from my singular view in my lifetime, there were no left handed quarterbacks when I was a kid in the pros. I was lefthanded. I played quarterback. But when I was asked as a freshman going out for football what position I played and I said quarterback, they laughed. What they did not understand was that post routes were gravy for a left handed quarterback when I was a kid. Why? No defense was used to covering plays going in the opposite direction. Nobody could read the spin of the ball. Rolling out to the left meant the slower defensive line on that side . The game was stacked right handed. But everyone was stuck on tradition.
The varsity that year, tied the 1st game of the season and lost the rest. Lolol.
JV was worse. They lost every game my freshman year. I don't know how good or bad I might have been but the most I could have cost either team was one tie game.
So I quit. Played intermural football. We won the championship.
Then started to focus on Baseball year around. I pitched lefthanded. Played varsity as a freshman. Started one game that year. Was set to do long relief and coming into a game once when a spectator at Dematha High School had an epileptic seizure right behind our bench. Game stopped, ambulance came, and they called the game. We were getting crushed and if I had come in (14 yrs. old) to relief against those grown ass men (17-18 yrs. old most with scholarships waiting for them) , we would have run out of baseballs they would have hit me so hard. And to finish that story, my coach said I was his pitcher. Period. I said I'm a better hitter. He said, not here you aren't. Wouldn't let me even take BP at practice to prove it . So after the season but before school let out , I get 2 future scholarship offers. One to WVU. and the other to Samford U. But I was so frustrated that I couldn't hit, the game I loved was being cut from playing the game, to just pitching. And it was because I was a lefty pitcher. That favored me as much as being a lefty QB hurt me.
So... tradition. Can't be a lefthanded QB. Freshman pitchers don't hit? Tradition?? It was tradition that allowed me to make my decision. I quit both sports, stayed at Gonzaga, went to the racetrack every chance I could, graduated, took the graduation summer of 72 off, and went to work at Laurel Race Course in September.
So in my life, I have found, that tradition, while sometimes extremely important, is just as often, a crock of crap.
Now I don't know where this triple crown tradition is, but I have a feeling that once it changes, nobody will notice anymore. Just like the goalposts, the lower mound, the 3 point line, and the 5 weeks for the Triple crown instead of 10 weeks.
It is kind of silly in my mind, when you think about it , that todays players and todays games are soooo much different than it was in all the sports. It's a different world. People are bigger, stronger, and faster. Medicine and technology is so superior IMO, that in no way does changing timelines or adjusting events diminish what happened years ago. Not in any sports IMO. I truly feel, it's just different.
So who knows.
That's my longwinded two cents.
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Originally posted by str
I was against the DH even being an American League fan 1st,
though followed many NL teams, the NYM were my #1
starting W/ '69 WS victory over the O's.
Called progress a new strategy
by the Owners.
Perhaps the last " pure " triple crown
full field- why?
They call it evolution,
ANY loss de-vaule$ Their commodity
and has progressed to breaking tradition,
a new strategy by the Owner$.Comment -
I will look through the Preakness and talk start the handicap process tomorrow. Looking forward to it.Comment -
I just went through the Preakness the first time. My goodness. Should be an active run into the 1st turn. I found 11 horses who would really like to be 1,2,3,4 or a close 5th going into the 1st turn. In a case like this, I find with my style of going through the race that doing a 2nd look going from outside inwards will give me a clearer picture of what each rider may be looking at. I'll try and do that later today so as to catch up with my handicapping due diligence. The thing about a race like this is, we don't know who might break a step slow or... catch a flyer leaving the gate, so in here, it seems like there are about 9 horses who might decide that trying to lay 4th or so is a good idea or a solid option. Yikes!
When I glance at the four who are in reserve early, it looks like Ocelli, a maiden, The Hell We Did ( assuming they concede any early position) , Bull By The Horns, and Incredibolt.
I have a couple of liens already but lets do this the right way and see where it takes us. One thing I might bypass is the early positions of each horse. Too much luck or a lack of it to be accurate IMO. I have to think the pace will be lively.
This outta be a fun race to try and figure out.Comment -
I went ahead and did the race backwards as I always try and do. No surprises there for me. I saw the charts for yesterdays races at Laurel and it looked like the inside was not at all bad, but not necessarily needed to win. So maybe a slight inside bias if I am keeping score? Not that big of a deal IMO.
So did they work on the track last night? I don't know , but over the years, and at Pimlico, that answer would be no. There is just too much going on and with the races running much later than normal, the amount of sunlight shrinks and I would be surprised if they wanted to try and grade in the dark. If they did, and there is a ridiculous bias it will be in full view all day so for now I will assume a very fair track.
That said, I have a pick.
Based on the assumption that:
1. The pace will be hot
2. That Taj Mahal will not be able to relax enough from the 1 post to run his best effort today. The clean right eye I have always talked about comes into play today I assume.
3. That anytime a horse MAKES a trainer change their minds about running due to how well or poorly that horse is doing, those actions are right more often than anything else in the way of predictions. Incredabolt MADE Riley Mott think about the Preakness. He had no pressure whatsoever to run him. Except from the horse. In my years there, when a horse talked to you, you listened. I learned that early on as a groom. There is nothing as strong as that. No numbers, figures, nothing. Incredibolt MADE Riley Mott enter him. Having been in that position, that is rarely wrong. Even if it does not pan out in the race, a real excuse will probably show up back at the barn. Not lip service.
So I won't try and make the pace too slow, or too hot, or anything. I'll just listen to the horse. Plenty of those horses made me look like I knew what I was doing back in the day. Hopefully, this is that.
In trying to find prices, and there are not alot to find IMO, I could see the 5 horse Talkin running well and the 7, The Hell We did running well also.
For me it will be the 12 at hopefully at least 5-1 and looking for 6 or 7-1. Wishfull thinking I guess.
Last thing: The 1 horse, Taj Mahal, did something last race you rarely see. He ran off early and opened up 10 lengths not relaxing. The rider finally DID get him to settle down, the field got within 3-4 lengths of him turning for home, and the rider asked him to finish strong and the horse kicked on again and opened up 8 lengths. THAT, is special ! Am I surprised if he wins? No. It takes a lot of talent to do what he did last race. But at 5-1, he has what looks like a lot of things that can go against him, so I will look elsewhere at a short price this time.
Good luck everyone. Enjoy the Preakness !Comment -
Originally posted by str
I'm with you str- on increibolt/Mott .
Taj Mahal scares me most of all,
but IMo not Best Of All
GL horse lover brother.Comment -
Munny problems on the Preakness undercard race 3
Munny Problem: Race Overview
Munny Problem is set to make his third career start on the third race of the Preakness undercard. He will break from post 6 in a field of 11 with Mychel Sanchez in the saddle. Post time is set for 11:41 a.m. ET.
Your son of Munnings will race in blinkers for the first time after showing a bit of greenness in his runner-up effort last time out. He has sported his new equipment in the mornings and trainer Michael Trombetta has been happy with the effects. With another step forward--which this colt has indicated he is capable of--we are hopeful to see a big effort this time around. Best of luck!
More on the competition:
#1 Limo: Makes his second start for the Stidham barn and his first as a gelding. Switches back to the turf for this start, a surface where he has run his best figures. Win threat.
#2 Margie’s Last: First-time gelding will try turf for the first time while lacking any significant turf pedigree.
#3 Naabaahii: Was second behind blowout winner Ezum first time out. Should appreciate the switch to the turf for the ever-dangerous Russell barn.
#4 Master Sommelier: Ran well against a bias at Keeneland last time out. Should appreciate the cutback to a flat mile. Will make his third start off of a long layoff and should be ready to put forward his best effort, which would make him a contender in here.
#5 Scanner: First time starter for the Motion barn, which strikes at 14% with debut runners. Always a difficult task to debut around two-turns.
#7 Pendar: Goes back to the lawn and will try a trip around two turns today. Will need to improve to contend.
#8 Zencat: Will need significant improvement to factor here based off his career-high 55 Beyer, which came last time out.
#9 Ocean Sound: Makes his debut for a small barn that strikes at 21% with these types. When you filter the stats to debuts at a mile or greater, this barn is 2 for 3 with a $26.67 ROI. Sports a sharp work tab and is an interesting longshot at 30-1 on the morning line. Wouldn’t count this one out.
#10 Drive By Johnny: Did no running on debut last year. Switches into the Russell barn, which tabs one of its main riders in Jevian Toledo to pilot. The team strikes at a 28% win rate together.
#11 Chatbot: Has done little running through three starts. Adds blinkers seeking improvement and will have to deal with an outside draw.Comment -
In my P3,Originally posted by batt33
let's get 'em home battman.Comment -
I agree that running in the preakness is a good sign for incredibolt ; especially considering who pops is .. easily could have taken the rest and belmont path considering he ran well in the derby but didn't win or come in the moneyOriginally posted by str
you think chad is hoping iron honor may relax more more removing the blinkers ? this would certainly help his cause in this race .. also feel putting prat on over manny franco is a sign they really like their chancesComment -
Munny Problem Race RecapOriginally posted by batt33
Munny Problem left us scratching our heads today as he failed to fire at Laurel and checked in eighth. Click for the result chart.
Your son of Munnings could not have looked any better before the race, broke much better and found himself in a midpack spot. When it was time to quicken for the stretch drive, however, he just never got going.
Admittedly, all signs seemed to point to a big effort today, and there were no obvious excuses for his performance that immediately jump out. He seemed to come back in good order and scoped perfectly, but will of course get looked over closely by Team Trombetta in the coming days in case anything else pops up.
Our first thought is to consider trying the dirt, as he may just not have the turn of foot for the grass despite early indications that it would be his preferred surface.
For now, we’ll see how he comes back and huddle up with Mike early next week.
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I'll answer these but just saw a race or two.
They DID scrape the track. Inside is certainly favorable. Not sure how much with those 2 races but no question the cushion is not nearly as deep. I'll keep an eye on it.Comment -
They just ran a flat mile race off the main track. I have never seen the gate that close to the first turn. Favor the inside much?? Lol.
Don't get me wrong. I'm really happy for Gary Cap. Gary has always been and still is a damn good trainer.
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Originally posted by str
Gives Taj Mahal a tiny edge ?Comment -
Blinkers off will emphasis relax so sure, that sounds correct. Prat is a little more relaxing than Manny so have to agree with that as well.Originally posted by JBEX
Chad has made this move before with success in the Preakness so I'm sure he is hoping for a similar result.Comment
