Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

What's funny, is that Cigar probably could have won the Kentucky Derby if he was entered...even though he was still a maiden at the time.

He was from the pathetic 3-year-old crop that ran in '93. Sea Hero, who had no talent and would have been Giacomo's bitch, won the Derby and Travers that year.

Cigar broke his maiden in career start #2, sprinting on the Hollywood Park dirt. He earned just about the same Beyer for that MSW win that Prarie Bayou would earn for his Preakness win a few days later.

After that fast and impressive maiden win sprinting on the dirt---Cigar would spend the next year and a half making a fool out of himself on the turf. It was very shrewd of Bill Mott to finally put him back on the dirt---I mean wow, what a stroke of genius that must have been. The press seemed to think so anyway.

Cigar actually won 17 in a row on dirt--even though his offical win streak is only 16.

Originally Posted by randallscott35

Huh, why are people taking Point Given. He failed. He wasn't even in the Super, and now he's supposed to beat this field?...The most overrated horse in history possibly.

I'll take Sunday Silence or Smarty Jones, and frankly I'd lean towards Smarty Jones. Still shocked he lost the Belmont.

Originally Posted by avance2000

well, point given was pretty impressive in his post-Derby races.
the real question is.....where is the love for the great, unbeatable.....HANSEL!!!!! :eek: :D :eek: :D

Originally Posted by avance2000

I thought it might be time for another hypothetical derby since we are kicking off the true derby prep season this saturday. we have done things similar to this in the past but they can sometimes be fun, and we have a lot of new members that haven't participated yet (plus this one is a little different).
here are the guidelines for this one:
1) to be eligible you had to win 2 out of the 3 tc races
2) it only covers the last 20 years (1987-2006) so no spectacular bid or man o' war

so, if we take into consideration only how the horses were in may and june of their 3yo year, and this is the field - post position included - going 1.25 miles at churchill downs on a fast & honest track, who would you take?

pp
1] Hansel 10
2] Funny Cide 11
3] Tabasco Cat 13
4] Alysheba 5
5] Silver Charm 6
6] Point Given 1
7] Smarty Jones 8
8] Sunday Silence 4
9] Thunder Gulch 2
10] Risen Star 9
11] Afleet Alex 3
12] Real Quiet 7
13] War Emblem 14
14] Charismatic 12

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

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The top 8 I've listed in "red" were the best of this group.

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

1st) POINT GIVEN - still don't know where that rash came from
2nd) THUNDER GULCH - still don't know why he lost the Preakness
3rd) AFLEET ALEX - the "dead rail" that day at Churchill cost him

The top two were solid after the triple crown races and Alex would have been if he didn't get hurt.

Originally Posted by easy goer

Wow! I simply second King Glorious' list, I wouldnt change much from that. I dont see how War Emblem could compete in this, once the pace was upped you could see his game falls apart. Afleet Alex might be the fastest closer of all of these and he usually sat just behind the pace...I've got to think that sort of runner would have a decent shot in a field like this at CD.

Have no feeling for Tabasco Cat; I watched those races, I guess it was the Go for Gin derby? But cant recall wath this Cat was like.

Originally Posted by miraja2

Yes Tabasco Cat was in the same crop as Go for Gin. In addition to winning the Preakness and the Belmont in 1994, he won two other graded stakes that year and ran second in the BCC. He was a very nice 3yo, but I don't think he could compete with the top horses in this list.
Here is his Belmont Stakes: http://207.232.119.242/nyra/belmonts/1994/index.html