With fragile animals and the "sheet" guys making their case, you just aren't going to see anyone run 10 graded races like Cigar did in the mid 90's.

And my point is that top racehorses' campaigns shouldn't be restricted to just 100-year-old Grade I's that attract superstars annually. Running the horse because he's fit and good would probably be fun too.

I believe when Cigar won the Oaklawn, it was a Grade 1.

No doubt on that. But the game is not about "fun" that much, especially nowadays, especially at that level.

Apparently, you also believe everything the Graded Stakes Committee tells you.

Can't wait for the Eclipse Awards.

That's when the real racing begins.

Does your brain have a short half-life or something? Every subsequent post is dumber than the previous one.

Good point. 5 or so more from me, and I should have sunk to your level.

Tag-team morons on a horsey forum. Gee, I've never seen that before. How novel.

Oy.

Yeah. Two people that don't buy into your BS. It must be a conspiracy.

Not sure why you're even posting right now seeing how the next significant (ie Grade 1) race isn't until the Kentucky Oaks.

Maybe you can go suck on a lollipop in the meantime...

I'd go along with that and the other poster who said that the horse (who clearly has issues) hadn't really had a break since last summer.

But to say that the Oaklawn is insignificant merely because its a Grade 2 is as preposterous as it gets. Pletcher won the race (while it was a Grade 2) with Lawyer Ron, who later went on a tear and ultimately won the Eclipse as champion handicap horse the same season.

Coincidentally, Pletcher had no problem running Lawyer Ron in the Met Mile in his next start following his Oaklawn win (IIRC he was 3rd to Corinthian).

^^^^

Ateam

Yes, but......Lawyer Ron was burned out by the end of his campaign. Pletcher will err on the side of caution in picking QR's spots to see if he can baby him along until November.

He was? Why, because he ran a dud in a total swamp at Monmouth? Before that, he ran:

3rd in Met Mile, beaten 1 1/2 by easy BC Dirt Mile winner
2nd in Salvator Mile, beaten neck by MTH lover
1st in Whitney, setting a track record
1st in Woodward
2nd in Jockey Club Gold Cup, beaten head by HOY

Clearly, the Oaklawn Handicap did him in.

but only because it was a gr 2...

I didn't say Oaklawn did him in, but he was tailing off his last couple after blowing up in the Whitney/Woodward, at least there is evidence that was the case. Duplicating either of those would have beaten Curlin and probably given him HOY honors.

He ran a 114 Beyer in the JCGC and lost by a head to the HOY. That's tailing off? He ran a dud in the bog at MTH, that's the only bad race he ran all year. There's no evidence that he tailed off.

Lawyer Ron's last 2 races were at a mile and a quarter. This was not his best distance. He ran well in the JCGC, until the last 8th.

What were the two beyers before the jcgc?

117 in the Whitney, 119 in the Woodward. The JCGC Beyer was the third-highest of his career, going an eighth further than he was used to.

4-year-old year only: