Your posting skills are improving about as rapidly as you imagined Twirling Candy's racing skills have since last fall.

Again, a lot of this has to do with competition. Of course if he faces a bunch of cream puffs in the Big Cap, which is highly likely, he'll probably win. It won't prove anything.

His superstar status is completely a product of the anemic CA racing industry. Just as Rail Trip's was last year.

Back as recent as the early '90s, horses like Bertrando, In Excess, and Afternoon Deelites were in the position he was in, and he couldn't hold a candle to any of those. All 3 of those failed miserably in the Big Cap (in fact, they were also upset at odds-on in the Strub, when it was run at 10f).

The fact that a horse like this has a chance to win a prestigious race like the Big Cap under such fair weather conditions, not to mention, already--with the aid of a superhighway--erasing Spectacular Bid's world record effort at 7f, is tragedy of the highest order in my eyes.

For the record..Likely winner of the Big Cap or will be a miler?

Rail Trip was never sound and the only person who deemed him a superstar was Team Z

Who cares who raced in 1995 that was 16 years ago and while we all wished the times were different they arent. And BTW the Donn was a rag tag group of nobodys. So it isnt like east coast talent is overwhelming either.

Now you want to cloud the issue with track conditions? The track is what the track is. You like the Calder surface better? They run 1:11 and the BSF is a 115. What do track records have to do with anything?

Those two aren't mutually exclusive.

How the fucl< do you know?

Unlike the Strub, at least there were several accomplished horses in that race, which also was not age-restricted.

Yeah, so Twirling Candy beat Spectacular Bid's mark because he was simply better?

As for track records, isn't the fact that he beat The Bid's record part of the propaganda being set alight (read Brad Free's ridiculous blog) for this bonfire of BS?

Not really. Has Twirling Candy beaten the older horses yet? If he shows up in the Big Cap then that race should be a telling tale of Twirling Candy's ability. It does look like he has some talent.

Oh so Twirling candy is the fav to win the Big Cap(should we toss the Gold Cup and Pac Cap in as well?) but will be switching up for the Cigar Mile and the dirt mile at BC later in the year. No Dressage?

Rail Trip had like what 13 starts in 3 years and a 8 month break from 09 to '10.. What was he doing studying for the Bar?

Oh yeah they were mighty accomplished. One had 1 race in forever, a lawsuit and new leg, one was a stem cell survivor, one was second off a layoff for connections you deemed miserable, and one that couldnt have faced a crappier field in the BC mile ran his heart out and still couldnt beat a 30/1 shot..Oh I forgot Fly Down is thru and Ron the Greek is heading to Penn Nat.

Again who cares who holds track records as they are always the product of track conditions vs. horse power.. Does anyone think that the GP turf mile record is meaningful even though its 1:31?

As for Brad Free. I always have respected his opinion and while he is very capable of being wrong and while I might disagree with him he is certainly qualified to have a very defendable position which is based on years of expertises

For what it's worth, it's not like Twirling Candy would have much to beat on the East Coast right now if Giant Oak is the divisional leader at this point.

Good point you have brought up. Im thinking the same holds true for the West Coast. Aggie Engineer had the chance yesterday to throw his hat into the leading handicap horse for the West Coast and failed. I would laugh if any American horse makes the trip to Dubai next month for the ten million dollar race.

He is the best older horse in the country right now, even though at this point its by default because everyone else stinks. Who from the Donn would you take over him? Twirling Candy interests me because I believe he still has a ton of room to improve, and can run well on all surfaces.

I think Morning Line is better than Twirling Candy. He has actually shown the ability to withstand serious pace pressure and still run very well. Not saying Twirling Candy can't, but his race was much easier quality wise on Saturday.

I thought it was an encouraging race by I Want Revenge (but how much could he possibly have left?) and Rule ran okay, while moving prematurely. IMO Sidney's Candy is better than Twirling Candy.

Morning Line is starting to feel like the type of horse who will run well, but not win. Lets not forget, he barley held off super hanger First Dude for his big win. The horse who gunned him down in the Mile is a total slug, and really what is Giant Oak? I defended Morning Line and said I thought he ran as well as anyone both days BC, I also think he ran well Saturday.... Something just does not seem right. Rule was never good IMO, and is not very good now. Sidneys Candy might be better then Twirling, but they both might just be really really good.

Does what happen in races matter at all? If Moning Line is in the Strub and Twirling Candy is in the Donn, I think ML jogs and TC probably finishes off the board.

I do think it's hilarious you are picking apart Morning Line's competition while seemingly ignoring Twirling Candy was beating Tweebster in his race.

The Donn was pretty much a great setup for Giant Oak. I thought he was a pretty good bet to win. Its hard to pick between the Candy's. They are both pretty solid horses. Twirling just seems to have more potential in the long run. I doubt we will ever see them in the same race. It's going to be a fun year.

Im not really picking apart his competition because all the older horses suck, all of them. The problem I have is this.... The last 3 horses Morning Line has lost 2 are all pretty bad IMO. TC is not facing much either, but he is winning and winning easily. The Malibu was not easy, but the number was big. Morning Line is losing to bad horses and not really running fast while doing it.

I'll ask again, does what happens in races matter at all? Pace and trips matter, correct?

Twirling Candy got a 108 Beyer for the Malibu and a 101 for the Strub.

Morning Line got a 104 in the BC, a 103 in the Hal's Hope and a 102 in the Donn.

You're making it seem like Twirling Candy is Beyering in the 120's when he's not at all.

Yes I do think it matters. For you to say ML is better you need some sort of reasson for this.... I came back with at least TC is winning races. I went from being a huge ML fan to not trusting him anymore. Its not like Im a ML hater with some biased opinion.

If he would have won with a 118 BSF against the garbage he ran against would your opinion have been different? If so why?

Morning line ran the last 3f's in 38 lets not all get wet the the panties because he was able to stay the 9fs in the manner he did. These GP figs never hold up later in the year

He stayed the 9f because of the horses he had to turn back. Square Eddie and I Want Revenge, how are they both not crippled yet?

Come on man that was a bad bad group in the Donn. Where is Morning Line's fast race?

I hate agreeing with you but i do in this case. I respect Morning Lines guts and toughness and he is a gorgeous horse and could make a very good stallion but he just isnt so fast.

Morning Line is one magnificent horse

I gave you my reasssssson. TC ran down Smiling Tiger (3rd at 2/5 in his next start) and beat the mighty Tweebster in the Strub, while getting nice trips and pace secenarios each race. YAY!!! TC is beating shitty fields.

Morning Line ran a monster race in the BC and IMO was even more impressive on Saturday and I hated him in that spot. ML is not winning, but running better against better, especially when you look at the races and how they unfolded.