Derby Trail Forums - Strong Pretender Excuses Thread

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good points by several on here.
i'm just glad they're all racing. we should all know by now that horses don't always run at their best.
also, chatain may be a star in the making, after missing a lot of racing due to various injuries.
it's only january, hopefully many more races to come from all these.

I have no strong opinion on Strong Contender beyond the fact that he's a talented and inconsistent horse who occasionally throws down huge efforts (I think the Dwyer figure is pretty legit), but I think the Ward's comments BEFORE the race were pretty telling:

Quote:

Strong Contender, who shares high weight of 120 pounds with Sweetnorthernsaint, may be at a bit of a disadvantage in the Hal’s Hope, having not started since winning the Super Derby on Sept. 23. He has worked twice since shipping to Gulfstream in December.

“He’s probably going to need this race, but this one should set him up perfectly for the Donn and especially the Santa Anita Handicap,” said Ward.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/81662.html

Chatain making only his 4th career start was certainly eligible to improve and had raced well over the surface in March.

I thought SNS ran ok, but was not sure what to make about the front wraps

Sir Greely came on late to just miss.

The race attracted a good field and horses that figured did hit the board. Looking forward to races with older horse as the year continues, we may see some great rivalries developing. I think it's way to early to dismiss Strong Contender off from this race

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasept

I'm sorry I didn't just delete this thread the minute I saw the title...

Instead of looking to attack the 6, 9, 11 horses that finish behind the SINGLE winner of these stakes, how about some credit for the performances of those that won?

Chetain emerged today as a real nice horse... Classic Campaign won a thrilling turf stake... And people are looking to create negative attributes towards ones that 'didn't win'...

I don't get it... And I frankly, hate it.

Race fans complain UNENDINGLY about premature retirements, and here you have a handful of horses BACK for their 4 year old seasons and they're immediately decried as useless off single starts. It's ridiculous.

Jazil got back to the races after a 6 month layoff to start a season off an the same injury that ENDED Smarty Jones' career... Maybe you'd prefer he just be sent off to one of Shadwell's stud farms? Strong Contender, and Saint for that matter, have bigger objectives on their itinerary than the Mr. Prospector. And all three trainers of these horses made it very clear what was on their minds going into these races.

Why is any discussion of a loss these days labeled under 'excuses'?... Defeats in racing are far more frequent than wins. There are all kinds of reasons that races go the way they do. What possible complaint would anyone have with the performances of Saint and Greeley behind Chatain today? What complaint would anyone have with Johannesburg Star's performance? Etc... 'Seasons' and 'careers' are bodies of work. Not single snapshots.

And people calling horses "dogs" or "goats" are a positive thing?

Personally, I think it's funny that Sniper started this thread... Sir Greeley didn't finish in the money either. :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

Personally, I think it's funny that Sniper started this thread... Sir Greeley didn't finish in the money either. :rolleyes:

Is second not in the money?

it was a very good race and im glad to see it..very exited about this years races..keep it positive people.....:D

Personally I'm very upset about the bad name goats seem to be getting around here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sightseek

And people calling horses "dogs" or "goats" are a positive thing?

No... (You write that as if I endorse calling horses dogs or goats...) But I would say that the trainer of the animal so named in one post the other day, helped address that silliness better than anyone else could have... with his response online and Pink Viper's on track.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasept

He definitely did, but I thought it was a rude thing for someone to say when the horse was under the care of a poster....it's rude to say of any horse really. It's one thing to debate the talent of a horse, and with the Derby a few months away I hope we all do just that, but name calling is ridiculous.

I should add that I don't think you condone that behavior either, I just felt bad for the guy who had to read that about his horse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sightseek

I should add that I don't think you condone that behavior either, I just felt bad for the guy who had to read that about his horse.

I bet Mr. Klanfer didnt feel to bad when PV crossed the line 1st today:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Definitely got the last laugh on that. And I'll admit, half the reason I bet Pink Viper today was because of that. I just hope gander got down on that.

He did...and he was kind enough to call me while I was at the OTB and remind me. $5 ex was about the only thing I hit all day..

when they start paying 3 of 4 in pick 4's and 2 of 3 in pick 3's...GPK will be one very rich man..:o

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

You and me both man. Twice at Aqueduct and because I am a real degenerate 3 times tonight at meadowlands. Glad Gander had PV because I know he was mentioning it for a few days.

Almost stayed and played The Big M tonight...but after my bet in the 1st (#8 D. Miller was in the bike I think) finished about 7th...I knew it was time for me to get out quickly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasept

I'm sorry you took this thread the wrong way and I apologize for posting it. I tried telling everyone before the race that the horse wasn't as great as he was being made out to be, backed it up with facts, and was just told how wrong I was. It wasn't like I just called the horse a pig and didn't give any basis for that opinion. After the race I was headed out to watch the NFL games so figured I would set up this thread so we could have one central place to argue Strong Contender rather than have it contaminate the threads about the race that should have been about the impressive performances in the race. Apparently that was wrong of me. I'll tone down my posting here and only focus on the positives and leave my negative posts for other forums. Although I still don't understand how a thread saying that a horse isn't fast is bad but calling jockeys "gnomes" is OK.

This thread is completely ridiculous. After one race you people can actually just forget about a horse. I'm not denying the fact that Strong Contender may not be able to compete in this high a level (make no mistake, this field was much more competitive than many grade I's). All of this aside, he is still a very nice horse, and one that I'm sure that anyone would love to own. Every horse can't win every race. Strong Contender finished in the money in every race prior to this one. I don't care what level you're running at, it is still impressive. To tell you the truth, I was very impressed with the way that Sweetnorthernsaint ran. Even though he was third, I truly think he ran against the toughest horses in his career (aside from Bernardini). I am definitely looking for him to move forward from this race, I think he will be a major contender in this year's classics. Sir Greeley on the other hand ran a terrific race, and it looks like we are going to have a great year with him. He gave 6 pounds to the winner, and got beat an inch. What more can you ask for? I'm sure as hell not gunna give up on him.

I'm just glad to see some successful 3 yos come back to race at 4.

Not every horse wins every race. In fact every horse does not.

Opinions about which horse is no good or not good enough can be expressed best at the wagering windows.

Doesn't make much sense to denigrate a horse on a message board.

I was glad to see them (SNS, SC) back running as well as seeing Declan's Moon trying to come back as well.

I was also glad to see Kelly's Landing run huge (tho I didn't bet him). 5 yo is the 6F track record holder at Churchill. I wonder how many 6F races have been run at CD. Thousands? Tens of thousands? No one has run as fast there than Kelly's Landing and to see him come back strong yesterday was something special.