Ever been up there? Timmy & Ole just love her!!!:eek:

HEY! Whats wrong with the new location?:mad: Every time it rains the roof leaks and we move the garbage cans around to catch the water:D
And yes its definately worth the extra 10 miles to see Heather at McGills!;)
Thanks for the welcome, I enjoy your posts and calls to ATRAB

I'm not a dick...dick.

Good Job Hoffy..keep the streak going. We were pretty low key yesterday on E-Street. It was Tom, CJ, Phil, Charlie and Myself. NO "T" yesterday.
I started well yesterday. Hit the early and late double at Belmont. I played a load of Pick-3's along with a collusion pick four with Tom and CJ.

Sadly, you may be right! I am sure DWL watched that race yesterday and somehow managed to convince himself that what FFC really needed was an extra 2.5 furlongs and he would have re-rallied from last to win.
Nobody in their right mind would enter FFC in the Belmont, but (with regards to TC races) Lukas hasn't been in his right mind for years now.....so it may happen.

Over the past 35 years, only twice has the Belmont been run without the Derby or the Preakness winner.

2006-Jazil
2000-Commendable

Both times, the winner was a horse that was pretty much non-descript except for winning the Belmont. In fact, for both, the Belmont was/has been their only career stakes win. Both horses had run in the Derby and finished off the board then skipped the Preakness. If this is any indication, the quality of this year's Belmont is going to be really bad.

Question. If u have Rags to Riches, would u rather take on a subpar Belmont field and win that or would u rather wait and take on Street Sense or Curlin in a race like the Haskell or Travers and really prove yourself?

i think the winner comes out of the derby

bloodstock gamesmanship

The "thing to do" with Rags to Riches is to throw her name around in the triple crown races, but not actually enter her.

I guess I meant that if they wanted to prove just how good she is, prove she's the best 3yo period, it would have to come in one of the later races against the big guns instead of over a second or third rate Belmont field.

----------------

Do you know most of us thank our lucky stars everyday that those people don't listen to you?

For what purpose?

hi everyone, just got home a few minutes ago--we went to lake ouachita for the wknd, so all i know about the preakness so far is how everyone finished. probably will watch later, looks like a missed a good one.

as for hard spun, just saw on bloodhorse that he is being pointed to the belmont.
also saw on there that sightseeing won a close one in the pan, i guess the belmont is on tap for him.
curlin is 'weary'.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Flying First Class will return to sprint distances. “We’ll just stay under a mile now for the rest of his career. That little experiment is over,” Lukas said by telephone. “We’ll just point for the better sprint races and see if we can’t get him to the Breeders’ Cup

Although it's a discussion for another time, why would an owner want to prove anything to anyone? The fan's sense of entitlement is reaching monster levels. An owner will do what an owner wants to do -- period. And the fans will yell and scream about it.

Coolmore never has to prove anything with this or any filly. They are not commercial breeders. Futile and foolish argument.

Eric

Looks like we'll have another Commendable or Jazil to win the Belmont. When there's no Triple Crown possibility, the race really becomes a yawner; a distance nobody ever runs on dirt.

Personally, I'd love to see the Travers become the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown.

Then it wouldn't be the Triple Crown.

Not to prove it to us. To prove it for themselves. At it's most basic level, racing is still about "my horse is faster than your horse." I'd like to try and see what if it's my horse instead of wondering what if. People remember horses like Winning Colors and Lady's Secret and Genuine Risk and the first thing u think of is them beating the boys. Think Althea and u think Arkansas Derby. Of course, they don't have to prove anything. But wouldn't u want to?

That's what the "sport" or "business" might be about for you -- but that is not what it is about for everyone else. The "basic level" you refer to is not anywhere near basic, not in any way. If Coolmore wants to turn sportsmen and race her against the boys, great, I am sure everyone will get exicted, and they should. Coolmore's mindset, business model and operation doesn't make this the norm however.

Eric

Which is a good thing. The way they are currently doing it works perfectly. Of the 16 horses that have won TC races since 2000 prior to this year, how many have we seen come back to race the next year? I think only five and one of those was because he's a gelding. Only two of the champion 3yo's since 2000 have come back to run the next year. There are always several hundred horses nominated to the TC every year but come the summer and fall, we are lucky to get five horse fields in races like the Haskell and Travers. Races like the JCGC, Hollywood Gold Cup, Woodward.....these races struggle to get five horse fields. Horses like Ghostzapper and Invasor are able to win HOY off of four and five race seasons. Cacique, English Channel, and The Tin Man can win all of the important grass races in the season.....then watch Miesque's Approval take the championship with an upset victory. By the way, that was a great running of the Pimlico Special they just had. Yep, nobody should ever listen to anyone with new ideas. The way they are doing things now.....the game is in great shape.

we're headed to Ohio. He is showing us some excellent response to his maturing process. He got a 3/4 C-hill work 2 days ago in 1:10:80. We think this race will be a good target.

Thanks Smarty, saw him run in the southwest and thought he ran huge! Good Luck!

If they listened to you there would be no racing.

It is nice to know that after the race, the horse's trainer is now convinced of what everyone with half a brain already knew before the race.

:D

Rags To Riches to Belmont?
 

This would be interesting move by Pletchers. I dont think there have been to many fillies to try the Belmont. But she would add a little intrigue.

Nice misleading title

Sorry, I added the question mark. Does that make it better?

Hasn't this topic already been discussed in a bunch of other threads?

No kidding, misleading title- I got so excited and then so disappointed. It was like a Preakness flashback. But RtR is still a probable, as are Hard Spun and Curlin:

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=39033

I know, Nafzger needs to do what's best for SS and all, but oh, it would be great... well, who knows?

If it has been I apologize. I havent been able to read every thread lately.

Yeah it's awful hard to click search and type Rags to Riches.

I didnt think of doing that. I will have to keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice.

Bold prediction: Rags wins the Belmont

Yeah, I brought her up in a round about way . . . and as usual . . . got jumped on here.

Here's the thread:

http://derbytrail.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12892

I hope Rags goes in the Belmont. Might be her and Tiago. California exacta.

Its all about hyping the horse. The more hype, the more demand there is for the horse. The stock goes up. This is a Tabor horse.

If they were to actually run her she would prove to be inferior to the top males and possibly set her back from prepping toward the major goals she is pointed towards.

Not really, your title's now usurping my thread since it's been folded into it. Kind of annoying. I was like 'I never started a thread about RtR going to the Belmont.' Then I figured out what happened. Not that I wouldn't get a serious kick if she did because I've been a big fan for months but if I want to wax equus about Slew's Tizzy going, kind of an off topic title to post under ain't it? Should've just kept my title too and blended the threads since mine was more broad ("Who's going to the Belmont"?)

On the topic of RtR, playing Monday morning quarterback here, would you have expected Rags to Riches to do better in the Derby or Preakness than Circular Quay? In retrospect, not assuming you were making the decision before the race I mean. I think it's one thing to go 'oh I already have a horse in the race' but if you feel you have a horse capable of running well in the Derby I honestly don't think you should do it this way. What if they'd decided 'hey we don't need Citation, we have Coaltown plus Eddie Arcaro thinks Coaltown's better anyway.' Or if they didn't use Sir Barton as a rabbit after all. I think RtR's earned a chance to face the boys most certainly and I'd argue in a TC race no less. What would be hilarious is if she won the same race as her half brother. Correct me if I'm wrong but that's never happened where the Oaks winner also takes a Classic race has it? I honestly don't remember it so I'm assuming it's an oldie goldie if it's happened.

not looking second or third rate after all..

i hope she runs. but i doubt she will. it won't hurt her, or hinder her later in the year. it's a race, it's what they do.

I don't doubt it. I think there's a good chance she might run.

i don't know...i think knowing curlin and hard spun are pointing there might give them pause.
but hey, what the heck. run her and see how she does, i'm all for it! not enough of that goes on over here.