Couldn't agree with you more.

Its kind of ironic because I think hes easily in the the top 1-2 jockeys in the country and I hardly ever play horses he rides because he almost always rides horses whose odds are below my mendoza line for betting. I still like to watch him work his craft because imo nobody is better.

TFM and BTW in the same thread? That's threadworthy in itself.

he is, definetly in the top three or four. you are right about him being overbet, so i use his horses in exactas alot. (i don't bet triples or supers) some of these horses make good keys in the pic's too. the thing is i don't bitch about a guy thats constantly winning. i actually get steamed at alot of the "blame the jockey talk". these guys are riding for their "bills", with the chance they might get maimed or worse. i think they are trying more than any of us knows. ask the two guys that got in a fist fight during the race last week. you don't come in the top four , you don't eat. yeah, they are not trying. they should take a parlor full of OTB monday morning quarterbacks with their losing tickets and throw them on a horse. most would crap their pants in the starting gate......lol

Did you watch the head-on? The winner drifted out that final 1/16th. Ramon was in a little tight. If he would have ridden harder, he would have run up on that other horse's heels. He wasn't going to win the race but that's not the main reason he quit riding. He quit riding because the winner was almost directly in front and he didn't want to clip heels.

Ramon did nothing wrong in that race. I thik he's the best rider on the East coast, not because he's the best rider physically but because he's the smartest rider by far.

if he if he is the best rider on the east coast where is he on BC day ?

he 's 1/20 going into this year , i guess he's now about 1/25

and until he wins a triple crown race he simply is not the best

he maybe the best on the inner track when he is on the 2/5 favorite against a bunch of rats day after day on horses that scavs could ride

people on here want to bash pletcher all the time for his dreadful record in the classics and bc races and that's fine , well if he's allowed to be bashed ramon certainly is as well until he gets of the schnide in the TC or with multiple BC winners

again tell me where he has been on the 1st sat in may ? where has he been when md my md is playing? what is he in the classics , i know it's 0 for something......before you coronate him let's see him win the most important races multiple times

funny, he only won three yesterday. what you are not happy unless he wins 4 or 5 a day....give me a break. he really only had one big horse last year(gio ponte) i guess a grade 1 win over ventura in cali was nothing....multiple grade 1 wins and a second to zenyatta. what are you going to say when he gets a couple big horses..which eventually he will. besides people like me make a bet more than on saturday and sunday...whose better than him on the daily grind....not many

johnny as people on here in the past say well where is todd in the big ones

i can say to you where is ramon in the big one's

everyone points to todd being 0 for 40 or whatever in the derby

well tell me what is ramon in the tc's races , what is he in the breeders cup

why can't he win those races when he is not on the best horses - all the great jocks won races when the whole world was watching on derby day , preakness day , belmont day and bc day and they won multiple times

no one besides the die hard racing fans here will remember what grade 1 he won in aug or mar or jan 20 yrs from now , nobody cares , the casual racing fan cares about what you do on the 4 big days a year and so far he is 1 for whatever

when the whole world is watching he has done nothing but lay egg after egg on derby day and bc day - maybe someday he will win those big races

if todd is going to get crucifed on here by people for his lack of resutls in the big spot on derby day and the other jewlels and the bc , ramon deserves as much until he starts winning the big races

So basically, you throw out the entire year of racing and deterime how good a jockey is based on how they do in about 17 races (The TC & the BC). The guy could win almost %25 of the time and be in the money over %55, but since he is 0-fer the TC/BC he is not an elite jock. This is really some vendetta you have against him, huh? Your logic/thinking on this on is mind boggling.

This is very amusing.

I'd have thought that just about anyone who plays this game on a regular basis would realize that Dominguez is the best jockey in the country. And, it's really not even close.

Exactly. I really hope Winslow Homer ends up being a very nice horse with Dominguez on board.

Hell, I thought Ramon's rides on Better Talk Now and Friendly Island in the 2006 BC were great. How about his 2nd aboard Bluegrass Cat in the Derby?

I wish I could get someone on a mission to find a picture of Linda Rice and Ramon together, have them both autograph it and send it to Gales.

NT

what about the people on here that bash Todd for being 0-40 in the derby - it's been done on here in the past , not recently but it has been done

1 - 75 in the tc races or whatever he is and 3 for whatever in the bc ?

it seems as though it's ok to bash todd and point out his lack of wins in the big spots on derby day , bc day etc etc ,and point out that he is overrated, but it's not ok to point out that ramon layed a lot of eggs on those days as well but is is still top jock

maybe i have a vendetta against ramon or maybe i'm just doing the same thing others on here do to todd - if i have a vendetta , then you can't tell me they don't either

When Ramon starts getting on horses in the TC and BC races that are as good as the ones Pletcher fails with then we can compare the two. Until then, don't.

NT

no one remembers who is 2nd

as for gio ponti this year don't you think the kid would now that the outside is the best place to be at SA?

STOP ALREADY

NT

This almost outdoes yesterday's post about a CLOSERS' BIAS at GG.

well if the rail / inside was good at SA why does mike smith come off the rail on the far turn , he has 1 horse in front of him it's not like he couldn't have gotten zenyatta through on the rail , there must be some reason why he went 7 wide that day ???????

did chris antly win his derbies on the best 2 horses in the race , my god , charismatic was a claimer , strike the gold was the best horse in that field? , yup those 2 paid 5 and change to win they were the best


still waiting ramon still waiting

It IS pretty remarkable that people are willing to spend so much time arguing with someone who doesn't recognize how good Dominguez is.

--Dunbar

He always goes 7 wide with her, because he's spotting the whole field about 20 lengths and ends up having to circle them.

the rail was open that day , isn't the rail the shortest way home ?, your inside , your saving ground your not going wide

and it's pretty remarkable to see people on here bash the top trainer in the country for the last 10 yrs as though he is lucky to win claiming races

When Smith made his decision the inside wasn't open yet.

his decision was made before the race started , he knew he had to be wide , it was the best part of the track to be that day (and most days ) , he went wide and won , ramon tucked inside and lost

take the same 2 horses and give them the different rides and you have a different winner

Marty, she is 14 for 14 and do you know how many times she has came up the rail to win. ZERO!. It had nothing to do with the track.

Watch and see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi0YaVefoeE

Clearly this is missed by Marty. Trying to bring that beast through the inside's like parking your 18 wheeler in the Compact Car space.

NT

Now granted I don't watch the majority of races, or even 25% of them at Golden Gate...but it does seem to me that it's a track for closers on the outside.

I kinda agree with Gales. Ramon Dominguez has toyed with a crappy Jockey colonies in AQU and has loaded up his share of MCL, Claimers and ALW. In order to be in the elite class, he needs to develop a cold-blooded menatlity on those big days of racing. As of now he hasnt shown it.

Yes he won the Saratoga title last year but 4 jockeys had more stakes wins than he did that meet.

Yes he won all NYRA jockey titles but many of the big jocks were not around as they spend thier time going to Keeneland, Gulfstream, Churchill riding there regularly and getting mounts on graded stakes races. Also, none of those get or choose to ride the quantity of mounts that Ramon gets.

This is the first sign you may need help.

NT

Can we please debate the points and refrain from childish name calling?

Consider the source, no, we cannot have a debate of any type.

NT

Are you talking about Russel Baze or Ramon Dominguez????

Ramon Dominguez has toyed with a crappy Jockey colonies in AQU and has loaded up his share of MCL, Claimers and ALW. In order to be in the elite class, he needs to develop a cold-blooded menatlity on those big days of racing. As of now he hasnt shown it.

Yes he won the Saratoga title last year but 4 jockeys had more stakes wins than he did that meet.

Yes he won all NYRA jockey titles but many of the big jocks were not around as they spend thier time going to Keeneland, Gulfstream, Churchill riding there regularly and getting mounts on graded stakes races. Also, none of those get or choose to ride the quantity of mounts that Ramon gets.


Now Can We Debate?

dominguez won over 300 races at nyra tracks last year. the only other riders to do that ever are cordero, mike smith, eibar coa and steve cauthen. pretty good company. he won the spring/summer belmont meet and saratoga. thats when the top jocks are in ny. day in day out hes the most consistent rider in ny in years. hes patient and poised more than any jockey around.

the stakes will come. its not for lack of ability. hes hurt because he really doesnt have a main stable like velazquez/pletcher, gomez/baffert. without a major stable behind him he won 5 grade 1's last year. if hes not the best rider in the us, hes top 3 easily.

You right, I should have specified that the jockey in question did it on argueably what is the best/deepest (jockey colony wise) circuit 8 months out of the year. Hopefully that would have answered your question.

According to what was said, Ramon D isn't that great because no T/C wins.
Garret Gomez,Julian Leparoux the two finalist as top jockey also has 0 wins in the T/C. So based on talk, none of the 3 holds a candle to the great Calvin Borel or the great Kent D. The point being it takes alot of racing luck to win these big races, not just being on good horses.

Deepest??? Best??? I am looking at AQU Jockey standings right now and he is just schooling the likes of David Cohen, Angel Serpa (Who?), Napravnik and Charles Lopez (Who?) Doesnt Aqueduct run 6 months out of the year? Again another example of a good jockey crushing a poor-mediocre group of jockeys,

You also forget that your top tier jockeys in NYRA are spent shuffling around Keeneland, Gulfstream, Churchill. And again they dont ride near as enough mounts as Dominguez to even contend jockey titles. What they do beat him in is definetely in Graded stakes win.

Also, you seem to empasize wins in Claiming, ALW as more important than anything else.

I am not going to argue that Dominguez is a good jockey or not but as far as being elite --Not yet my friend.

Jerry Bailey, Laffit Pincay, Angel Cordero, Chris McCarron, Pat Day, Gary Stevens, Garret Gomez, etc. are some of the luckiest jockeys ever.

How can you win over 300 races on the NY circuit and not be elite? Because he didn't win a BC race? The guy has been on a major circuit for one year full time! How many mounts do you think he was going to accumulate?

I'd reserve judgment on whether Dominguez is "not elite" until he gets quite a few more legitimate mounts in big races.

NT

As you know, big races extend beyond BC/TC races and still he is a relative no-show. Winning over 300 races and winning at 25% clip doesnt inherit you big mounts. If that was the case then Russel Baze, and Clinton Potts would be first call for any elite trainer of thier choice. Elite riders not only win one or two Grade ones but repeat and repeat thier wins in Grade Ones.