It looked like Garcia eased him to me.

Yeah -- Coil was being eased.

Total non-effort from him ... something was obviously amiss.

Baffert already expressing his displeasure of Coil being that far back, but Coil never looked like he wanted to run at any point in the race.

He didn't exactly do a ton of running at Monmouth when he won the Haskell with a 96 Beyer.

I don't quite understand blowing him out in 46 four days before a mile and 1/4 race and then plan on rating well off the pace in a race that looked like the pace would be moderate at best. Coil probably didnt understand either and just said **ck this!

How dare you question the training methods of the GOAT.

You know what Bob Baffert means to a horse?

Vision,
Themes!,
Direction,
Dreams!

He has a track record of leadership, stability, and he's a proven winner.

The GOAT had this horse ready to run through a wall today. I had a dream he was going to win by 22 lengths and equal General Assembley's track record. That sandwhich artist Garcia ruined him though.

I'm so mad right now -- I think I broke a bone in my hand when I pounded my desk afterwards.

-

[/

the worst bunch of rats that i can remember.

Which was my main point about Garcia. You work him and let him run a 46 in the am, than you strong arm him back @ 10 lengths off a 47 3 half. I just dont get it>>>>

I was making a PointGiven 1985 joke.

Had to be a heart breaking defeat for him today -- a Baffert trained son of Point Given and all.


Everyone is knocking this field today -- the Haskell was a 96 Beyer race -- it went as fast as the Barbaro Stakes at Delaware.

Compared to the Haskell -- this group today was like the '98 BC Classic field in terms of depth.

Being that it was the only 2 turn dirt race of the day, will be interesting to see what kind of # it will get. It did seem like the stretch lasted forever. On one of your earlier post you felt that Stay Thirsty ran real game because he pressed the pace and went on. Do you feel the pace was legitimate for the track today?

Yes. Saratoga route paces are among the slowest in the country. Even though the track was quick today -- that was a real Grade 1 stakes type pace.

In terms of adjusted come-home ... it was more like a 3yo alw caliber come-home time.

i have had bad beats before but todays was up there with the worst. Would have had the p6 if uncle mo hangs on.

http://www.drf.com/news/replay-caleb...e-kings-bishop

Oh, Mike (Repole, not Welsch). :rolleyes:

I always thought the Street Sense/Grasshopper epic battle was vastly overrated too.

JFC!

WTF was that last paragraph all about?

Hopefully just him babbling while in a very emotional state. Hope Mo comes out of the race great.

Not much mention of Uncle Mo throwing a shoe at the start - "If's" and "But's" granted... but considering the margin of defeat it isn't beyond possibility that he wins by lengths...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/sp...by-a-nose.html

>>>He got there and found little consolation when his trainer, Todd Pletcher, told him Uncle Mo had hopped at the start and lost the shoe on his right hind leg. <<<

If you believe TAP's assessment of the start, then I don't know what the cause for alarm would be.

I thought he was on his wrong lead for most of the stretch too.
But, I don't think Mo needs any excuses, I thought he ran a huge race off the layoff and in defeat. Hopefully he continues to move forward after that performance.

I have said it before but I am not a fan of Repole. If he retires Mo after this, I'll be even less of one. There is absolutely no reason to do so. He talks and talks about how he's a fan and wants to do what's in the best interests of the sport and the fans, talks about how he wants to showcase Mo and will run him as a 4yo.....and now we may not even get to see a completed 3yo season. Instead of being ecstatic that his horse returned from illness and layoff to run an outstanding race and is in good position for whatever comes next, he's crying about a loss and talking possible retirement. A foot the other way and he'd have won the race and all would be well. Ridiculous.

Hilda's Passion exits Ballerina with season-ending condylar..

Kind of what Repole was getting it when he said "I wouldn't be surprised if this was Uncle Mo's last race"

It's hard to be that surprised when any speedy horse gets hurt anymore.

Maclean's Music might have had the all-time greatest one-race career in thoroughbred horse racing history.

Hilda not doing good
 

Sustained a non-displaced condylar fracture of her right front leg that will require surgery.

Dale Romans on Travers Day
 

Except for Tapitsfly, who ran a game race, it sure was a tough day for Dale Romans. How did Sassy's Image and Shackleford come out of their races?

I bet all these Kentucky trainers can't wait to get return for some home cookin.

From NYRA Communications Daily Notes:

Off a day of high expectations that turned into disappointments, trainer Dale Romans was back at work Sunday morning, putting in entries for later race days.

For Romans’ star 3-year-old Shackleford, there was little to do other than get him ready to head back to Kentucky following an eighth-place finish in the Grade 1, $1 million Travers. Sent off as the third choice, at just under 4-1, in the field of 10, the Preakness winner raced outside winner Stay Thirsty and Ruler On Ice into the backstretch, made the lead through a half-mile in 47.63 seconds and six furlongs in 1:11.91 but had no punch turning for home.

“He came out good; we’ll just go home and regroup,” said Romans, who will remain in Saratoga through the rest of the race meet. “We don’t have an explanation for it. He wasn’t quite on the bit. He’s still on track for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Compounding Romans’ woes was the poor performance of his ace sprinter Sassy Image, strong favorite to win the Grade 1 Ballerina for fillies and mares at seven furlongs. Looking for her third Grade 1 win of the year, Sassy Image hopped awkwardly from the gate at the start, lagged behind the field and bore out badly on the turn. She finished more than 26 lengths behind winner Hilda’s Passion.

Afterward, Romans discovered Sassy Image had torn a quarter on her left front. “That’s why she was getting out like she did,” he said. “She might have done it while she was coming out of the gate. She jumped pretty good.” Romans put a picture of the hoof on the Romans Racing Stable Facebook page.

Thanks.

I hope we see Uncly again. Considering the layoff, that was a bang-up race he ran on Saturday.