You are seriously in need of help if you think SBD should be ahead of Lakeway, Inside Information and even Sardula.

Also, Gentlemen, on one of his good days, KILLS Criminal Type.

Barbaro absolutely is one of the best 3yos of the past decade.

Why no Uncle Mo for 2yos? 2010?

Silverbulletday was an awesome 3-year-old filly through summer and with a hard campaign. Lakeway, II, and Sardula all were plauged with issues at age 3.

Gentlemen was outstanding - I suppose he wasn't retired soon enough, his brillance did decline and it got to the point where he was a DNF in the BC Classic - a race his owner paid a forture to supplament him into. Criminal Type slayed some dragons.

Barbaro's 3-year-old season doesn't hold a candle to horses like Bernardini, Point Given, and Tiznow. Yeah, Barbaro beat Great Point and Sharp Humor at GP - and he blew out a very weak Derby field in his only real impressive performance at age 3. The fact that the champion 3yo eclipse vote with Bernardini - which he didn't win - wasn't even that close should be telling.

Yes - no Uncle Mo beacuse he's 2010.

What were Forty Niner's numbers like at 2? IIRC, he lost his debut and won 5 or 6 straight, culminating with the Champagne.

Pretty solid - he was one I considered. Not going to the West Coast for the Breeders Cup hurt his case. He actually wasn't favored in a 2yo stakes race until his final start - when he took the '87 Breeders Futurity by a nose over Hey Pat at 2/5.

I honestly remember very little from 80's racing mostly outside of SS and EG. You had a lot of cool 2yo's in that '89 year. Grand Canyon was insane in his two races after losing the BC in a race which he arguably was best in. Summer Squall - I was very surprised how good he was at age 2. Champagne For Ashley had a freaky form and real good numbers - but facing 80's NY Breds really dampens any idea that he was a monster.

Easy Goer ran a 118 Beyer in the Champagne at age 2. The horse who was 3rd by almost 20 lengths came back and won a Grade 1 500K 2yo stakes race next time out at 15/1. Is It True got thumped in 2nd - and he won the BC Juvie next out. I think it's easy to forgive EG's Breeders Cup defeat when you consider by far his worst number at age 3 came at CD over a similar wet racetrack.

Did you really just use an Eclipse vote to justify your position?

Bernardini was a better 3yo than Barbaro. This can't be disputed.

Yes it can.

One had time to develop. The other one died.

That was a Hall of Fame field compared to the last few Derbies!

I don't think Steppenwolfer and Jazil ever got through their alw conditions... but yeah, a few recent Derby fields have really sucked.

I don't think she should be included, but a 3 year old Filly that always gets forgotten is Yanks Music. It wasn't easy to run down Serena's Song, but Yanks Music did it twice in the span of a few weeks in th Ruffian and Beldame. She also won the Mother Goose (over Escena and Bernardini's dam Cara Rafaela) and the Alabama and was beat a nose in the Acorn after a tough trip.

She wasn't great, but really good and had a real solid 3 year old year.

You can never take away that grand day when Jazil won the Belmont. :tro:



:D

We've had some real crappy horses win the Belmont. Commendable and Sarava come to mind.

It should be noted that Forty Niner's Breeder's Futurity win came about 10 days after he won the Champagne.

Not sure why not running in the BC hurt's him. Ultimately, he didn't avoid anything by not running. Success Express won the race.

As proxy for a lost forum member, I think I should also mention King Glorious, who ran some fast races over the '89 season.

I'll give you a horse that may not be quite as accomplished as Ferdinand or Alysheba but when he ran his best, I think Lemhi Gold would have easily beaten either of those horses. He did win Champion Older Horse in 1982.

Lemhi Gold was an absolute freak when he fired. For those of you that have never seen him run, here is a replay of his win in the Grade I Marlboro Cup at Belmont:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovmxhqF-TJk

Those Vaguely Nobles sure could run.

They were mainly turf horses but Lemhi Gold could run well on either surface.

High chaparrel
Islington
Orientate
Ashado
Candy ride
Vindication

Giant's Causeway won a total of 9 races, not all of which were Group 1s, in his entire career.

You might single-handedly keep the red pen industry afloat in this time of economic crisis.