I haven't seen any yet. I won't use how she ran this past weekend as any evidence of anything other than the fact that Baffert had her ready to win a 7f race in fast time in her 3yo debut. There was no need for her to be ready to rate and show enough stamina to convince the masses that she could go 9f or more in that race. I believe that a horse should be trained for what they are going to be asked to do. This is the same thing I went through with Smarty in 2004. People said he wouldn't have the stamina to go past a mile. They used his run in the Southwest Stakes (a tiring win where the closers were coming at him) as proof. They were wrong. Maybe they will end up right about Indian Blessing. This past weekend's race means nothing towards that end though, IMO. If one was seeing her for the first time this past weekend, they would assume that she couldn't last a step beyond 7f but we know that's not true because she's already won at 8.5f around two turns in grade one company.

OH NO. Comparing Indian Blessing to Smarty Jones again. :p

I bet against Smarty Jones in the EhorseX exchange market the day of the Southwest because there was no way he wasn't getting cooked in that race - He got cooked - and still gave only marginal late ground to Two Down Automatic.

Since her remarkable debut at 5.5 furlongs, Indian Blessing has shown vulnerability through the stretch run in each start. To compare her at this point - with Smarty Jones after the Southwest Stakes - is ridiculious.

I was amazed how badly he was winging out in his right front. Bdw you are familiar with the horse is that normal for him? I dont recall it ever being so pronounced watching him run. Still a strong effort

To be honest, I couldn't stand Smarty Jones until after the Belmont was over. I remember seeing footage of him after the race was done and he was literally shaking from exhaustion. Any horse that puts in that much effort to attempt to win a race is a nice horse IMO.

For goodness sakes, I'M NOT COMPARING HER WITH SMARTY JONES!!!! Gee. I'm comparing situations of having a horse prepared to run one race and then people saying that it shows or proves what will happen in the next one. Do people not understand the meaning of a PREP anymore?

Rock Hard Ten - who won the Grade 1 Malibu at 7f over Lava Man at the end of that season - he got a very stupid ride and made a very pre-mature inside move in that race. He was ridden in the Belmont like it was a 7 furlong race, and the vast majority of the people seemed to want to blame Bailey for him harmless early actions on Eddington...basically forcing them from walking the dog up front and relaxing.

RHT's early move did a hell of a lot more to soften SJ - than Bailey shaking up his plodder a little early on, to force the pacesetters from crawling.

No, almost just as bad, you used the reaction some people had from his Southwest win as an example for justifying that it is pre-mature to say that Indian Blessing has stamina issues to address.

i loath bailey.. but i like when a horse goes after the front runner whos slowing it down. to many outcomes have been bad because no one had the stones to go...

Agree with your analysis... sucks that it happened that way. Hell, it more than sucks. Smarty was probably the closest thing to a Triple Crown winner that I'll see in my lifetime and I didn't even care for him until after it was said and done, lol.

Real Quiet was 1/9 to win the triple crown at the 1/4 pole.

stalker

So was Smarty Jones, for that matter. He was 4 up at the 1/4 pole.

I love Commentator, so much so I called in sick to see his second career race. Horse is a monster when right, maybe the most talented NYB of all time (yeah, I said it. Refute me.)

You knew Smarty Jones was going to pay a big price - Real Quiet looked like an impossibility to lose.

Could we stop arguing about stupid Indian Blessing?
We all know she would need a bus ticket to get 10f, but that really has no bearing on Commentator. This is a talented horse that has shown some serious talent from 6f to 9f, and demonstrated again that he has the ability to actually run fast.
There aren't very many horses that can do that right now.

I was at the finish line. He looked an impossibility to lose with 50 feet to go!

He's right when things go his way. He's 10 for 10 now when on an early lead and able to set fractions of 44+ in a sprint and 46+ in a route. He is 0 for 6 without even a second place finish when those haven't been the circumstances. Basically they need to get a restraining order against Attila's Storm and Fabulous Strike if they want to go in anymore sprint races and have a chance.

There are obviously more than just those two sprinters who are capable of throwing fractions faster than that - but you know that.

The more serious question becomes, If the Chargers put Rachelle Washington on the field could she make Randy Moss disappear?