I'm not really sure what one has to do with the other in this instance. It's not as though he has not shown an ability to pass horses in the past.

Graded races, especially nowadays don't necessarily indicate quality. I have seen overnight handicaps at Belmont or Saratoga in the last few months that could pass as a grade 1 or 2 nowadays.

:tro::tro::tro:

The difference between what it takes to win in Europe and what it takes to win in North America is far more nuanced than you realize.

And Dahoss is right--his trip and performance need not be looked at in relation to his previous form (which is much better than you're giving him credit for). He could have looked like a completely hopeless 99-1 shot before the race, but that wouldn't change the fact that he had an impossible trip and was clearly winning with any sort of clean trip/competent ride.

Hooray! It's nice to see you show a pulse and not act like such an old lady! :p

I meant to ask this before the race and it's not important but does anyone know why exactly Johan Victoire stopped being the jock for Right One?

Was there a falling out or something?

Because Right One has been racing in America all year?

Before he came here though... I thought there were 2 races at Deauville with Tony Piccone up but I was wrong and there's only one so just ignore me. :wf:D

I think it is a mistake to term Spencer's ride as incompetent, was the result a bad one, obviously it was. But you will know as I am pretty sure you will, in europe, the riders there would rather race with cover, save ground to a fault rather than lose ground or race without cover. I thought Spencer achieved this well until midstretch, his mistake was he miscalculated a seam opening up in the stretch, watch Sarafina's run in the Qatar Prix Foy where Lemaire did the impossible of having her behind of wall of horses in a 4 horse field. The only difference was he forced his way through without the stewards taking him down.

I can safely say that if I have in fact deterred this type of "discussion" with my "attacking" then I'm glad.

I can't think of a rider that has gotten horses beat in big races over here more than Jaime Spencer. Races he had no business losing. The amazing thing is his sample size is so limited, yet it seems like every single year you can count on him to totally mess up a ride in a big race. I don't know who his agent is, but he deserves a raise.

I'm no fan of Spencer's on both continents either, some of his rides can be best termed as peculiar. His ride on Powerscourt in the BC comes to mind as one of the worst judged rides in history, a 5/8ths move on turf was mind numbing, not to rehash his ride in the W mile, but had he found a seam he might have come out smelling like gold, it's a tough line riding on turf, if you save ground, race behind cover and still have the racing luck to make a hole or find a hole in the stretch, majority of the time, you win those races. It's the one time when you get shut off people remember, when Dominguez is at his best he reminds me of how they ride over in europe. As for earlier, I agree, glad we can discuss this amiably.