The compositon of the Blue Grass field would have been much different had it been run over the old Keeneland dirt track....and who do you think might have scratched from the field?

Prior to the poly-track, KEE races are almost never taken off-the-turf.

I'm a fan of full fields....and competitive races....and that's the benefit of the surface to horseplayers....however, as a fan of the sport, I hate watching racing over that surface...it's a complete eye-sore...like watching harness racing without sulkys.

I also have doubts that a skilled handicapper has any advantage playing races over that surface....

The field may have been a little different but trainers seem more worried about the timing rather than the surface.
I believe Street Sense may have scratched on a sloppy track. Obviously just a hunch.

Saturday they would have taken them off no matter what. Dont forget that Pat Day had all the power in the jocks room in KY for 20 years and he was never one to complain about track condition. If Pat was ok with the track then everybody just fell in line. I'm not so sure that the current colony would be so forgiving.

I hear ya.

I think a horse like Deadly Dealer would have run in the Blue Grass as opposed to the Arkansas Derby...if the old KEE dirt surface was still around. I also have a feeling a few other cheaper speeds who might run in the Lexington might have taken a shot.

Perhaps Great Hunter would have ran elsewere...as his style would appear to be better suited to polytrack...than the old KEE dirt.

If Street Sense scratched from the Blue Grass on the old KEE dirt....would CN run him in the Derby off of one-prep and seven weeks between races? My hunch is he wouldn't have scratched regardless of track condition...but you're a lot closer to the situation and more inside than I am.

I wouldn't dispute that. What I do dispute is that because Race A might not offer any insight into how Race B will be run, then we should question why Race A was run.

Maybe more importantly though -- we don't even know that the Blue Grass won't add some insight. It might be a matter of us -- as handicappers -- adjusting. We probably have to give it four or five years before we know for sure.

For instance, a lot of players feel that a turf-to-dirt move will "wake up" a horse and bring about some improvement. It's not a direct correlation. You can't necessarily rely on the time or the pace or the figures from the turf race -- but there's been a large enough sample over time to know that the move can often lead to an improved effort.

Perhaps after four or five runnings of the Blue Grass on Poly we'll see runners that come out of the race do well in the Derby. We might not be able to make a direct correlation with the times, the pace or the figures of the Blue Grass -- but we'll know that those runners do well, and we can add that info to everything else on the PPs to make a decision.

It's still a very limited sample -- but certainly the move from Poly to Churchill in last year's BC Juvie doesn't seem to indicate that it leads to a particularly chaotic handicapping conundrum.

I was the one who pasted up "Good job...Ca-Ca for brains" after your Lousy Grades disaster.

The wind was brutal at Keeneland. it's enough to make everyone run slower early - no matter what the are racing on.

i thought it was a great race. who says every race has to be run the same...that stretch battle was riveting.

3 words for you

read em and weeep






LONE STAR SKY

At least I haven't snuffed any jockeys in my time.



I can't wait to hear your derby DeepSix.

I am impressed with this , cool.:D

Well it beats your pick of Storm in May. I know you sent me an email saying not to let the cat out of the bag with your pick...but it's too funny to keep to myself.

He likes him to win the Derby? Hey... stranger things have happened.

LOL It'd be hilarious if the horse actually won.

You could do worse finding a last place finisher :)

Steve Haskin's view of the weekend:

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=38464

I think they call more than one BIG LIAH a conspiracy.


Actually from the people bagging SIM......it may be a huge tip this horsey could do well.



When I hold my annual DerbyRa-view.....then we shall see. .....and then it will be time for certain ace handicappers to vomit up their picky-doos.



I will merely wait in raucous anticipation.

I can only add, that this past week was my 3rd trip to Keeneland, and the first capping the poly in person. I feel that the racing over the 4 days I was there was more competetive than all my other visits. I actually came home with a profit lol. No more of the conveyor belt speed on the front from the inside posts going wire to wire.
The BG was so slow to the half mile marker, because that was the only way that Edgar on Tberg could have won. In the opinion of the group I was with, he should have been dqd for the block on Grteat Hunter. Does that place money get the local trainers horse in???