Blame the breeders for that. That is where this starts. It is not toughness these horses lack, but the fact that breeders have been breeding for speed and not soundness.

Thanks for the laugh.

I'm with you Justin -- couldn't agree more.

Taking into account what horses have done after winning the Belmont, I think it's in the best interest of the horse to sit this one out and get ready for the summer/fall campaign... What do people like to say?? Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it??

They -- at least Nafzger -- just about admitted as much when he said that it was clear that the Derby was just a learning experience for Curlin. Why run now against him, with a possibly tired SS, instead of waiting, especially when that means there is a chance that SS would never risk a second defeat by Curlin, i.e., if he doesn't make it back for the Travers or BC. At this point, Eclipse award strategies start weighing in. If SS lost to Curlin in the Belmont, he'd probably lose 3 YO status unless he did significantly better than him in the BC. But if Curlin wins the Belmont, and SS doesn't face him in the Travers and wins it, SS wins 3 YO, no? All probably silly conjectures, but I think SS's people want to make sure that he gets the Eclipse 3 YO award, do or die, and they don't want to do anything to jeopardize that. Curlin in the Belmont isn't looking appealing right now, not with a colt like SS that has a good chance of hanging once he hits the front in that long, long Belmont stretch...

That was really greaaaaaaaat.

I disagree. I happen to feel that the Travers is a more important race than the Belmont. The Belmont is only really important when a horse is going for the TC. Look at the ratings and attendance difference when there is not a TC on the line. The Travers carries the same purse and grade as the Belmont does. And if I'm not mistaken, it's been around even longer. Plus, it's run during a more prestigious meet at a more prestigious track. Back in the older days, the Belmont had more significance because it was 12f. But in those days, there were other 12f races. I believe the Woodward was 12f and the JCGC was 16f. The Belmont served more of a purpose. U got a chance to see which 3yo's were going to be able to step up past 10f to be able to compete with the top older horses in the fall championship races at Belmont. But that's no longer the case. The 12f of the race have made it irrelevant as far as determining which 3yo's are the best. It's more important to know who's the best at distances that they contest the championship events at. These days, it's more important to know who's the best 10f horse, not 12f. Because of that, the Travers is a more important race to me.

This is what I've tried to say. It's a 12F race, and his 3rd race in 5 weeks.
Whether you're happy with it or not, the race loses some of its luster when the triple crown isn't on the line.
Running in the Belmont for the sole purpose to be "sportsmanlike" or to help gain interest in the sport instead of keeping the horse sound and ready for late summer/fall is a risk that his connections don't want to make. I can't blame them at all.

Hopefully we'll see Curlin and Street Sense hook up again sometime, but I'll still enjoy the Belmont without Street sense included.

The Travers is the most prestigious 3YO race outside the Triple Crown. There's no chance it's more prestigious than the Belmont. Zero.

Let's say the Curlin wins the Belmont over a field that doesn't include Street Sense. Then he hits the sidelines for a break. Then let's say that Street Sense wins the Haskell and then they face each other in the Travers. The winner of the Travers would then be the leader of the division. Curlin winning the Belmont will only have him in the lead if he is to beat Street Sense again. If Curlin wins the Belmont and Street Sense beats him later for a 2-1 advantage heads up, how could Curlin have the lead?

Hopefully this defection opens the door for Rags To Riches anyway.

Make no mistake though---everyone from the racing fans to the betting public wanted to see Street Sense run.

As a fan, I sure do. But as a realist, I understand what's going on. I may not like it but I know what the trends have become and I understand the reality. While there is never any guarantee of even the next day, I do think that for the long term, this gives Street Sense a better chance of having a summer/fall campaign than if he had ran. I have no doubt that he COULD run in the Belmont AND have a summer/fall campaign. I also believe that more horses SHOULD do that. But that doesn't change the fact that recently, more and more DON'T. To ignore that and keep saying what horses SHOULD be able to do is not recognizing what is going on.

Who is your favorite horsey...if I may so inquire?

Let me get this straight. U are saying Street Sense could have a 2-1 edge over Curlin in head to heads but Curlin would still win the title because he won a race Street Sense wasn't even in?

The Travers is the oldest race in North America. Good post.

http://www.nyra.com/Belmont/mediagui...orySection.pdf

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Not what you were looking for, but it does help out a bit.