| RolloTomasi |
06-26-2007 01:51 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArlJim78
couldn't disagree more.
Invasors departure leaves a huge hole this year in my mind. he wasn't only at the top of the division, he was a horse with rare qualities.
the campaign for this years breeders cup classic seems much less exciting to me now. the possibility of Invasor running the table two years in a row and repeating in the BCC classic was huge for me and I suspect many others. I was also really looking forward to seeing how this years crop of top three year olds would fare against the big guy this fall.
True, Invasor may have only missed three races due to injury, but for me they were very important and exciting races. By the way, I wouldn't call the races he had on his agenda exactly insignificant. I wanted to see him step up a bit more in the historical sense and a repeat in the BCC would have put him in rare company.
BTW, the Dubai World Cup is not some novelty day of excitement. from a quality standpoint this past DWC was on par with any breeders cup offering. the racing year doesn't warm up at the same time world-wide, there are more than one racing seasons.
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Well my point more or less was that the hole was already there. It is late June and Invasor has not run in this country since the Donn. His win in Dubai, however heroic, was more or less moot as far as this season goes. He beat a ex-patriate in Premium Tap (who prior to his big Clark win was basically a rogue upstart anyways) and a still unproven, hyped talent in Discreet Cat, whom they are desperate to never bring out of the barn again. Had he run in the Suburban and Woodward, you could pretty much bank on small, exhibition-like fields that have typically plagued Belmont's fall championship season (eg Mineshaft's or Bernardini's JC Gold Cups) with the advent of alternative, purse-padded, BC "preps" (Hawthorne Gold Cup, Kentucky Cup Classic, etc). Thus, those races, while at least showcasing Invasor, would basically prove nothing other than the horse was sound and in competitive form.
I agree with the Sha Tin guy that basically Invasor was only significant as far as the 2007 season goes as a measuring stick for the more nationally active 3yos.
As far as the DWC goes, I don't particularly hold the BC Classic in high regard either, as it often proves to be anti-climactic. At least Dubai tends to have intriguing match ups, though mostly with the addition of turf horses who may or may not take to the dirt. But all the same it is untimely in that none of the horses have sorted themselves out for the current year and are basically invited based on accomplishments in the preceding season, not on current form. In that regard, it would be better to run the race in December, where participants could have adequate rest for the upcoming year or retire prior to the breeding season.
I don't really recall a DWC that was much of a revelation for the unfolding season aside from the '98 version, when Silver Charm held off Swain's repeated challenges. But any tip of Swain's hand as far as his main track prowess goes was ultimately rendered pointless by Frankie Dettori's violent, unprofessional, and egomaniacal ride in the BC. |
