Derby Trail Forums - Garret Gomez sucks

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Am I the only one who hopes Hard Spun comes back in the Haskell? Am I also the only who is naive enough to believe Hard Spun will ever race again, period?

Quote:

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Am I the only one who hopes Hard Spun comes back in the Haskell? Am I also the only who is naive enough to believe Hard Spun will ever race again, period?

Nah, I'm with you, Slot. I think he'll run again. I love this colt. I guess I need to be more realistic about him. :p

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

You stated what you stated and I disagreed. Is there a crime in that, Andy?

If there isn't...there should be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

If there isn't...there should be.

LOL :p

I don't know if anyone has brought this point up yet....but it was Gomez who, in last years Belmont, carved out the 23 flat and 47 1/5 fractions aboard post time favorite Bob And John.

The horses racing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th after a half mile in last years running....all would be beaten 20 or more lengths by the mighty last-to-first winner Jazil....who is still looking to get through his N2X allowance condition.

One of those four quiters came back to win the Ohio Derby next out, and two others had fairly nice recent performances (Bob and John and High Finance)

Perhaps Gomez had regrets about getting burned up on the lead in this race last year, and that was on his mind this year--however, once he saw no one else wanted the lead.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cardus

What is your basis for not believing HS' connections that Gomez ignored Jones' pre-race instructions?

It just seems considering all the questionable and unfair stuff I have heard come out of that camp that I think it is at least fair to take anything they say with a grain of salt.

Look at it this way.......is it unreasonable to assume any instructions went something like this " obviously our best chances would be loafing along on the lead, but with potential other speed in the race we don't want to get caught up in a speed duel, so if another horse wants the front, and we know Hard Spun can stalk, feel free to let them go " but then when others went, but slowly, the connections somehow decided that those instructions should have included " but go if they are really backing it down? "

or,
"The last guy moved too f'ing early. Don't make the same f'ing mistake."

I'm just relieved Juan Leyva emerged from this unscathed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SentToStud

or,
"The last guy moved too f'ing early. Don't make the same f'ing mistake."

I'm just relieved Juan Leyva emerged from this unscathed.

MUCH more likely.

And your boy was probably still stinging from his Belmont debut on Friday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

You can't blame Gomez for the ride in 2006. Baffert admitted that he instructed GG to go to the lead.

I didn't blame him.

I just threw out the idea that what happened in that race last year may have been in the back of his mind.

It is staggering to think Bob and John was actually favored in a Triple Crown race.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmorioles

It is staggering to think Bob and John was actually favored in a Triple Crown race.

Agreed. He was quite the plug.

Personally,I think trainers should not give instructions,because the race never plays out the way they think it will anyway,so why bother.Plus,most jockeys fail to listen anyway,hence this topic.I can understand them telling a jock to not go too hard on an animal,or to save something for the next race,but these guys that say"At this point in the race,I want you here,then here,then here,going no faster than 12 seconds a furlong" is just ridiculous.I think that most trainers or owners give instructions just so they CAN blame the jock when they lose.Owners should just keep their mouths shut and stay in the stands anyway.They hired a trainer,so they should let him do his job.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmorioles

It is staggering to think Bob and John was actually favored in a Triple Crown race.

Is it really that hard to imagine? Think about that field...you had Bluegrass Cat whose form really didn't look that great and needed to validate his Derby runner-up finish after anything but an awe-inspiring spring. Sunriver could not have possibly been favored, Steppenwolfer was a plodder and so was Jazil. I didn't bet Bob and John, but I can see why he was favored- the field was awful. His Wood Memorial win was slow, but I think many chalked it up to the wet track that day.

I am a bit of a Stonerside Stable guy because of the hometown connection, but I don't agree that it was staggering to think that he was favored. Too bad Pointgiven1985 is not around anymore, he admitted to betting Bob and John in the Derby AND Belmont.

NT

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmfhb411

Hard Spun: definitely not a good ride, by Gomez, but this was a tough assignment from the get-go. And owner and trainer have to take some criticism for this too.
Disagree and voice your displeasure with jockey Mario Pino after the Preakness ? I don't agree with it, but somewhat understandable.
But taking him off, like Hard Spun is the most controllable/ratable horse in the history of the sport ? I didn't get that from the beginning ( sorry to break that to all of those who needed HS in the Preakness and Belmont ).

Wait a While: I don't see Gomez not getting greif if he let her loose earlier and lost anyway. So IMO, those who needed her would have complained as long as she lost no matter how it happened. Therefore, I can't pay attention to any who backed her.

Dream Rush: this is the ride to completely hammer Gomez on. He had enough experience on her, to know that rating her for that long wasn't going to work in her favor. He should have let the horse run, and tell his clients she wasn't taking to rating kindly enough so he had to let her run, if they complain about it after the race. He doesn't have to scratch and claw for mounts anymore. He can do that.

The Dream Rush race was a mile. She went :45 1/5 for the half. It's very hard to win going :45 1/5 in a mile race. Did you want her to go :44 4/5? That would be suicide. When was the last time you saw a horse go :44 4/5 in a mile race and win?

Dream Rush has only gone faster than :45 1/5 once in her life and it was in a 6 1/2 furlong race.

If there would be any criticism of the ride on Dream rush, it would be that he went too fast, not too slow. You can't win a mile race going :44 4/5. It's almost impossible. It is kind of funny that the original criticism for that ride was for going too fast and now someone says that he didn't go fast enough. I'd hate to be a jock. They get criticized no matter what.

I don't mean so much over that field, just that a mediocre horse like him could ever be favored in a TC race. I guess in today's game, it shouldn't be that big of a surprise.