Sun King runs Today at Belmont
 

Race 3, Albert the Great Stakes

Not sure why he has him in such a soft spot as a prep for the Whitney but he should handle these. Premium Tap though is a nice horse.

with two scratches, (Sinister G and Lieutenant Danz) the spot is even softer. I'm wondering why Zito doesn't just keep SK focused on the shorter distances where he's seeing some nice success.

Good question because SK has zero shot against the top horses going 10F. His effort at 8F was tremendous but horses like Flower Alley and Invasor would toy with him. Even that overrated Harlington beat him soundly. Funny Cide finished ahead of him both times this year too.

Sun King is a very talented horse. He looked great in the Met Mile finishing a close 2nd, of course. Zito must be trying to stretch him out.

He has stretched him out with terrible results.

I think this is a great spot for SK. It is a soft field, get the horse a win, and some experience. Sun King looked great closing in the Met Mile. I do not see why he couldnt finish in the top 3 in an stakes race rather it is sprinting or routing. Great move by Zito here.

Not since the change in running style.

so he looked strong closing for 2nd in the Met Mile, 8F. today's he's going 8.5F, about 110 yds further. i think the Whitney is 9F, about 110 yrds further than today's distance.

What you call running style I call running shorter distances. He is not even in the league with the top horses going 10F and never will be.

Just because a horse closes in an 8F race doesn't mean 9F is his distance. 8F and 9F races are completely different races.

I wouldn't say " terrible " results. He did win the Leonard Richards ( $300K ), the Pennsylvania Derby and was second in the Haskell. Hardly terrible.

I guess the logic for running him in the Whitney, and I'm not going to get into my relationship with Nick and specifically this horse, is that it's worth a shot in a $750K Grade 1 with, most likely Flower Alley and the usual suspects, as there really is no other spot for him and he can still run four weeks later in the Grade 1 Forego at 7F. Are you really supposed to leave a horse in the barn that is going to be under 8-1 in a race like the Whitney?

This I absolutely agree with.

If would have thought the 7F Tom Fool for him but if your plans are to stretch him out for the 9F Whitney then I guess they think he has a shot. With Invasor going out west it might be worth a shot, but he is running for second with Flower Alley in there. The 7F Forego has to be his target though with his effort at Keeneland at 7F and 8F at Belmont. I just don't think he is anything special past 8F. This 1-9 stuff today is not exactly going to answer whether he can stretch out, unless he loses.

I'm not saying he rates to beat Flower Alley, or that I even expect him to, but I am also not quite ready to annoint that one a champion yet. Let's see him race in a little more contentious spot.

As for the Tom Fool, it does seem like a reasonable spot, but I think it's only $150K and Silver Train is supposed to go. So, he's fighting Silver Train for a winner's purse of $90K whereas even second money in the Whitney is $150K and third is $90K. So, from an equity standpoint, I would have to think the Whitney makes a lot of sense.

I also think Commentator is nominated for the Tom Fool though I have absolutely no idea whether or not he is pointing for it.

allrighty, then Chowders First needs a little support, lol.

Though, after witnessing that, I guess it doesn't make any sense.

Well I tend to think there is something to Zito trying to beat Bellamy Road for obvious reasons in the Whitney. We will see.

Thats all
 

Enough said....

Got beat by a nice horse but obvioulsy not in the league of the top older horses...

Agreed. Premium Tap is a nice horse as I point out above. SK will still go to the Whitney though.

Premium Tap actually looked pretty good...full of run to beat Sun King easily...never a trying moment.....Sun King looked like he ran his race but left himself a little too much to do in the stretch...either way, I was still impressed with how Premium Tap easliy held a large margin to the wire because Sun King WAS running in the stretch and we all know he has a good closing kick....

Well, much as I would love to see him in the Whitney, I would doubt Bellamy Road is in it. That would be great.

Forgetting about Sun King, and while Premium Tap was obviously the other horse in the race, where the hell did he come up with THAT performance?

so premium tap goes in the whitney lol..sk has allways done his thing...do well when he shouldent and crap out when he should...nice ride by gomez...lmfao..

I had the $18 exacta so I am not complaining. I actually liked Premium Tap as I mentioned in the original post. I have never been a SK fan.

good job ...skipped that one...i would have played sk but 1/9 isnt my thing..on a suspect horse at best...

It was a good workout for SK. And he worked over the bettors that played him to win, lol. He was not all out today but it was a good prep.

I don't know, sure looked like he was beat by a better horse. Whitney horses don't prep in low budget stakes and lose.

i don't know the numbers but the met mile may have taken a lot out of SK.

Though SK was obviously not ready to fire his best, he's still overrated by many who think he can beat a true G1 field.

I couldn't agree more. He looks really good up to 8F, but he isn't beating a good horse at anything past that.

I agree with you. Two of the best races he ever ran were the Pennsylvania Derby and the Haskell.

He actually is a really nice horse but you never know which Sun King is going to show up.

Very good, now I know two that I won't be betting in the Whitney.

Yes, I agree. I don't think SK is nearly as sharp right now as he was in August of last year. He's a very good horse when he's at his best but I don't think he's 100% right now.

Has he even beaten a pseudo G 1 field? Totally overrated horse.

i'd have to look at his form cycle...he looked real good in the Met Mile, but as i said, that took something out of him although today's effort was not bad. he likes to close into tiring speed but the winner (3x4 to Stage Door Johnny), looking for his first stakes win, was wound tight for today's race, and it set up perfectly for him.

Sadly ... I agree.

If you can't win a fake stakes race at 8.5f ... how are you going to win a G1 at 9f?

Nicky often has surprises up his sleeve ... but not this time.