Watched Bernadini work this morning-
 

Got an unexpected treat this morning while watching works. Beradini came out and breezed under Simon Harris. Harris never even so much as moved his fingers, still as a statue the whole way. Bernadini moves incredibly, looking as if he doesn't waste any energy. Watching him move you would think he wasn't going anywhere, so smooth. Hes quite a sight, I had never seen him work before.

Thanks for the info, Mike! :D

His biomechanics are breath-taking....maybe the best quality about him - even better than his pedigree and looks IMO....but then again, he is about as perfect as they come...

Joel I don't have an eye for movement like you do and don't claim to, but the word that went through my mind when he came down the stretch and finished in front of where I was watching workouts was "machine". Even I could see that he looked as if he was exerting no effort whatsoever and the exercise rider Harris never moved an inch. That was something to see.

Yeah, I agree...that is one of the top adjective that comes to mind when thinking about him and watching him....machine...he is one of the first horses that I can remember that doesn't appear to have any weaknesses (unless he isn't a fighter when or IF he is ever headed, which I doubt that he isn't a fighter because he is so classy)...

He is so light and agile for his size...amazing grace and athleticism....like a cross between a ballerina and an Olympic track star....his gate is a thing of beauty....probably as close to perfect as you could want...his stride is long and smooth and very, very efficient...he wastes no action or expends any energy that isn't productive to moving forward in a positive fashion....and he's so strong for a horse that seems like his feet never touch the ground or stay on the ground for very long.....he just floats over the track...I'd love to walk out on a track after he breezes to see how far he gets into the track....I bet that it isn't near as far into the track as the average racehorse....thus, he is also not very hard on his body....

Can you tell I love this horse?

Might be the most talented racehorse since Bid...just my opinion of course...

:D

I'm starting to really like this horse as well. I wish I knew he was working out this morning, I would have went over.

I'm very envious... I would have loved to have seen him work. Joel, your description was almost as good, though-- thank you for going into such detail!

BERNARDINI

Horse Name Date Track Dist Time Surf Cond. B/H

08/17/2006 SAR 5F 1:00.74 Dirt Fast B
08/11/2006 SAR 5F 1:03.48 Dirt Fast B
07/24/2006 BEL 5F 1:00.82 Dirt Fast B
07/17/2006 BEL 5F :58.90 Dirt Fast B
07/08/2006 BEL 5F 1:03.97 Dirt Fast B
06/29/2006 BEL 5F 1:02.67 Dirt Fast B
06/19/2006 BEL 5F 1:05.09 Dirt Fast B

Trust me, that work shouldn't even have a breeze denotation, it looked like an open gallop. The track was also quite dead today. That was the greatest work that I have ever witnessed in person. I was sitting next to a clocker and when he came out after the renovation break at about 8:50 the crowd was thrilled as most had no idea he was working. We knew how dead the track had been playing to workouts. Harris looked like a stone statue and wasn't even chirping to him as they finished up. The horse was thoroughly and completely on his own and looked to be open galloping. With the track as dead as it was this morning the work easily translates to 59 and change on a regular surface and words just won't do justice to how easily he was moving. Stunning.

Sounds pretty impressive. But wouldn't it be that his "gait" is a thing of beauty?

This is one reason why I am so in love with Bernardini - he just floats over the ground. I've never felt this way about a horse, even all the Indys that I love so much. Even a newbie to racing would know that Bernardini moves beautifully..I'm glad you got to see him in person, Mike! At least we know he's coming up to the Travers in top shape.

:D ...LOL...just noticed that...oops..the ole' swinging gate, huh?...LOL :D

That was the first thing that struck me when I saw this horse for the first time, he is a gorgeous mover, extremely efficient stride and a lightness on his feet that you wouldn't expect with his size, and he also has a way of carrying himself, he KNOWS he's special. Breathtaking horse in every way.

I love Bernardini but he needs an acid test like the one Barbaro had at Gulfstream with Sharp Humor. We still do not know if Bernardini will collapse when he hooks up with a horse like Invasor.

No offense, but Sharp Humor coldn't warm this horse up going two turns....we'll see if Invasor can.....I'll say this much, I know Bernardini would smoke Sun King and Invasor didn't exactly run away from Sun King in the Whitney....We'll see down the road, but one thing I do not want to hear for much longer is that "this horse needs an acid test" or that he "hasn't had to face adversity yet" or "hasn't had to fight hard to the wire while starring at a good horse" - which all three phrases are correct.....but the again, if he keeps running his competition off their feet like he does then he may never get challenged...that is what happens when you are simply 50 pounds better than your competiton...we'll see..

He is beating a bunch of nothings. Invasor has beaten good horses. You are crazy if you think Bernardini can just walk over Invasor or Sun King. He isn't exactly running figures much greater than Invasor. In fact, Invasor and Bernardini have been putting up virtually identical numbers.

Not being a smartass Oracle because I really like your insight, but yesterday these clockers were declaring a filly the best they had seen in 10 years- hours before she ran 3rd in her second race

well, a horse can make all kinds of 'noise' when they work, but of course a win isn't guaranteed. we've all heard about horses over the years that blew people away, but they were unlucky...suffered injuries, illnesses, etc. some never hit the track. doesn't mean there isn't something THERE.

the dandy is the first time i really SAW bernardini. the preakness could have been won by an alien the amount of attention i paid it, and i missed the withers.

he was damned impressive in that race. i can't remember the last time i saw a horse win that easily. not by the biggest margin, just EASY. he had definitely hit his stride that day. it was nice to see.

i just hope he and bluegrass cat come into the travers in their best shape. i want to see a RACE, something like you and carson hollow a few years ago, or sunday silence and easy goer in the preakness. but we remember those races because they are so few and far between. you hate to ever see a loser when it happens.

Yeah, but Bernardini is JOGGING when he puts up those numbers.....trust me, Invasor is nice but he isn't half of the horse Bernardini is....You really can't see that?

Plus, you have your opinion about what Invasor has been beating...personally, I'm not impressed with what he has beat....Wanderin Boy?...Wild Desert?...Su King?...not exactly giants in my book....Flower Alley is the only real quality he has faced and that horse is done....

Bernardini hasn't faced the greatest horses either, yes..your're right....bvut he at least beat some horses with decent upside the way he should have....the length of the stretch

I'm not sure what your comment has to do with this topic. We've talked Bernardini to death here and we'll find out more next week. Regardless of what you think about this colt, objectively speaking, he's a magnificent physical speciman with a spectacular way of going. Do you dispute that?

I've stayed away from saying anything on this thread since it showed up.
A tip of the hat to Oracle for sharing what he saw.
If I remember, on a previous thread, when Rupert asked me how I could tell that Tin Man was running "choppy" on the backstretch, when I couldn't see his legs. I didn't respond.
So, now I'll say what I look for...and I expect some to "blast" away at me for saying so.
When a horse is "put together", all parts work in a synchronized manner.
One thing I look at is how level the horse's head is.
For those that have ever watched a cat run, did you ever notice that its head isn't bouncing up and down? It's level.
Besides an easy stride, absence of the head bobbing is something I look for.
Bernardini has it. Many others don't.

Just my two pennies worth.

The comment has plenty to do with the topic. Read the thread. He is an excellent horse but just like I tell the lunatic Showing Up fans, he has to beat older horses before we make him Secretariat. Bernardini has beaten tired horses and injured horses in the Preakness and a group of mediocre horses in the Jim Dandy. I think he wins the Travers easily because the others are weak but Invasor, Sun King, Flower Alley, Lava Man, all have the ability to pressure him and make him work for his win. He has not had to work for anything. Horse racing is full of great looking horses that couldn't get it done when they stepped up. Bernardini is no better than a Point Given or Empire Maker right now. People already are comparing him to Spectacular Bid which is ridiculous.

The Travers is weak? Isn't Bluegrass Cat still pointed to that race? I take it that you didn't see his Haskell.

Think we'll get $5.00 for the exacta in the Travers ?

will this fella face older horses before he goes to the Classic??

I saw his mediocre Haskell where that big time horse Praying For Cash got up for second. He will get thumped by 6 or 7 by Bernardini just like Barbaro did to him. He has been beaten by some very average horses in his career.

He is likely to face Invasor in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. There is no way they will train him up to the BCC. It is another 2 1/2 months away.

I will agree that I think that Bernardini will crush the Travers field, but Bluegrass Cat's Haskell was not a mediocre race, and Bluegrass Cat is much more than a mediocre horse. He ran an outstanding race in the Haskell, and I think that he is a better horse now than he was at the Derby.

Bluegrass Cat got beat by Deputy Glitters in the Tampa Bay Derby because he lost a shoe. He got beat on that freaky Keeneland racecourse because Todd wanted him cranked for the Derby, and I don't quite think BCG liked the surface. He got beat by a great horse in Barbaro in the Derby. He got beat in the Belmont by a very good horse in Jazil because Jazil got a wonderful ride by Jara. Jazil is not just a medicre horse either and is in the upper tier of three year olds. I also don't think that a mile and a half is quite BCG's favorite distance. Really, I don't see where BCG has ever run a really bad race in his entire career. He is a very consistent and promising colt. So in my book, BCG got beat only by Barbaro and Jazil because he had legitimate excuses in the other races that he lost.

more information from a Dave Grening article at DRF.com

The work, with exercise rider Simon Harris aboard, was the second-fastest of 20 at the distance. It was almost three seconds faster than Bernardini's five-furlong move last Friday, which went in 1:03.48. Bernardini, who followed his Preakness win with a nine-length win in the Jim Dandy on July 31, is being prepared for a start in the $1 million Travers on Aug. 26.

Harris let Bernardini get a strong run-up to the five-furlong pole, and Bernardini was timed in fractions of 12.75 seconds, 24.86, 37.03, and he got his last quarter in 23.71 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.63 and went out a mile in 1:41.64.

"I wanted him to do more today," said Albertrani, who watched the work atop his stable pony. "I told Simon to be sure to let him gallop out and get something out of it this time. It's really the last time we're going to put a strong work into him."

The main track has been extremely deep and demanding the last week, something Harris said he felt, but his horse didn't.

"From the quarter pole on he was taking me along, but I could feel the difference in the track," Harris said. "You know me, I stayed out wide again, but you can feel it. It's nothing to him."

Nice work for him

http://www.drf.com/news/article/77667.html

As much as Bluegrass Cat has improved, or Bright One for that matter, Bernardini has done the same.......scary thought. Well, we've only got about a week before the big race. I'm ready for it now.