Champagne & Frizette ... Who's Kidding Whom?
 

Here we have two "G1" stakes races ... and ...

... only one filly in the Frizette has started more than twice ... and only 4 of 10 colts in the Champagne have started three times.

Can anyone honestly say that they can "handicap" these races ... or is everyone just reduced to speculation, guesswork, and reliance on inside information? Who can say that they've developed a deep personal interest in any of these horses?

How sad it is then ... that G1 races run in mid-October ... are so devoid of any meaningful past performances or opportunities to develop a personal attachment.

When Cicade won the Frizette in 1961 ... she was making her 15th start. The sport has declined dreadfully since then.

One of the reasons these races should lose their Grade 1 rating.

BB,
Its wrong to criticize these races. Two year olds no longer debut much in the spring, too hard to keep in shape all year. because they don't really get going in earnest until August, there aren't any allowance races to run in. They just write stakes races for the most part. After you break your maiden, with no allowance races to go in, what can you do? Has there even been an allowance race for two year olds this fall?!!! Trainers and owners have to play within the confines or reality. I love tradition, but just wanting the days of yesteryear to reappear won't make that so. And trainers can't run in allowance races that don't exist.

Sure ...

... but as Randall said ... take away that ridiculous G1.

And what does this almost total lack of past performances do for the game? How do you develop an attachment to horses who go straight from a 5.5f MSW at Delaware to a "G1" 8f at Belmont?

And they were running WITH A STRONG WIND down the stretch.

This had to be the worst Frizette ever ... and possibly the worst G1 race in the history of the world.

A very sore (as in "ouch") looking bunch of fillies to boot.....

My pick finished 2nd.

We'll see where my Champagne pick ends up (Liquidity.)

Lilly Carson at least tried hard, she was so tired, she could barely pick up her feet...

And BB, the worst G1 winner ever was Scorpion...

2 yr old maiden colts went in 1:37 and change in a race earlier. Could the track have slowed down? Not that much.

Moss said after the race, they had a 20 MPH tail wind going down the stretch, and they still crawled. I'm happy for Luzzi gettin a possible BC entrant though. He lost Ashkal Way

I was looking at Im a Numbers Guy for the Champagne. Then I watched the replays. A talented lazy horse. If this horse can get the proper kick in the rear... Elliot was having to whip the horse around the turn in the debut to get the attention to run dammit.

Nobiz Like Shobiz Had a very easy run, so that 1:35 mile.. does not sit well with me.

2 year olds with these big numbers are tough to guage without some replays.

Oh yes. More Cowbell dammit.

Was the slowest Frizette in the history of the race....20 mph tail down the stretch = a 20 mph head wind up the backside and they went 22 and change in the first 1/4 I believe.....they were flat out crawling at the end....the boys ran 3 1/2 seconds faster...I think it's a throwout....

When you have a bunch of sore horses running, what do you expect? They all looked absolutely dreadful.

The Juvenile Fillies is by far the weakest division of the year.

The Frizette field was horrendous but I thought the Champagne was the best field of 2-year-olds we've seen gathered so ffar this year.....there were plenty of future stars in that race and the horse that won is the best juvenile in the country IMO....

Nice race with a deep and quality field....don't expect too much in the department of credentials with horses that just started their racing career....they can run, they just haven't built the resume up yet....thats just 2YO racing....you'll never get more than 2 or 3 graded stakes winners or even just stakes winners running in any Grade 1 race for babies...not unless its the BC Juvy...

The race got a 68 Beyer fig. Has to be a record low for a Grade 1.

You can't be serious. That is astounding. I thought at least a 75. It should be an overnight stakes next year! LOL

What!!! The last quarter of the mile was under 25 seconds. I thought that the BSF would have been quite a bit higher than that! Well, Scat Daddy was goofing off down the lane, and could have won by more had he not run so green, but still...That number is too low.

Nobiz Like Shobiz was a little rank in the early going as well. I look for both these horses to do well in the Juvy. I don't care what their BSF was. I don't think that it is correct anyway. These are two class animals.

The best 2 year old filly I've seen this year is a filly named Zada Belle. It's really not even close. She is the best by far. She broke her maiden on Friday at Santa Anita. She looks like an absolute freak.

Yeah, she is fast....got a 98 Beyere for that effort....I agree she is immensely talented but you won't see her running beyond one turn...she's clearly a sprinter...

RP, you don't like Dreaming of Anna?

I don't think she'll have any problem stretching out. She doesn't look like a sprinter at all. Did you guys see the way she's built? She's a big, tall, long-striding filly.

Yeah, but based on her pedigree and brilliance I doubt she goes very far effectively....just my opinion though.....good horses can sometimes overcome that...Madcap shouldn't have ever been able to go 1 1/8-miles but she almost won the freakin Oaks because she was just that brilliant....

You never know I guess....I'll say this though. I had a similar thought about the Carson City filly Ralph Nicks ran yesterday in the Frizette.....she was a Carson City trying to go a mile (which we know is a big stretch for his progeny 99% of the time) but I bet her because she didn't look at all like your typical Carson City horse...she had a lot more scope to her and took more from the Deputy Minister side (the dam) - so I bet her...

...needless to say, when the smoke cleared she proved she was a sprinter regardless of her bulid and was walking the final furlong of the race and ran a horrible third....

Pollard's Vision was by Carson City. He won plenty of times at 1 1/8 miles. I don't konw if he ever won at 1 1/4 miles.

So was Balto Star, who won at 1 1/2 miles...it happens, but statistics say that most Indian Charlies out of a Carson City female family won't be going very much further than 7-8 panels....

we'll see...I do think she as a bright future though and was impressed by her race....

Dammit who showed the horse her pedigree?

Now she will know she cant run long.

Guys, I'm sure you recognized this, but that filly is very special. Jesus Christ, what a performance first time out! She was never even asked but she looked like she was giving it her all. She is so much more physically mature than all the other fillies that it is unreal. She is HUGE but light, and such a lovely horse.

Thanks for pointing her out Rupert. I think that she might can get some distance based on that performance. I'm in LOVE...

She took my breath away...