Most Underrated of 2006
 

Horse -
1. Invasor, it seemed most people held Sun King against him (and possibly the layoff) going into the Breeder's Cup.
2. Gorella, pity this late flying mare will likely be passed up for the Eclipse. Ouijia Board put together an exceptional global year, but only one of those races was in the U.S. beating the same fillies Gorella had.

Trainer -
While Pletcher was breaking every record out there McLaughlin had an outstanding year.

Jockey -
Prado, just the all around great sportsman.

Race -
The Whitney

Horse - Thor's Echo

Trainer - Helen Pitts

Jockey - Jon Court

Race - Whitney

I agree with all of this.

I have gone the past 2 years and it has been 2 tremendous renditions of the race.

I don't really understand how a horse that is about to recieve Horse of the Year honors can also be considered "the most underrated" horse in training.

Discreet Cat just toyed with Invasor in late March (I know, it was on foreign soil)---and he has pretty much toyed with everything else he's run against. The lowest figure he's ever run in his entire career, a 106, came in August when he debuted as a 2-year-old.

He ran a faster adjusted final time, in that race, his 2-year-old debut....than did a 9-for-9 (at the time) King's Bishop winner named Lost in the Fog on that same card. Discreet Cat's maiden was also run in faster adjusted final time than the Hopeful Stakes, also run on the same card, a race which featured First Samurai, Henny Hughes, and Too Much Bling as it's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. That's the kind of stuff you never see from a debuter.

They took DC to Dubai for the winter---and several very sharp people came right out and said it spelled the end of him. "He would be ruined", etc. He survived silly mismanagement...just as he will survive another winter of silly mismanagement while stabled in Dubai.

Discreet will win no year-end honor...but, he would be bet to favortisim over any horse in the country, at any distance, ranging from 6.5 furlongs on dirt-to-1 1/4 miles on dirt. I wouldn't call DC "underrated" though---as his ability and talent is obvious...and he's had A LOT of hype.

DC is coming back, If Barbaro doesn't win an Eclipse award...an outstanding case could be made that he is one of the all-time most talented horses to never win a championship. Barbaro is the one American 3-year-old turf horse I've seen during my lifetime, who had the ability to be considered an almost certain winner of the Epsom Derby. He was jaw-dropping on turf....and, perfect stalking trip or not, his performance in the Kentucky Derby was totally outstanding.

Barbaro obviously couldn't be labeled "underrated" though.

In my opinion, the most underrated horse in the country might be Any Given Saturday. He's never won a stake race, his accomplishments are modest, and his talent is pretty big.

Not to be disagreeable but since when are Invasor, McLaughin,Gorella, Prado, and the Whitney underrated?

I mean you have to dig a little deeper......

Premium Tap was short coming into that race.

Invasor ran a Herculean race to win....overcoming a wildly pre-mature move, and turning back a 2nd place finisher who fell into a dream tactical trip.

Any race that features Sun King 2nd, West Virgina 3rd, and We Can Seek 4th will be quickly dismissed by me when we talk "most underrated race of the year." That is for sure.

100% agreed.

However, I still say Sightseek is our most underrated poster on this board.

Speaking of Premium Tap...

I think he was quite underrated this year.

i remember a race where he was "underridden"

That's exactly why I think Invasor is underrated. Going into the BC all you would hear about is Bernardini and Lava Man. Then Invasor beats them and is grudgingly given Horse of the Year by the Bernimaniacs and now all we hear about is how wonderful Discreet Cat is. Once the first paper champion was defeated a new one sprung up in his place. I'm looking forward to this one being exposed as well.

Discreet Cat has been my very own paper champ for a long, long time....

Hopefully Invasor makes a much better account of himself against him the 2nd time around.....I'm sure he'll at least offer him a test of some sort this time.

I've been a huge Discreet Cat fan since the maiden win at Saratoga but the way so many people jumped from Bernardini to him cause they couldn't respect Invasor was pretty annoying to me.

If you think that was anything remotely close to the real Invasor that ran in Dubai then you think a lot more highly of Testimony and Flamme De Passion then I do.

My vote goes to D Money's 2nd win of the Saratoga meet, in the very last race on closing day. He was a zip code behind on the far turn but managed to pass the entire field in the stretch.

What a way to end the meet!

i don't think gorella is underrated, but too many expected her to overcome a top field of guys, with a racing style that doesn't quite suit to that distance, that level of competition, and having to have a clear run when she's ready to jump on the gas.

horses have won based on one top effort in the u.s. after top efforts elsewhere in the world. high chaparral immediately leaps to mind, after defeating the american-based turf horse who won every other big race that year. certainly ouija board deserves the eclipse. also, one-time turfers have won the award, so one run definitely qualifies a horse.

i think premium tap was underrated, while sauve imo was THE most overrated graded winner this year.

I think if anything Gorella was overrated. Her last win before the BC was totally unimpressive and her BC was an utter mess.

Premium Tap is probably the most underrated horse of the year. Remember when he beat Sun King in that allowance sprint race (when Sun King was 3/5) and everybody thought he was just a fluke?

I would consider Gorella overrated.

Invasor was underrated, but not anymore.

I can't believe DrugS didn't nominate the Sham as the most underrated race. Surely he gives it the lifetime achievement award.

Before my debut here---I went way out of my way, writing serveral tedious and boring posts about how Bernardini had won all of his races with one cupcake trip after another---and, that he was certain to face real adversity, from a trip standpoint, in the Classic for the first time. Which I believe he did.

I haven't noticed "Bernardini fans jumping to DC" ---if anything, the people who crowned Bernardini all seem to have shifted to Invasor...and, to a lesser extent, Barbaro. Which is why Invasor is a shoe-in for Horse of the Year.

I agree that Invasor wasn't at his best in Dubai--there were three genuine South American superstars in that race...the mighty Simpatico Bribon, who was undefeated in 8 career starts on dirt, and brought massive repute into the UAE Derby. Gold For Sale, who was an undefeated Group 1 winner on turf, and a very impressive Group Stakes winner in his only dirt start. And, of course, Invasor...the undefeated Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year of lowly Urugauy.

The poor showing by all three of them in the raise was quite eye-catching...and makes you think a little...however, anyone with even modest race watching skills, could see that Discreet Cat ran a gigantic race that day.

The Sham Stakes really ought to be renamed the DrugS Stakes. I would surely fly out to So. Cal and award the trophey each year.

Go easy on Bernardini. What exactly has he done wrong? He ran a very good
2nd to Invasor (a very good horse in his own right) in the BC Classic.
People act like he ran as bad as Lava Man. Who knows what would have happened if JJ had made that move 10-15 seconds later?

Discreet Cat has looked like a machine but lets face it, hasnt he had one cupcake trip after another against short, not so super fields? Silver Train and Badge of Silver are credible animals but no superstars.

A lot of the people that jumped from the Bernimafia over to Discreet Cat right after the BC have gone into hiding since. The majority of the bandwagon exchanging was before you came on here and those people have kept quiet since.

To the people mentioning Premium Tap I think he's come full circle. He's gone from one of the most underrated horses out there to one who is actually slightly overrated at this point. It is like those athletes that people start calling underrated until everyone is calling them the most underrated in the sport at which point it is pretty much impossible for them to still qualify as underrated.

there has been a let down after the bcc regarding all the bernie-mania. he was proven to be very good, as most suspected--he was also proven not to be the super horse some thought him.
i think only a few overrated him with talk of records on demand, winning by daylight in the classic, etc.

[quote=SniperSB23][quote=The Indomitable DrugS]I haven't noticed "Bernardini fans jumping to DC" ---if anything, the people who crowned Bernardini all seem to have shifted to Invasor...and, to a lesser extent, Barbaro. Which is why Invasor is a shoe-in for Horse of the Year.
Sniper, IMO, he was underrated at least until the BCC (that means the majority of 2006.) I don't know about you, but I tossed him in the classic...

Yeah, he was definitely underrated until then but after running 3rd there and then toying with the Clark field I feel like people think somehow the Clark means he is the best returning horse next year. I think he is among the best but that distinction goes to Invasor with Premium Tap and Discreet Cat battling it out for the second spot. And yes, I played the superfecta with Invasor and Bernardini in the top two spots and four horses (including Giacomo) in the bottom two spots and foolishly left Premium Tap out since I convinced myself he'd get too much dirt kicked in his face to be effective. Not my best moment.

You sound like me... I boxed Invasor, Dini, Giacomo and Perfect Drift. I was convinced of the same thing. Oh well... :o

Discreet Cat has actually had four rather difficult trips in his six lifetime starts.

His debut win at Saratoga and the Jerome being the two races where you can say that he won with easy trips.

His trip was far from easy in the UAE Derby---his trip downright AWFUL in the 2nd start of his career, and in his Saratoga allowance win.

I wouldn't say he had a bad trip in the Cigar Mile...I would call it an unideal trip through. Having his hand forced early, getting caught in between horses briefly, while sparring for the lead through fast fractions. Badge of Silver had a dream stalk-no-go trip behind the pace that day...his trip was MUCH better than DC's.

Silver Train and Badge of Silver are both very talented older males when they are right. Not that I'm a weight guy or anything, but they both also were given a nice weight concession. I believe Discreet Cat became the first 3-year-old, since the 80's, to win a Grade 1 against older males, while GIVING the older males weight. Easy Goer's Whitney being the last such time that has happened I believe.

Steve Davidowitz, who is someone that belives weight is extrmely overrated, famously said in his popular book Betting Thoroughbreds that 'Any 3-year-old giving weight to older horses is an absolute bet against.' So, I think people are being way too critical of Discreet Cat for not looking a lot more impressive in the Cigar.

Over the years, many 3-year-olds have been humbled by older horses thought lesser. It was Onion and Prove Out for Secretariat in '73. He lost two of his three dirt races against older males.

his trip downright AWFUL in the 2nd start of his career, and in his Saratoga allowance win.

I dont recall him having a difficult trip at all this summer at Saratoga. Please explain how you consider that an awful trip. His maiden win last summer wasnt the best of trips but certainly not memorabl in terms of all that difficult to overcome. Did anybody come out of that race to amount to anything?

Silver Train is a Belmont specialist. Take him away from there and hes mediocre. Badge of Silver was making 2nd off a huge layoff, off a very nice effort in the BC on grass. Both horses ran creditable.

Look, I am not saying Discreet Cat isnt very, very good. He is. But lets be fair about bashing Bernardini, a horse who has done very little wrong this year. At least he took on the best of the best and put in a very good showing. Its not like he got killed.

I agree, Gander. I was more impressed with Bernardini in the BCC than the rest of his races... I'm just disappointed that we won't get to see him run next year.

Basically, for starters, he was stoutly rated back behind the early pace. The 2nd place horse in that race, who would win a Graded Stake race a few months later...was on the pace, through early fractions that were SLOWER than those set by a wire-to-wire MCL winner at the same distance, an hour earlier on in the day.

Basically, Discreet Cat had to rally 4-to-5 wide around the turn, from about 6th position, into the teeth of comically slow early fractions, after having been rated stoutly behind the pace in his first start off a good sized layoff.

That, my friend, is a very tough trip...and that should be very clear to even the most trip challenged of people.

Discreet Cat won that race as stylish and easy as possible, his final time was the fastest at the distace all meet long at Saratoga, and was the fastest at the distance in like 3 years...he exploded through the stretch, and all the while his jockey was looking all over for competiton. It was an insane effort.

Obviously a better individual performance than his romp in Dubai over Simpatico Bribon and Invasor....or his Cigar Mile win where he equaled Easy Goer's track record, and wasn't far off the Dr. Fager's world record.

Yes true, but a horse of his caliber going 4 or 5 wide is no big deal when facing the gerbils that were lined up for him that day. The names elude me but that was a pathetic bunch. One horse was even actually bet down to like 5/1 if I recall. What was his name?

When race circumstances are considerd, on that day, Discreet Cat made a future Graded Stake winner look like a $5,000 claimer, who belongs at Penn National.

Going wide on the far turn is very overated...unless you are going wide into the teeth of very slow fractions...in those circumstances...going wide on the far turn is TOUGH!

You are right though, he wasn't passing great horses. I think the Dutrow runner for IEAH Stables was the 2nd choice. The Storm Cat that came from Europe

That could all be arranged.....would you like an extended stay?

cuz you had him...LOL

Yes that had something to do with it :rolleyes:

Hey, give a brotha a break. Yo yo yo, word.

If only Southern Africa could have won that race at Delmar going off 10 minutes later, the race we couldnt see because NYRA was in too big of a rush to get back downstate. That was the race Sinister Minister was a beaten favorite (his comeback).

Comically slow? The pace was FASTER than average for optional claimers, and he sat behind two hopelessly overmatched duelers until the 1/2 mile pole. You make it sound like a Derby hell trip. It was a joke of a race and he destroyed a sh!t field, big deal.

DrugS has an irrational love for Discreet Cat. Luckily, it's his only fault.

I think D Money could take Discreet Cat if the race was 6F at Saratoga and there were more than 4 horses in the field.

and then you insisted we go to that dump Saratoga harness place to play Mountianeer:eek: