Johannesburg Star Ready 4 FOY
 

Boy, I'm getting excited to see what this guy can do.


http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=37734

You'll need an extra wide TV to find him.

Honestly, he is so far out of his element it is head shaking. Plus, these connections might be a little worrisome.

Rajiv riding is enough for me to know he has no chance

Is he bad? Seriously, I don't pay much attention. He seems to win in NJ and Florida when better riders aren't getting the bulk of the good mounts.

HE won the Tampa Bay stakes Saturday on Hotstuffantehnsome

JS can finally be removed from any talk of TC trail after Saturday. I stated in another thread not selling him when offers came in might be one of biggest follies by any connections in racing history

I had dismissed him too while in NY.. However, he is stabled next to Mike Rogers at Gulfstream, and my radio partner JJ has been around him since his arrival here and the colt has made a positive impression on him. Says he's compact and well made and has a very nice way of going. His 1:12 work was done in the easiest of manners according to Graci, and it appears he has really flourished since coming to Florida. He may not be up to the task Saturday by any means, but JJ, whose opinions on a horse's attributes I respect tremendously, thinks he's got real ability.

Interesting info Steve. Still without having any inside info and going just from talk on message boards it appears connections were offered substantial money after Maiden breaking win. Now wanting to get into the game myself I can understand once in a lifetime opportunity they must have been looking at, but why not sell, knowing how hard it is to capture lightning in a bottle, and use that money if they wanted to purchase a few other quality animals?

Just my opinion and like I said I dont want to speculate on the reality of situation because I have no inside knowledge

Rajiv Maragh
Luis Gonzalez
Mike Allen
Jose Ferrer
Joe Bravo

Those are a few of the power players who showed up for the Tampa BC Stake

Going to be a big difference between those guys, Prado, JV, Cornhole, etc..

Not to mention his horse isnt that good

Unless you are a true Power Player being offered what they were offered for that horse you are a fool not to sell. In most cases owners eventually regret not selling

Ive always trusted the genius of Shivananda and Bisnath Parbhoo...

Expecting this horse to romp....

Parbhoo told JJ that they were indeed offered the money that was rumored, but much like Harry Aleo, is 'rich enough' and buying others is no guarantee they're going to be any better than what they have.

Look at Zackney and the Afleet Alex group.. Spending 5X what they did on Alex and are nearly certain to NEVER get another like him...

Good point about Afleet Alex connections. Still my gut feeling despite how well JS is doing is that he was aided by speed biased inside for maiden breaker and Count Fleet was a decent run but he still could not get past Pink Viper in stretch. Maybe he regressed a bit off huge figure maiden win but thats alot of money for a horse that while capable is in my opinion and I stress only in my opinion not much more than a listed stakes winner.

Johannesburg Star does have some real ability, and with the right connections he might have had a useful career, but the chasm between his actual ability and his perceived ability is Grand Canyonesque. The trainer was interviewed before his last race and said that while he had received a 101 Beyer for his ( ridiculous bias aided ) maiden victory he fully expected him to earn a 110 in the Whirlaway. I guess with a logical progression like that he would have peaked around 140 in the Derby! He got around an 80. Hey, what's 30 points among friends?

I don't know who he's running against Saturday, save NoBiz and Adore the Gold, but it would be a major upset if he hit the board without an incident. In fact, considering the outlandish expectations by his connections, it will probably be surprising if he hits the board in any race until he runs for a tag, assuming he lasts that long. He's this year's Sinister G at best.

They found a flight for Stormello so he will be in the FOY as well.

Not really.. I was kidding.

they did?
That's good news.
I wonder if Frankel is putting Les Grand trois on the same plane to run in the hutcheson?

Nothing reported, but anyone looking for more Derby News here is the latest article from Steve Haskin:

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=37754

Also, a certain ex-Derby Trail poster said on another forum that Teuflesburg is being sold to CA connections for a trip to the Derby. Current owners to hold onto a small share.

Ohio or Lone Star?

Unfortunately we both know which Derby they are thinking.