Rabbit for Mine That Bird?
 

Wouldn't it be a good idea for the connections of MTB to use some of their TC winnings to purchase and enter a rabbit for him in the Belmont? If your worried about lack of pace, why not do something to make sure it happens?

don't think it will matter , he will run the 12 F faster than anyone in the race

I think MTB will be a little closer and CM doesn't want to go real slow or it might work against him, either run them off their feet or be prepared to fend them off in a 1 1/2 mile long stretch track. Also MTB is not the only one in here that can close, SB,CC,LG just might blow on by. this long of a race the pace i feel has less to do with the outcome than the horses ability to get the distance and be in form to do it.

The pace going 12 furlongs is extremely important. Extremely.

NT

i agree

but with his talent , he s/b able to handle this field even if the fast pace upfront doesn't develop , the others are just not as fast as him

This is true when the competitors are, somewhat, evenly matched. Of course, the wildcards here are the jocks: we already know most of them are retarded; in a race like the BEL, we see how many of them can get 12F. What a recipe for a moneyburning disaster.

I am probably the only person who thinks pace is about 3rd in importance in races 12f and up to marathons, in the country but i stand by it. Good-luck on Belmont day.

The jockeys do have a bit more to do with the outcome going 12fs I'd say. Am I the only one thinking a drastic change of tactics could be in the offing for the now blinker-clad Summer Bird? Desormeaux loves the mid-backstretch rail rush, so perhaps he'll just do it earlier with SB and ask him to sustain a 10 furlong run.

NT

mtb s/b able to run this field right into the ground , he the best 3 yr old in the country right now , he 's faster than all these other rats and he's run the fastest closing qtr in the KY derby since Secretariat

I think he wins for fun on Sat and wins by more than 7 lengths

Off the top of my head, I believe Birdstone's Belmont to be the only running of the last 10 where the pace had anything at all to do with the outcome. No need for rabbits here.

Ummm

That was more a '******' (SE) than a 'pace' factor.

don't forget JB fat man , he had no interest in seeing a small time jock win a triple crown on a horse he felt he should have been on

henning had to apoligize to the owners of Eddington

I've been more than impressed with MTB, but to say he'll run this field into the ground is a little premature, especially with two fantastic
set-ups in the first 2 legs of the triple crown. Dunkirk, Summer Bird and Charitable Man all have a lot of upside going into this race.

From what I see, MTB has one heck of a long-slow-distance training bottom on him. He'll have the endurance to do a mile+ then pick it up. Do the others?

I think it's hard to know. MTB is such a different horse now than he was as a 2 year old, and even in his two preps this spring. He was mediocre at best at his previous running style, then showed dramatic improvement as a deep closer in 2 races with a very respectable pace to close into. In addition, he's received two very good rides by Borel and Smith in his last two races.
The field overall is certainly weaker than the Derby and Preakness, but MTB is far from a lock to me just because we all assume he can get the distance.

I still can't believe that Pat Day was on the sidelines for the Belmont, and Servis sticks with f'n Stewie...

I'm talking more about his training background, not his races. I don't assume he can get the distance, I think it's obvious he will. Faster than someone else, I don't know. Can someone else match his training prep?

Which would you call more of a "retard" factor for a 12F race?

Elliot letting Smarty Jones go nuts in the Belmont, or Gomez choking Hard Spun 2 lengths behind a 1:15+ pace?

Embarassing for Bailey to go out like that IMO. I was never a fan of him but that was pathetic. Solis did the connections of RHT no favors either with his antics. 5 years later and I'm still bitter about that race.

well,well, look at you hanging out with the Bluebloods @ keeneland simulcasting, i knew you would find that place quick..lol how you doin.