Quote:
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Originally Posted by MarkyD
On his website last night:
Larry and I have been setting a plan with options for about a week now. We would both love nothing more than to run in the Kentucky Derby. Of course, we want to feel confident we have a very good chance of winning. I have thought about our options carefully and want to take the smartest approach possible. Therefore, since there is so much talk about the similarities of the surfaces of Oaklawn and Churchill, Larry and I want to test the track. He will ship down Friday and gallop for several days and then breeze at Churchill. Mario Pino will come in for that breeze. If he handles the track to Larry's satisfaction, we will run in the Derby. If he does not, we will aim for the Lexington on April 24th. The goal will be the Preakness if we skip the Kentucky Derby. Larry and I both feel these two options are the best approach for Hard Spun. I am trying my best to avoid "Derby Fever." We feel this is a very good and well thought out plan.
Rick
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This has to be one of the biggest crocks I have ever heard. I find it amazing that people think that they can gallop over a track for a few days and maybe breeze once and tell definitively "if he likes the surface". As someone who has trained at Churchill for the last seven years I have had plenty of horses who trained exceptionally over it and ran poorly. Also the weather at this time of the year plays so much into the way the track is playing. When it is warm like it has been the last few days it will get tight. When it gets cold the track loosens up quite a bit. Not to mention all the rain and wind we can get at a moments notice. Just shut up and run your damn horse and stop trying to outthink yourself. It is still called horse racing but I hear that a name change may be in the works.