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Originally Posted by ateamstupid
He got a perfect trip and it's not like he beat a track record held by Spectacular Bid.. Fine. Two great races and a very good one. Happy?
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That track record had stood since 1989 (Sunny Prospector), and that in itself tells you something. And it's funny how many good, fast horses get 'perfect trips'... He also did it in flank-to-flank fashion the length of the stretch against a very good horse who had the benefit of a race over the track..
As I said tonight on the show, this horse isn't being managed by a trainer that worries about winning every start. Nafzger approaches campaigns with broader goals in mind, and starts along the way are a means to an end. While the supertrainers only want to start their horses in spots where they have a high percentage of winning, frequently facing small fields, Nafzger takes the long view.
That doesn't mean he's a lock on Saturday, as Nafzger was focused on the Derby.. the Derby.. and the Derby (as opposed to the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Recall that Unbridled was 2nd in the Preakness and 4th in the Belmont..). But I would say that his career cannot be looked at the way we have all become used to looking at current racehorse careers. He's been managed the way John Nerud taught Nafzger to manage special horses, and it's been a long time since we've had a guy out there running his horses in spots designed to best position them for specific efforts later..