I just watched all the replays again (isolations, overheads) on NBC Sports.
I don't see Borel backing off one bit. To the contrary, he never stopped. He was in the clear, he wanted to make sure he stayed there alone. If he didn't check he would have been beaten 1-2 lengths by not knowing Curlin was doing the amazing and unexpected. He knew his horse relaxes on the lead a bit. How often does a horse come back at you when you definitively and clearly put him away? This horse ran a record Preakness time. Street Senses' move around the turn, through horses, was awesome riding by Borel. Masterful. He BLEW by everyone - including Curlin.
Curlin was the one that seemed to waver, just a half-second, at the head of the stretch, until Street Sense blew by and he refocused on Street Sense. And what a gutsy, amazing feat of acceleration for a horse of his size, stride, inexperience. He won as his stride is bigger and longer than SS - watch the last 10 strides of the race.
I wonder what Hard Spun could do at a mile. Holy geeshes.
What a great race. Only wish I could have seen it in person. One for the memory.
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"Have the clean racing people run any ads explaining that giving a horse a Starbucks and a chocolate poppyseed muffin for breakfast would likely result in a ten year suspension for the trainer?" - Dr. Andrew Roberts
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