[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Cardus

I read the bloodhorse.com's report, and according to what Nafzger said, Tafel and he chose the Travers over the Belmont. I doubt that anyone in this forum considers the former to be more important than the third leg of the Triple Crown. Again, by Nafzger's account, the Belmont is important to run in only if a horse has won the first two legs.

Also, since Street Sense's workout and good health did not affect the decision, why work him yesterday?

I disagree. I happen to feel that the Travers is a more important race than the Belmont. The Belmont is only really important when a horse is going for the TC. Look at the ratings and attendance difference when there is not a TC on the line. The Travers carries the same purse and grade as the Belmont does. And if I'm not mistaken, it's been around even longer. Plus, it's run during a more prestigious meet at a more prestigious track. Back in the older days, the Belmont had more significance because it was 12f. But in those days, there were other 12f races. I believe the Woodward was 12f and the JCGC was 16f. The Belmont served more of a purpose. U got a chance to see which 3yo's were going to be able to step up past 10f to be able to compete with the top older horses in the fall championship races at Belmont. But that's no longer the case. The 12f of the race have made it irrelevant as far as determining which 3yo's are the best. It's more important to know who's the best at distances that they contest the championship events at. These days, it's more important to know who's the best 10f horse, not 12f. Because of that, the Travers is a more important race to me.