"Others emerged frustrated from the Belmont, notably Larry Jones, who trains Hard Spun, second in the Kentucky Derby after setting a suicidal pace, and third in the Preakness, in which he was embroiled in unreasonably fast fractions and fourth yesterday with Garrett Gomez riding while never involved in the pace.
"The pace was very slow. I thought that was our game plan leaving the paddock: to have these kind of fractions but be in front doing it," Jones lamented. "Apparently, we had a miscommunication somewhere."
Gomez, who until yesterday was Rags to Riches' regular rider but committed to Hard Spun while Pletcher wrestled with the Belmont decision, saw the race differently.
"At the half-mile pole, I felt I was in a great spot," he said. "At the three-eighths pole, I thought I was money. When it was time for sprinting, he just didn't have the turn of foot the other two had."
This borderline proves that Gomez mailed in the ride. For him to say he thought he was money at the 3/8ths pole is ridiculous.
He still SUCKS!
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