I think that yes, the time may have been a tad slow, but that Romans filly that Blackthroat was speaking of was rumored before yesterday's race to be the real deal. That filly was amazing, breaking slow, a little rank, then had to go around them and just cruised. Shes going to be the fave in the Adirondack(I suspect the Schuylerville is too quick back for her).
I for one have always railed on about being leery of closing sprinters when they stretch out, but Quay isnt exactly just a closing sprinter. The fractions were hot and he wasn't all that far off. I think his crusing speed is pretty fast. The fact that he just starts to quicken near the end of the race is absolutely indicative of a horse who will relish going longer. WHen that occurs his cruising speed will keep him closer to the more moderate paces that races going longer will have.
I dunno who thinks he was tired but whoever that is needs to take a look again. He was not even sweaty on a warm day when he came back, he had the appearance of a horse who was in the paddock before a race. And to the poster who pointed out Rafael being unable to chill him out on the way back, I caught the same thing on tv. He looked like he was a handful coming back.
His intelligence is apparent as well, he appears to be a highly competitive and smart animal who actually understands his object out there, something that some horses never get and even more simply don't care about, ever.
As far as Scat daddy goes, i realize that the barn thinks hes the greatest thing they ever had. But hes a johannesburg and I don't like his future prospects to stretch nearly as much as I do Quay's. Many a barn has loved a horse who appeared to be the best ever they had and had another one achieve more.
Once upon a time there was a high profile barn(like Pletchers) that had a horse who from day one they told the media was the goods. He was very good and won the BC Juvenile. All the following spring the trainer and press spoke of nothing but him while his stable mate won some other stakes under the radar. Come Derby day they entered the gate with one being one of the faves and the other going off at a very long price. The glorified one ran 3rd to his stable mate who went off at 28-1. The glorified one did go on to win the Preakness, but his stable mate kept grinding out wins in races like the Belmont, Swaps, and Travers. The horses name? Thunder Gulch, who outperformed Timber Country. I wouldn't be at all shocked if his son Quay went on to outperform Scat Daddy.