Been off the map for a few days - but a delightful read here.
For the person who said they hate Sheikh Mo and Todd Pletcher, but LOVE Sheikh Hamdan, I'm interested in hearing that rationale.
I still do not think you can deny that the preparations of Desert Party and Regal Ransom this year were the best of any previous Godolphin attempt. It wasn't enough, nowhere close.
I bet both of them, in a variety of fashions, and lost. But ANYONE talking about mocking others for whom they bet in the Derby...c'mon. Before the race - mock away. After Mine that Bird won? Really? Everyone I know who hit something in the Derby won because of hitting the "ALL" button or making a mistake (guy next to me meant to bet 'that Pop-Pop horse' aka Papa Clem, but hit the 8 instead - had the exacta for $2 as a result).
Call it what you will, but horse racing in Dubai is hot, and it's not just the weather. It might not yield a host of Kentucky Derby champions (and they will certainly try, although I believe the long-reported "obsession" is overblown), but Dubai is one of the VERY few places in the world where racing's influence is expanding, not contracting.
Godolphin has won a bunch of big races, they will continue to, and surely there will be some they don't get. Many, many big time horsemen have tried to land the Derby and failed. WinStar, Vinery, Padua, Phipps, Stonestreet, Zayat, Winchell, Juddmonte, Peachtree, West Point, Reddam, Melnyk, Wygod, Stonerside/McNair, Whitney, Shadwell, and Godolphin. Some will keep trying, some won't. For most all of the people who are in the position to buy these horses, they know that no matter what big races they win, they will almost always spend more money than they win. It is a sport of many losers and few winners.
We can't deny, however, that the money these big wigs flow through racing with their big-time purchases help keep the sport running. Like em or not, it's true.
There are few people who dislike seeing the "little guys" take home the big prize, at least in this country. It's a typical American story and position. As for Dubai, the home team has the biggest support. They are rabid for the success for Godolphin.
So - where does this leave us? Same place we started I suppose.
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