Quote:
Originally Posted by cmorioles
Probably the trainer too. This horse seems to have had the speed trained out of him.
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Yep.
Leparoux is a passive jockey -- but Matz might have also done too good of a training job with him.
Union Rags went an unblinkered 1/8th in 10.20 at the nations premier 2yo sale. He was the fastest unblinkered male horse at that entire sale. Union Rags went wire-to-wire in the 6.5f Saratoga Special 2nd time out after setting a 21 3/5th first quarter.
Union Rags was one of my absolute highest rated 2yo's from all the 2yo in training sales last year ... and those type of horses are much better sprinters 99% of the time. As much as I don't like to admit it -- Classic distance horses don't ever make that list of mine. Officer and Eightyfiveinafifty types do.
Union Rags is obviously a cool customer and Matz has him so relaxed that he normally breaks slow and looks awfully comfortable rating behind the pace.
Guys like Bill Mott and Neil Howard would have been proud of this training job. It's been a masterpiece of training and horsemanship by Matz.
So good in fact, that's he turned a horse who probably could have been an elite sprinter/miler for most people, into a Dollar Bill type of horse who doesn't break well, relaxes, finds trouble, and doesn't run fast...but always finishes up nicely.
I happen to think Matz trained this one way too good. The Union Rags that I first got to know -- before he was even raced -- looked pretty friggen fast to me.