Originally Posted by RolloTomasi
I understand the appeal of huge weekend cards replete with graded stakes worth millions of dollars and copious TV and social media coverage for trainers on the desiccated West coast--especially among those "up and coming" sorts who have it in their heads that there's a spot for them among the training "elite" nationwide--but for Pete's sake, have any of them heard the phrase "shooting for the moon with a bottle rocket"?
Every now and again you hear people out west talk about an "East coast" bias with respect to Eclipse awards and discussions of all-time greats, but after looking at the Saturday overnight I can only conclude one of two things:
(1) they inadvertently help support that perceived bias by sending no-hopers to slaughter or...
(2) these West coast trainers think little of the equine talent back east
Why else...
...is Dark Vader, a colt that barely broke his maiden at Los Al and then got pummeled at Sunland Park, in the Easy Goer when his stronger stablemate, Core Beliefs, fresh from a solid runner-up effort at this very track in the Peter Pan, is sitting it out?
...is Moonshine Memories, the humiliated favorite in last year's BC Juvenile Fillies, fresh of a thorough drilling from Baffert benchwarmer Emboldened in a comeback sprint, in the Acorn against the top 3yo fillies around?
...is Spectator, pummeled by the aforementioned Moonshine Memories at 2 and pummeled by the noticeably absent Midnight Bisou who in turn failed to make a dent in her own foray out east, in the Acorn against the top 3yo fillies around?
...is Stormy Liberal, back on a plane for the Jaipur despite racing in Dubai in late March and sporting a history of thorough dustings in both his shipping ventures last year including this very race?
...is Beautiful Shot, who after getting destroyed in both Arkansas and New York earlier this year found some of his best form last out when back in the friendly confines of California, in the Woody Stephens?
...is Ransom The Moon, a noted West coast sprinter who was upset in his comeback race and who I believe has lost all but one of his starts beyond 6.5 furlongs, in the Met Mile?
...is Fashion Business, who finally realized some of the promise he displayed last summer by winning his 4yo debut in a first condition allowance race off a long layoff, in the Grade 1 Manhattan against an international field of battle-tested horses?
...is Multiplier, a Triple Crown cast off who finally woke up last out in his first career turf start to win desperately in a blanket finish of non-winners 2x horses, in the Grade 1 Manhattan against an international field of battle-tested horses?
Suddenly Bolt D'Oro contesting the Met Mile off a humiliating performance in the Kentucky Derby, in which his jock decided to see if the horse could run a :45 and change 1/2 mile and keep going for another 6 furlongs (he couldn't), makes a lot more sense to me...
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