Ron The Greek -- a real campaigner

[Calzone Lord]

Ron The Greek is a very cool and respectable horse. What is overlooked in this past weekend is what a highly respectable campaign Bill Mott has put him thorugh:

(Gulfstream) He won the Sunshine Million Classic by 11+ lengths in a race where Macho Macho Man never fired and was eased.

(Santa Anita) The only serious Eastern or Midwest horse to ship out and face Game On Dude at home this year ... he was obliterated by Game On Dude in the Big Cap ... but still, he went out there, faced Game On Dude at home, and gave weight breaks that are worth open lengths on Ragozin Sheets away to the rest of the California older horses. That's very respectable campaigning.

(Charles Town) He was 3rd to Game on Dude and the Californian Clubhouse Ride ... but he was best in this race. There was no pace pressure and he ran fantastic to close well.

(Churchill Downs) The South, The West, the Mid-Atlantic, and now the Mid-West ... he caught a loose lead Fort Larned. Was a bad, but no chance 3rd.

(Saratoga) I picked him to win the Whitney in my company write-up. The pace battle between Cross Traffic, Fort Larned, and Mucho Macho Man never materialized....but he still ran 4th beaten 4.25 lengths.

(Saratoga) Like any good campaign ... Saratoga is so nice, do it twice. He runs in the Woodward ... small field, sloppy track, no pace pressure at all up front ... it's a recipe for a dull race and that was what he turned in.

(Belmont) Jockey Club Gold Cup ... It's easy to be a fan of Ron The Greek but I had grown so sick of his subtle excuses all year ... that I didn't even consider him at 20/1, while breaking from a live rail, with a rail-riding ground saving lover of a jockey aboard. He beat what was probably the most accomplished field all year, and he did it by almost 7 lengths.