Best and Worst Ride in the BC

Best: Ramon Dominguez with Little mike

Worst: Patrick Husbands with Spring Venture

[Conrad]

Yutaka Take on Trailblazer made a ridiculously early and wide move in the Turf and wound up hanging for 4th or so.

[Belinda Cubbage]

The jockey Velazquez cost Point of Entry his rightful win. I felt so bad for mr Mcgaughey.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Belinda Cubbage

The jockey Velazquez cost Point of Entry his rightful win. I felt so bad for mr Mcgaughey.

Really? What was wrong with the ride? He saved all of the ground, made it through the hole on the rail and got beat by a horse that sat a superior trip and benefitted from the dynamics of that particular race. I honestly don't see what velazquez could have done that would have changed the result. Did I miss something?

[Clip-Clop]

Johnny did check early but I am not sure that cost him the race. Best, George Vancouver or trinniberg. Worst for me was the fugue.

[NTamm1215]

Best by a long way was Castellano on Zagora. He rode her and The Fugue.

Espinoza on John Scott was pretty ugly. Patrick Husbands on any horse is ugly. P. Val on Merit Man was terrible.

[Calzone Lord]

Dominguez on Little Mike was magician work.

Atigun's ride in the Marathon was obviously the worst ride of the BC. That was a monumental gaff on a horse who would have won easily had he not decided to try (and succeed) to collapse the race.

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Really? What was wrong with the ride? He saved all of the ground, made it through the hole on the rail and got beat by a horse that sat a superior trip and benefitted from the dynamics of that particular race. I honestly don't see what velazquez could have done that would have changed the result. Did I miss something?

He didn't look comfortable on the rail. That's a decision that's difficult for a jockey to decipher. John R. caught on but it was too late. If the horse is moved off the rail a little earlier in the stretch he wins IMO.

[blackthroatedwind]

I agree on P Val on Merit Man ( he absolutely cost him the win by rating him needlessly on the lead ) and Mike Smith on Atigun ( that ride was just hilariously bad ).

Hernandez Jr. had a great ride on Fort Larned. Never in a million years would I predict that he would win any Breeders Cup race...much less the classic.

Rosie Napravnik won too. Furthering the fact that you could put a trained monkey on a horse and they could win a Grade 1. Just comes down to not making mistakes and that is random as can be with these athletes.

[JimmyEllis]

Velazquez had sat an inside trip almost the entire race. If he stays inside, he runs down Little Mike.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by JimmyEllis

Velazquez had sat an inside trip almost the entire race. If he stays inside, he runs down Little Mike.

Actually, if he got outside of Little Mike sooner, he would have won. He would have been second best, but he would have won nonetheless.

[Alabama Stakes]

Originally Posted by JimmyEllis

Velazquez had sat an inside trip almost the entire race. If he stays inside, he runs down Little Mike.

it was that slight little delay when he was gonna try to beat him up the rail, before he switched out. that absolutely cost him the race. he would have rolled by.

Mike Smith on Atigun caused the most universal screaming of people all over the country saying in harmony "what the **** is he doing ? what makes it worse is that they ran away a little at first almost as if to say just sit there ya mook. But no, he was determined to **** it up. Would love to know one thing. WHY ? Why would you just not sit there in perfect position? What were you possibly thinking?

I'm not a bad ride complainer either.

[Conrad]

Btw the 4f and 6f Fort Larned simply ran the whole field into the ground except for MMM...a 23.6 quarter put em all under stress down the backside.
Nice job by Hernandez to take advantage of his position and further pressure the field.
Had he slowed it down and tried to conserve Larned's energy he may have let the whole field back into the race. Then he's got 3 or 4 bearing down on him instead of just MMM

[JimmyEllis]

Originally Posted by Alabama Stakes

it was that slight little delay when he was gonna try to beat him up the rail, before he switched out. that absolutely cost him the race. he would have rolled by.

No delay, according to the headon. He was continually whipping with the right hand, with plenty of room on the inside. He then decided to stop whipping, take a hold, come around, then go back to whipping. Sure, he wins if he comes out a lot earlier; but he also wins if he just continues riding.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by JimmyEllis

No delay, according to the headon. He was continually whipping with the right hand, with plenty of room on the inside. He then decided to stop whipping, take a hold, come around, then go back to whipping. Sure, he wins if he comes out a lot earlier; but he also wins if he just continues riding.

That's because Johnny is a great rider and knew he wasn't moving forward inside, or passing Little Mike there, and angled him outside where he would gain. The only problem was he couldn't angle out in time. Regardless, overall he got a great trip, and was second best. Even if he had angled out sooner, and won, he wouldn't have run the best race.

[Seattleallstar]

pval on merit was horrible, bejarano on exec, and nakatani or unbridled

best ride has got to be ramon on little mike, how that piece of **** won against that classy field is beyond me, 2nd best ride is gomez on beholder

[jms62]

Originally Posted by Seattleallstar

pval on merit was horrible, bejarano on exec, and nakatani or unbridled

best ride has got to be ramon on little mike, how that piece of **** won against that classy field is beyond me, 2nd best ride is gomez on beholder

How can you say Little Mike is a piece of ****. He is a gutsy horse.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

Originally Posted by jms62

Little Mike is anything but a piece of ****. He is a gutsy horse.

the arlington m is a really a 7500 claimer at hawthorne.....