Mario o' Mario, please go back to Maryland o' Mario!

[blackthroatedwind]

I don't know, I have a much different take on this horse than you guys. He was moving OK on the inside, and while it wasn't as heavily a biased track yesterday as many other days, I applaud Pino for staying inside. Basically, I think Laysh Laysh Laysh got as close as he did because of the ride he was given, and it wasn't until very late that he actually got close to winning. Had he been swung outside, and in the clear, I'm far from convinced he would have been able to have made up the same kind of ground, and thus it wouldn't have mattered that he had room. You can't have everything and to me knocking Pino in this instance is misplaced frustration.

Mario Pino was obviously encouraged to come to NY because of the utter incompetence of the riding community, especially with the track being as heavily biased as it has been, and has been specifically instructed to stay inside. He has done that well, and perhaps he got a little punished for that yesterday, though in the big picture I don't believe so, but overall he was trying to do the right thing. To me, criticizing yesterday's ride is not looking at the big picture.

[jms62]

But there was nowhere to go , it seemed to me that he had to check late in order to avoid running up the back of the other 2. Don't you think that he should have moved to the 3 path late ?

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by jms62

But there was nowhere to go , it seemed to me that he had to check late in order to avoid running up the back of the other 2. Don't you think that he should have moved to the 3 path late ?

And how exactly was he supposed to do that?

[jms62]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

And how exactly was he supposed to do that?

I'd have to watch again but I thought he had the opportunity inside the final furlong. Of course being 5'11 and 205 my jock skills are limited.. At best...

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by jms62

I'd have to watch again but I thought he had the opportunity inside the final furlong. Of course being 5'11 and 205 my jock skills are limited.. At best...

No, I can see that. He did seem to overcommit a bit. He may have blown this one a bit, at least in isolation, though I'm not sure his plan didn't get him there. Maybe part smart and part dumb.

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

And how exactly was he supposed to do that?

Andy, watch the race again. He is clear of Law N Dora about 5 jumps outside of the 1/16 pole and starts off the rail but for some reason doesn't get him out. Laysh Laysh Laysh is under wraps for the last 8 jumps.

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by NoLuvForPletch

Andy, watch the race again. He is clear of Law N Dora about 5 jumps outside of the 1/16 pole and starts off the rail but for some reason doesn't get him out. Laysh Laysh Laysh is under wraps for the last 8 jumps.

Sorry Andy, we posted simultaneously.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by NoLuvForPletch

Andy, watch the race again. He is clear of Law N Dora about 5 jumps outside of the 1/16 pole and starts off the rail but for some reason doesn't get him out. Laysh Laysh Laysh is under wraps for the last 8 jumps.

I did. I can see that. He was probably wrong assuming this would not have cost him a loss of momentum.

I did read, however, a hilarious comment on Steve Crist's blog from someone who thought there should have been an inquiry in the race against the second finisher for fouling Laysh. Now, that makes a lot of sense.

[philcski]

What are we debating this for? Horse wasn't winning anyways, he had too much to do. It cost him 2nd, at best.

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by philcski

What are we debating this for? Horse wasn't winning anyways, he had too much to do. It cost him 2nd, at best.

You can't say that. I guess you can because you just did, but he was under a hold for the last 8 jumps and made up some serious ground on them to that point. If he's swung out wide with clear sailing it could go either way.

And besides costing me the Pick 4, I'll never get that vision of Pino's horrendous Preakness ride on Hard Spun out of my head.

[blackthroatedwind]

Unlike the rest of us, Phil's time is very valuable, and he believes message board topics need to be far more selective. Unless, of course, they are about the most overrated horse of all time.....Smarty Jones.

You mean to tell me that Elliott, Mirage, and Garcia are frauds? Say it ain't so, Andy!!

[blackthroatedwind]

I guess one could argue that there was a moment around the sixteenth pole where he could have, and should have, angled outside as he cleared the fourth finisher. It seems like he committed inside into the stretch, for whatever reason, and he stuck to it.

I can see the argument saying he would have been better off moving outside. Perhaps Pino overcommited.