ATR Hall of Fame Debate: Gio Ponti?

[OldDog]

I only attached this to the HOF thread in order to not start a new Gio thread. Other than what I quoted above, what I was taking more to the point of the article was

In a setting on the eastern shore of the Atlantic, the Mile would be seen as the best race on the Breeders' Cup menu, a rematch of champions with the potential for high drama. In Louisville, beyond the question to be answered (or not) by Goldikova, the focus will be on the Classic and horses far less accomplished.

A lot of time is spent talking about the durability of the thoroughbred. Here is a horse (not a gelding) competing consistently for years in Grade 1 company, and doing damn well at it, while we spend hours discussing horses who head for the shed with a dozen or fewer starts. It's easy for owners to say, "We love racing." But show me more than a few today who run a horse this long in G1 races. I take my hat off to Shane Ryan, and Christophe Clement, and win or lose Saturday, to Gio Ponti.