Derby Trail/Triple Crown Notebook

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by pmayjr

it'll be very interesting to see who tries to come back in the Bluegrass and Ark Derby in 3 weeks from the Spiral and Ark Derby.

Gotta think Commish to the Ark Derby, right?

I kinda hope that Poker Player and Tamarando get one more chance in either the Bluegrass or Ark Derby, because no one closed in the Spiral yesterday. Were they inferior, or did the track play a certain way?

People closed. The 2 speeds finished 9th and 11th. Tamarando is just not very good, I mean he is supposed to out finish Artic Slope, right?

[pmayjr]

there were only 2 that closed- We Miss Artie and Asserting Bear, but they were close-up in a stalking position. Artie barely got there after hanging most of the lane, and Asserting Bear flattened out. But yeah with the speeds holding kinda inexplicable what happened to Solitary Ranger.

I thought going into the Spiral and Sunland Derby that a few were entered here to have a last chance in 3 weeks if their horses didn't do well enough to qualify. Now we wait and see who tries again from these races

[pmayjr]

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985

People closed. The 2 speeds finished 9th and 11th. Tamarando is just not very good, I mean he is supposed to out finish Artic Slope, right?

also, if that's your stance on Tamarando, do you take a similar one for California Chrome? Tamarando has arguably come the closest to Cali Chrome lately

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by pmayjr

also, if that's your stance on Tamarando, do you take a similar one for California Chrome? Tamarando has arguably come the closest to Cali Chrome lately

Im not a fan of California Chrome at all. I dont think he will win the Santa Anita Derby and for him to be 5-1 in a Derby future is insane IMO. I would not bet him right now at 100-1 w/ someone elses money.

[pmayjr]

I don't think California Chrome will win the Santa Anita Derby either. I think Sherman didn't wanna enter him, but he knows an 8 week layoff into the Derby is too long. So he felt forced to. I'm not saying the race is just a paid workout for California Chrome, but I think if he gets into a pace duel or a battle in the stretch, I think Victor Espinoza will be instructed to not exert him too much here. The goal is May, not this race. So I think California Chrome loses for that reason. Theyre racing him to keep him sharp, but at the same time don't wanna use him up before the Derby.

[Indian Charlie]

So, in other words, we should all take the 5/1 on California Chrome?

[pmayjr]

lol no. He'd have to romp in the SA Derby to make 5/1 good value. Otherwise you'll get that on Derby Day anyway

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

So, in other words, we should all take the 5/1 on California Chrome?

Maybe, Im wrong a lot.

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985

People closed. The 2 speeds finished 9th and 11th. Tamarando is just not very good, I mean he is supposed to out finish Artic Slope, right?

Don't horses just sometimes run clunkers? I mean really, I'm no big Tamarando fan, but that race was too bad to believe.

[pmayjr]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Don't horses just sometimes run clunkers? I mean really, I'm no big Tamarando fan, but that race was too bad to believe.

totally agree, posted this in reply to Steve's ATR thread yesterday

Originally Posted by pmayjr

thank you for asking... yeah Catalano didn't seem to make excuses. He just said "we took our shot..." and will go back to the drawing board with something else. But I think there might've been some excuses/reasons to try again-

For me, since it seemed like no one closed in the Spiral, I just wonder if the track played a certain way or there was major kickback issues or something. I mean, were Tamarando and Poker Player really THAT inferior?

Artie closed, but he was close to the lead and actually hung pretty bad in the stretch before finally getting his nose down just in time. Asserting Bear also made a closing move, but was also close to the lead and flattened out badly.

That's why I wanna see another try from some of these in 3 weeks. I think honestly that's why a few of these were entered in this race and the Sunland Derby, to give them one more chance if things didn't work out in those races over the weekend, to have another chance 3 weeks later.

I'd also like to think that in the case of both Tamarando and Poker Player, that when they were asked for run, and neither responded, that the jocks took their foot off the gas pedal. Neither horse probably came out of the race all that worn out. So we'll see what happens in the next week or so.

The reason I care in the case of Poker Player, is he seems like he's bred to run all day on dirt, and Catalano has run him only on synth and turf races. I get a lot of that has to do with being based at Arlington and Keeneland. And to PP's credit, he's been a solid performer. I just really wanna see him get a shot to run on dirt.

The question is, what does Hollendorfer do with Tamarando? Probably won't have enough point so to qualify for the Derby. Do you try again in 3 weeks? Maybe even the SA Derby in 2 weeks if the Spiral didn't take much out of him? Train up and wait/see if there are defections? Even if he does have enough qualifying points, will Hollendorfer even bother entering him in the Derby?

But I'm with you, the horse has been so consistent, and the Spiral, even with a lot of the entrants being way better on synth than dirt, was not murderer's row. I wanna think this was just a bizarre bump in the road

[Alan07]

Originally Posted by pmayjr

totally agree, posted this in reply to Steve's ATR thread yesterday


The question is, what does Hollendorfer do with Tamarando? Probably won't have enough point so to qualify for the Derby. Do you try again in 3 weeks? Maybe even the SA Derby in 2 weeks if the Spiral didn't take much out of him? Train up and wait/see if there are defections? Even if he does have enough qualifying points, will Hollendorfer even bother entering him in the Derby?

But I'm with you, the horse has been so consistent, and the Spiral, even with a lot of the entrants being way better on synth than dirt, was not murderer's row. I wanna think this was just a bizarre bump in the road

I would have to think the American Turf on Derby day is a possible spot

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Don't horses just sometimes run clunkers? I mean really, I'm no big Tamarando fan, but that race was too bad to believe.

Yes. I guess he ran a clunker, but he can still be not that good, right?