Quote:
Originally Posted by ateamstupid
Yes. His chief competition on paper was eliminated at the break, so he was aggressive into a soft middle split with the best horse. Would you have preferred he dragged Abel Tasman out of the race irrespective of the break/pace and potentially gotten boxed in as the field compressed and Salty went around him nearing the stretch? I see enough of those rides daily in New York to know they almost never work out. And that's not even getting to the race-riding he did in the final furlong, which was just enough to win but not enough to get DQ'ed. To me, Smith's move seems aberrant because there is so little aggressive riding here, when it actually was smart and something to be emulated. Same thing with Bravo's ride on Muqtaser on opening day. It should be a no-brainer to take control when they're going :52 to the half, but so few riders have the balls to do that, which made it look like a Hall of Fame ride in comparison.
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He didn't have to drag Abel Tasman out of the race, she tends to settle in the back in all her starts, as she did yesterday. It's one thing to sense a slow pace with a closer and have her sharp early, but Abel Tasman was a good 8 lengths off the front when the field hit the backstretch. Smith then asked her to make up all that ground in a sharp early move. It was risky because even the longshot pacesetters (Summer Luck and Berned) are not completely void of talent, and so were able to make bids approaching the far turn. Abel Tasman had to take a lot of pressure from all sides entering the stretch and Smith, despite being on an overwhelming favorite, had to "race ride" in the stretch to ensure the victory.
He rather could have simply settled in a position similar to fellow closer Daddys Lil Darling, or simply followed his tactics in the Acorn, when he gradually moved Abel Tasman in a position to pounce and blow the race open on the turn. We know she can make up ground quickly.
A similar move against better horses (perhaps Holy Helena or older horses) won't be successful and for all we know, given the battle she was forced to participate in, this particular ride may actually cost her a start in the Alabama.
07-24-2017, 09:37 AM
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