here is what i think,start calling me a dummy

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by moses

I don’t quite understand the contempt for Bravazo. As a bettor, sure he’s frustrating because it seems like there are races where he just doesn’t want to run. But when he’s on, he normally puts together a good race.

He’s now run well in both Triple Crown races. His performances deserve a little bit of respect.

As far as Justify’s performance in the Preakness, does anyone know the last time the Derby and Preakness were both run in wet conditions? Is there any way Justify didn’t come out of the Derby 100% (we heard the scratches / heel bruise stuff) and he didn’t take to the wet surface as well the second time around because of it?

Bravazo is not a bad horse. He's obviously a decent horse. He won the Risen Star. But when you look at his best races compared to Justify's best races, Justify should beat him relatively easily (3-4 lengths minimum). Show me one race that he's ever run that would get within 2-3 lengths of Justify at his best.

In addition, what do you think past Triple Crown winners would have done to Bravazo? They would have crushed him. A horse who can barely beat Bravazo in the Preakness is unlikely to win the Triple Crown.

It is possible that Justify had an excuse that we are unaware of. It is conceivable that he wasn't crazy about the track. Not all sloppy tracks are alike. Maybe the pace was faster than it looked. On a day like that, the track condition can change over the course of the day. Maybe it was slower and more tiring by the time the Preakness was run. But I think those things are unlikely. In addition, it seem unlikely that he will improve coming back in just 3 weeks and running 1 1/2 miles. We will see.