NTRA Eclipse 50

[RolloTomasi]

No Go For Wand or Bayakoa but we get Silverbulletday and Paseana...OK

If this was Major League Baseball that would be the worst trade of all time...

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

No Go For Wand or Bayakoa but we get Silverbulletday and Paseana...OK

If this was Major League Baseball that would be the worst trade of all time...

Curious to know where you'd rank Go for Wand among the all-time female runners of the past 50 years? Dirt runners only.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Curious to know where you'd rank Go for Wand among the all-time female runners of the past 50 years? Dirt runners only.

50 years is too far back for me.

But mid-80s going forward what compares to a horse that was as fast as superstar sprinters Very Subtle and Safely Kept in the Test and only 9 days later as fast as Easy Goer was in the Travers when winning the Alabama?

And less than 2 months after that she was nearly as fast as Secretariat was in the Marlboro Cup when winning the Beldame.

Setting or pressing the pace in all 3 of those as well.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

50 years is too far back for me.

But mid-80s going forward what compares to a horse that was as fast as superstar sprinters Very Subtle and Safely Kept in the Test and only 9 days later as fast as Easy Goer was in the Travers when winning the Alabama?

And less than 2 months after that she was nearly as fast as Secretariat was in the Marlboro Cup when winning the Beldame.

Setting or pressing the pace in all 3 of those as well.

Exactly what I say. Ran 1:21 then 2:00 4/5 then 1:45 4/5. Then knowing how good Bayakoa was, Go for Wand ran step for step with her. On the flip side, knowing how good Go for Wand was, I had to elevate Bayakoa higher than I had before.

I have her on top. I have Bayakoa #2.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Exactly what I say. Ran 1:21 then 2:00 4/5 then 1:45 4/5. Then knowing how good Bayakoa was, Go for Wand ran step for step with her. On the flip side, knowing how good Go for Wand was, I had to elevate Bayakoa higher than I had before.

I have her on top. I have Bayakoa #2.

I was always impressed with Riboletta's transition to NY after running the table through the Winter/Spring/Summer in California. Put away an in-form Beautiful Pleasure easily in a very fast Beldame of her own.

She came out of the BC injured and I suppose the loss takes her off the all-timers list, but that was some run of victories oddly punctuated by a misstep on the grass at Golden Gate Fields.

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Exactly what I say. Ran 1:21 then 2:00 4/5 then 1:45 4/5. Then knowing how good Bayakoa was, Go for Wand ran step for step with her. On the flip side, knowing how good Go for Wand was, I had to elevate Bayakoa higher than I had before.

I have her on top. I have Bayakoa #2.

Off topic but I just saw your updated signature. Gamine as HOY this year? I’d be interested in hearing an explanation on how you see Acorn, Test and BC Filly and Mare Sprint earns a horse HOY.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

Off topic but I just saw your updated signature. Gamine as HOY this year? I’d be interested in hearing an explanation on how you see Acorn, Test and BC Filly and Mare Sprint earns a horse HOY.

My first option is to always go with the horse that I think is the best horse during the year. Then I look at resumes. If the best horse and horse with the best resume aren't the same horse, I try to look and see who has the biggest advantage. For example, Authentic had a really good year. Had he won that Preakness, I'd give it to him. But his resume to me wasn't much better than Gamine's and I think she's the better horse.

In 2005, I thought Ghostzapper was the clear best horse to run in this country even though it was only one race. In my mind, the precedent has been set many times over with giving a horse a championship based on one race in this country. Singspiel won an Eclipse and never actually won a race in the United States. But if Arazi can be a HOY finaiist off of one race, so can Ghostzapper. I was very tempted to give it to St. Liam that year because his resume was much better but in the end, I decided that Ghostzapper was just so much clear the best horse that I went with him.

In the end, it's not an exact science so I flipped a coin.

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

My first option is to always go with the horse that I think is the best horse during the year. Then I look at resumes. If the best horse and horse with the best resume aren't the same horse, I try to look and see who has the biggest advantage. For example, Authentic had a really good year. Had he won that Preakness, I'd give it to him. But his resume to me wasn't much better than Gamine's and I think she's the better horse.

In 2005, I thought Ghostzapper was the clear best horse to run in this country even though it was only one race. In my mind, the precedent has been set many times over with giving a horse a championship based on one race in this country. Singspiel won an Eclipse and never actually won a race in the United States. But if Arazi can be a HOY finaiist off of one race, so can Ghostzapper. I was very tempted to give it to St. Liam that year because his resume was much better but in the end, I decided that Ghostzapper was just so much clear the best horse that I went with him.

In the end, it's not an exact science so I flipped a coin.

Obviously it’s not an exact science and if you said she was the best sprinter I think you might have an argument. How about Swiss Skydiver? She was over the top in the Breeders Cup but had beaten Gamine before that. Her resume was much better.

And if it’s “best” horse what about Nashville? He’s been absolutely brilliant. I know you love you some Gamine but she ran 3 really good races, two good races and had two medication overages. She’s not even 3 year old filly of the year, let alone HOY.

[Alabama Stakes]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Curious to know where you'd rank Go for Wand among the all-time female runners of the past 50 years? Dirt runners only.

Realistically, She would be favored against any distaff runner. Speed of lightning, roar of thunder.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Alabama Stakes

Realistically, She would be favored against any distaff runner. Speed of lightning, roar of thunder.

I can't think of a female dirt runner since Ruffian I am confident could beat her in a fairly run race. To me, Go for Wand was the gold standard.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I can't think of a female dirt runner since Ruffian I am confident could beat her in a fairly run race. To me, Go for Wand was the gold standard.

Finally got one right. There’s hope for you after all.

[Alabama Stakes]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

No Go For Wand or Bayakoa but we get Silverbulletday and Paseana...OK

If this was Major League Baseball that would be the worst trade of all time...

Not sure how Go For Wand is not there. But then they just played Back Throated Wind into commercial on the Patriots game, so anything is possible. West LA Fadeaway also played earlier.