It's funny how our perception of a race is so often determined by how we have wagered. If a player had wagered on Diamond Oops to place instead of win, his or her description of that race would have spoken of a fast pace set by Bombard and Gear Jockey, with Gear Jockey getting to the lead at the top of the stretch and running strongly to draw off by about 2 1/2 lengths, while Diamond Oops saved ground, ran in traffic but closed with energy to just nip Bombard for 2nd in a blanket finish that seemed to involve about 5 horses. That horseplayer would have been elated to cash a very generous place ticket [$19.20] on a former graded stakes winner who was soundly beaten for the win but was the best of the rest. Of course, the player who selected Bombard would have an entirely different recollection.
And those who picked Arklow in the Calumet would have seen about a half dozen places where Florent picked the wrong path and was blocked in traffic before surging toward the leader once in the clear, getting beaten despite being much the best horse.
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09-12-2021, 01:38 PM
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