2022 Champion 3yr old

[FATPIANO]

Originally Posted by moses

Relying on the grade of the race as your only argument is silly. If you want to make a case for Taiba over Epicenter, you should let us know who he beat — which he did beat some solid horses this year.

Does anyone believe that Taiba’s “Grade 1” win in the Santa Anita derby, for example, was a better accomplishment than any of Epicenter’s Grade 2 wins or even Grade 1 place finishes?

For a horse to win the grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in his 2nd start is truly amazing 👏

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by FATPIANO

For a horse to win the grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in his 2nd start is truly amazing 👏

Yep; and confirmed the form by beating both Happy Jack and Messier right back in the KY Derby.

He also one upped the great Midnight Interulde, who needed 3 starts to break his maiden before winning the 2011 SA Derby next out.

Taiba finished better than him in the KY Derby, too...

[FATPIANO]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Yep; and confirmed the form by beating both Happy Jack and Messier right back in the KY Derby.

He also one upped the great Midnight Interulde, who needed 3 starts to break his maiden before winning the 2011 SA Derby next out.

Taiba finished better than him in the KY Derby, too...

Okay okay okay
Taiba
Wins his maiden at 6 furlongs
2nd start wins Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby
3rd start Kentucky Derby finished off the board (this race was just too soon for a horse with only 2 lifetime starts)
Every other start was in grade 1 races,
Wins 2. And loses 1 by a head, and finishes 3rd to Flightline( AN OLDER HORSE FOR THE AGES)
Draw a line through Kentucky Derby, and look at overall record and what do you see?
I see a very special horse that is clearly the Champion 3yr old of 2022

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by FATPIANO

Okay okay okay
Taiba
Wins his maiden at 6 furlongs
2nd start wins Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby
3rd start Kentucky Derby finished off the board (this race was just too soon for a horse with only 2 lifetime starts)
Every other start was in grade 1 races,
Wins 2. And loses 1 by a head, and finishes 3rd to Flightline( AN OLDER HORSE FOR THE AGES)
Draw a line through Kentucky Derby, and look at overall record and what do you see?
I see a very special horse that is clearly the Champion 3yr old of 2022

The whole "special horse" for winning the SA Derby-thing loses significance when in the very next start the excuse is "too soon".

Kermit the Frog on a bike could have run 3rd in the 2022 BC Classic.

Only 2 horses have come out of Taiba's wins to subsequently take a graded stakes. Both were Grade 3 and both were in the last couple of weeks. One More Bid, who was an also-ran in Taiba's debut, won the lowly turf stakes on SA opening day and Skippylongstocking won the Harlan's Holiday.

Epicenter dominated all the relevant 3yos at some point in the year, some multiple times.