The Big Cap and other weekend action

[Bystander]

Come on Drugs, give me a little something about the filly Absolutely Cindy in the John Battaglia.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Bystander

Come on Drugs, give me a little something about the filly Absolutely Cindy in the John Battaglia.

Freddy loves her....

I think I've said enough right there.

[cmorioles]

They haven't ran many times at 10f on the synthetic stuff at SA, but I would venture a guess that the pace figure for the Big Cap is about 60 Beyer points or so faster to the 6f call than the aptly named Sham. For those not up on the Beyer scale, that is only about 24 lengths.

The Gulfstream race was also ridiculously slow early as well. It think it is time to face the fact that our horses pretty much suck at any distance over about 1m1/16. There was a time not long ago when Graded races for older horses on dirt were always run with a fast pace. These slow paced contests were very rare exceptions. Now, the opposite situation prevails.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

They haven't ran many times at 10f on the synthetic stuff at SA, but I would venture a guess that the pace figure for the Big Cap is about 60 Beyer points or so faster to the 6f call than the aptly named Sham. For those not up on the Beyer scale, that is only about 24 lengths.

Just because of how the Sham fits on the Stakes Schedule (two weeks before the 8.5 furlong San Felipe, four weeks after the 8.5 furlong Bob Lewis, and three weeks after the 7f San Vincente) - and the fact that it's a Grade 3 while the three other stakes are Grade 2's - it is the one single race every year that is guaranteed to be run at a snail's pace.

The only good horses it ever attracts are the ones who want to stay. You would think a few trainers would catch on and point a cheaper speed horse for this race - you never get more than one to enter though - and some years you get none. And they always totally outrun their odds.

It really does underline how dumb trainers are - that year in and year out - more slow plodding cheaper horses are pointed for this race than speedy cheaper horses. Those types obviously always run HORRIBLE because they get no pace.

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Those types obviously always run HORRIBLE because they get no pace.

Except, of course, on fake dirt.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Yeah - it seems a lot easier to close into a crawl on fake dirt. That's for sure.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Just because of how the Sham fits on the Stakes Schedule (two weeks before the 8.5 furlong San Felipe, four weeks after the 8.5 furlong Bob Lewis, and three weeks after the 7f San Vincente) - and the fact that it's a Grade 3 while the three other stakes are Grade 2's - it is the one single race every year that is guaranteed to be run at a snail's pace.

The only good horses it ever attracts are the ones who want to stay. You would think a few trainers would catch on and point a cheaper speed horse for this race - you never get more than one to enter though - and some years you get none. And they always totally outrun their odds.

It really does underline how dumb trainers are - that year in and year out - more slow plodding cheaper horses are pointed for this race than speedy cheaper horses. Those types obviously always run HORRIBLE because they get no pace.

I'm not familiar with his entire record, but doesn't Victory Pete fit the bill as a cheaper speed horse? Coast Guard would have worked too, but his soundness issues have apparently come to the fore.

The SA 3yo stakes program is as muddled and diluted as the BC is sure to become. The Sham used to be a restricted stakes in mid-February, catering to horses coming out of allowance races or bridesmaids from graded stakes (eg, Ferdinand and General Meeting). The Santa Catalina (now the Robert Lewis) was also restricted, and run in early January, but apparently SA wanted to suck the life out of the concurrently run El Camino Real Derby up north, which generally drew a strong field littered with promising SoCal horses. The heart of the program used to be the 7f San Vincente in February, followed by the San Rafael and San Felipe in early and late March respectively. Typically, these drew good-sized fields (with several horses using both preps) as opposed to the 5-horse fields (often with matching inconclusive results) that all 5 stakes now draw.

Of course, once the synthetics are firmly in place, there should be enough sound horses (or at least imported Euro poly horses) to fill a 3yo stakes every week...

[SOREHOOF]

The Good Old Days Are Just Good Old Days.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

I'm not familiar with his entire record, but doesn't Victory Pete fit the bill as a cheaper speed horse?

He's not really a true speed horse - but yeah - he's transformed from a closing sprinter to a horse capable of being on the lead in moderate enough paced routes.

He ran 3rd, beaten 3.5 lengths and got his Graded Stakes placing ... so while he didn't upset either of the two far superior horses - he made the pace and got his Graded Stakes placing ... which is a nice thing for a horse who had never run a Beyer higher than 79.

The way the race was run - on natural dirt - he might have even been tougher to break away from.