Nice tactics by Indian Blessing's camp

[ArlJim78]

different tactics likely would have yielded the same result at that distance. she staggers home in all her races.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

different tactics likely would have yielded the same result at that distance. she staggers home in all her races.

That is very wrong.

She could have easily opened up 5 without being asked - and only rated slightly instead of being strangled.

Though - if Gomez did that - the no-name jock on the winner would have had to use Proud Spell to keep her within a length or two.

Different tactics would have made things a lot tougher on Proud Spell - no matter how easy the breater, Indian Blessing is never going to accelerate in the lane.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Different tactics would have made things a lot tougher on Proud Spell - no matter how easy the breater, Indian Blessing is never going to accelerate in the lane.

I thought this was the likeliest scenario today. Proud Spell gets run into the ground by Indian Blessing. Instead, Gomez gets cute and Proud Spell is handed the race.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

different tactics likely would have yielded the same result at that distance. she staggers home in all her races.

They used different tactics at that distance the last time and the result was different.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

They used different tactics at that distance the last time and the result was different.

There was a multiple stakes winning pace setting sprinter in that race (Miss Missile) to keep Indian Blessing from being ridden stupidly.

Normally - an early speed horse is best served by getting the kind of ride Gomez gave Indian Blessing today. However, Indian Blessing is not your typical speed horse...anyone who's ever seen her races should know that.

It's a lot of fun to see human connections give races away.

[miraja2]

I thought for a minute that Jose Santos must have come back and climbed aboard for that ride.

[azerica]

Originally Posted by miraja2

I thought for a minute that Jose Santos must have come back and climbed aboard for that ride.

[jcs11204]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

different tactics likely would have yielded the same result at that distance. she staggers home in all her races.

thats wrong, your way off if gomez let her open up the race was over

[jcs11204]

dont get me wrong proud spell is a very very good filly, but today she should not have won

[Round Pen]

It made NO difference what Gomez did if they went 50 49 48 47 or 46 to the half Proud spell was going to be right off her flank that was there game plan going in. So to say Gomez gave her a poor ride is totally absurd. The better filly won today.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Round Pen

It made NO difference what Gomez did if they went 50 49 48 47 or 46 to the half Proud spell was going to be right off her flank that was there game plan going in. So to say Gomez gave her a poor ride is totally absurd. The better filly won today.

i think he gave her a poor ride as he fought with her thru much of the race-an unwinnable situation for all involved. rather than expend her energy running, she had to fight her rider. she's headstrong, and he knows it. best thing to do would be let her run her race, and hope she had enough at the end.
had proud spell made an effort to stay with her early on with presumably faster fractions, she may not have had enough left at the end to finish strongly and pass the leader.

[Cannon Shell]

I totally disagree. The horse tries to run off in every race. He went the second quarter in 23.3, he tried to get the jump going into the second turn but couldnt open up any ground on the other filly and was passed rather easily. Horses dont have accelarators and brakes. If he lets her run in the first turn, sets fractions much faster than the older horse stake and LA Derby and gets run down and everybody is calling him an idiot. You have to try to get a horse like her to rate if you are going to be successful in the big races at 1 1/8th or further. If they just run off, open up and hold on they will be guaranteed a short career. She set reasonable fractions and was beaten by a better horse who happen to run faster than everybodys Derby horse. She simply is not going to be very effective on honest surfaces further than a mile, especially against the other top fillies.

[jcs11204]

i agree with you that she wont be very affect stretching out vs top fillies.

BUT todays race is the point, and if gomez let her go she was gone, might have won for fun, he fought with her, choked her and she came up empty, because of him

[Danzig]

i do know from years of watching, that teaching a horse to rate is far from an easy task. perhaps they should just understand that this horse has distance limitations due to her running style, and point her accordingly. and after today, maybe they will.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I totally disagree. The horse tries to run off in every race. He went the second quarter in 23.3, he tried to get the jump going into the second turn but couldnt open up any ground on the other filly and was passed rather easily. Horses dont have accelarators and brakes. If he lets her run in the first turn, sets fractions much faster than the older horse stake and LA Derby and gets run down and everybody is calling him an idiot. You have to try to get a horse like her to rate if you are going to be successful in the big races at 1 1/8th or further. If they just run off, open up and hold on they will be guaranteed a short career. She set reasonable fractions and was beaten by a better horse who happen to run faster than everybodys Derby horse. She simply is not going to be very effective on honest surfaces further than a mile, especially against the other top fillies.

The voice of reason, finally.

Some of these guys don't get it. This filly was toast in that long stretch no matter what she did. The other horse 'pushes a bigger gear' --simple as that. I didn't notice Gomez overly restraining her and had he gone faster earlier, they'd have been passed that much faster in the stretch.
What's everybody watching when it comes to this filly? She's absolutely gutless and wins when she has an overwhelming advantage. I'm sure this isn't a revelation to Baffert or her other connections (with the exception of the owner's son, of course) and they knew they were cooked in either case and tried something a little bit different.

I'm all for fairness in racing and the (much) better horse won. It's, thus, all good.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I totally disagree. The horse tries to run off in every race. He went the second quarter in 23.3, he tried to get the jump going into the second turn but couldnt open up any ground on the other filly and was passed rather easily. Horses dont have accelarators and brakes. If he lets her run in the first turn, sets fractions much faster than the older horse stake and LA Derby and gets run down and everybody is calling him an idiot.You have to try to get a horse like her to rate if you are going to be successful in the big races at 1 1/8th or further. If they just run off, open up and hold on they will be guaranteed a short career. She set reasonable fractions and was beaten by a better horse who happen to run faster than everybodys Derby horse. She simply is not going to be very effective on honest surfaces further than a mile, especially against the other top fillies.

Everyone who is stupid would have been a critic of that ride maybe.

She ran over the same track and distance as Pyro last time - and was denied the lead by the very speedy Miss Missle through fractions MUCH faster than the stake Pyro ran in - and IB beat Proud Spell that day.

Your only arguement is that rating her hard like that might settle her down in future races.

I think you know all speed horses aren't the same - and that ride enabled Proud Spell to sit the dreamiest trip she will ever have in her life. She was rating kindly with a target - just off of the rank and hard held Indian Blessing.

When a horse's only weapon is their sensational raw speed - and they are an undefeated Multiple Grade 1 winner - you don't try to strangle them and take away there only weapon.

It's not like Indian Blessing hasn't already beaten Proud Spell at multiple occasions at this distance.

Both horses get overbet off of this race - Indian Blessing gets overbet because she's a sprinter and everyone smart has always known it.

Proud Spell gets overbet off of this race because Garret Gomez gave her the trip of a lifetime - and he did it while riding another horse in the race.