6/7 (BEL): 140th Belmont Stakes

[Bobby Fischer]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Anak Nakal is a marathoner?

He has the breeding for it.

His talent level is lacking(assuming he has been perfectly healthy as a 3yo), but it wouldn't be a bad division for him if he ever gets his act together.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I'd like to see him try polo.

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Or polo. Either way, just not the Belmont.

I actually think it DOES make sense for them to run him in the Belmont. He ran a respectable enough race in the Kentucky Derby and while he was absolutely awful early in the year he has been....well.....slightly less awful recently.
He reminds me a lot of other Zito horses like Andromeda's Hero and Royal Assault who both combined outstanding distance pedigrees with a one-speed plodding style to hit the board in this race in recent years. I don't think a similar result for Anak Nakal would be completely out of the question.

The interesting thing to me about the field is that if all of the projected horses end up actually running in the race, this field (despite the overall weakness of the crop) strikes me as actually being better than the awful 2005 or 2006 versions of this race.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Yeah, I agree with pretty much everything you said. If the goal is to hit the board in the Belmont, they have a shot. I just think he needs some class relief, which this year is sort of funny. And I'm serious about turf. He has some interesting turf runners in his female side.

That is too often the attitude these days and is why we wind up with 4 or 5 horse fields in whatever races a big horse shows up at and then full fields in the big races they skip. And the horses that wind up 6th in the full field probably could have cashed a 2nd or 3rd place check in the race where they may have had little to no shot of actually winning. Zito is the only one that takes advantage of this. Getting Andromeda's Hero close to $1 million on his career was nothing short of a miracle.

[Danzig]

so, am i crazy for thinking that tale of ekati could play the spoiler in a couple weeks?

[hockey2315]

Yup

[Danzig]

oh well, i'm still thinking it. someone has to, may as well be him.

but then, i was also told malibu moonshine had no shot a few weeks back. i think he paid close to $40.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Danzig

so, am i crazy for thinking that tale of ekati could play the spoiler in a couple weeks?

To quote a previous post about Indian Blessing, Tale of Ekati would need a bus ticket to get 12 furlongs.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

To quote a previous post about Indian Blessing, Tale of Ekati would need a bus ticket to get 12 furlongs.

I don't know why he doesn't run him in the Woody Stephens.

He could win the Belmont if they ran it in two 6F heats.....and Big Brown scratched.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by Danzig

so, am i crazy for thinking that tale of ekati could play the spoiler in a couple weeks?

He could play the role of spolier if he, Big Brown, and Casino Drive all engaged early and set the tables for a longshot plodder from the back of the pack.

[Bobby Fischer]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

And I'm serious about turf. He has some interesting turf runners in his female side.

agreed

[cakes44]

Zito basically refuses to run his horses on turf though.