Perfect Drift in 18 minutes

[stonegossard]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

I don't assume that the future will be exactly like the past. don't you think there is even a remote chance that he will run better for Mandella?
how tough do you think GR III's are in California? not very tough. hell most of the GR1's are won by reformed claimers. what I saw yesterday makes me think he'll be winning races soon. we'll see.

If anyone can do it , it definitely is Mandella. No doubt. But this horse has a LONG history of disappointing. I just feel that from a betting standpoint he will offer no value and is a good fade.

He has faced some very suspect fields before and failed. Dont see this changing.

[horseofcourse]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I say this with a lot of respect for Mandella as a trainer, but how much do we expect he's going to get a 9 year old to improve? He looked like the same Perfect Drift to me yesterday. Earning checks and just not having enough. Now that I say this, he'll probably win the Hollywood Gold Cup.

That race was much better than what he did last year. He was horrid his last few starts...did you see the Califronian? You mean the two years ago version? He has already gotten a 9 year old to improve. Maybe not to 4 or 5 year old version, but much better than the 8 year old version. He stunk last year. He did not stink yesterday.

[SentToStud]

Aside from getting a speed fig, can someone please tell me what was good or promising about Perfect Drift's race? He passed a cheap fading forward running horse and Thousand Words who didn't run especially well.

To me, he just sucked along and got a little piece without contending at all.

Glad he's back and all but he didn't finish in front of much.

[horseofcourse]

Originally Posted by SentToStud

Aside from getting a speed fig, can someone please tell me what was good or promising about Perfect Drift's race? He passed a cheap fading forward running horse and Thousand Words who didn't run especially well.

To me, he just sucked along and got a little piece without contending at all.

Glad he's back and all but he didn't finish in front of much.

In the end it is simply a glass half full/glass half empty scenario with this horse. For those encouraged you had a 9 year old horse coming off an 11 month layoff running in a spot not really his specialty...a grade 1 one mile turf race. He is now in the barn of a pretty well established top notch trainer. To those they saw this horse run less than 3 lengths behind 3 really good turf horses this year in which the winning time was a 1:33.44 mile clip. WE look at the very high quality of the horses he ran behind.

For those not imprsessed, they saw a 9 year old horse finishing 4th ahead of 3 suspect horses and surface and trainer didn't really matter much. They saw a horse who never could beat good horses...still can't beat good horses, and will only run good enough to occasionally pick up a check.

To each his own pretty much. I am simply hoping he continues to run well with Mandella the remainder of the year.

[horseofcourse]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I'm sorry, but aside from Daytona the field was crap.

Didn't Ever a Friend massacre the Kilroe field and didn't Hyperbaric nearly run down Daytona their last race?? Maybe I'm missing something. Of course none of them are anything special...but I thought for the year 2008 it was a representative turf mile field for the most part.

[horseofcourse]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I disagree. I remember last year after his comebacker at Keeneland. I was called every name in the book for saying same old Perfect Drift. Well we saw how that ended up. Look, in this day and age it's great to see a horse still out there running at 9. But let's not go overboard after another lackluster finish.

He ran 4 races last year. You're picking his best one and comparing that. I'm looking at the 3 after that, and he was much better than that horse yesterday. Maybe he will repeat that pattern of running one decent race then collapsing the rest of the year.

[alysheba4]

he got routed..........turn him into a pony or show him the respect he deserves and let him live out his days on a farm.

[horseofcourse]

Originally Posted by alysheba4

he got routed..........turn him into a pony or show him the respect he deserves and let him live out his days on a farm.

Interesting concept. A non turf horse loses a grade 1 turf mile by 2 1/2 lengths (a rout) and should become a pony. I guess that's one way to fix racing...cull it to about 55 active horses. (maybe you were joking!).

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by horseofcourse

Interesting concept. A non turf horse loses a grade 1 turf mile by 2 1/2 lengths (a rout) and should become a pony. I guess that's one way to fix racing...cull it to about 55 active horses. (maybe you were joking!).

Perfect Drift is a multiple winner on turf, his only OTB finishes I believe have been in Grade 1s (a couple of Arlington Millions and Woodford Reserves). Off of that info, he's simply not a Grade 1 horse (at least on turf). Be that as it may, there's nothing to suggest he's a synthetic horse either, unless you call finishing 2nd to Stream Cat or Ball Four on the stuff evidence to the contrary.

[alysheba4]

Originally Posted by horseofcourse

Interesting concept. A non turf horse loses a grade 1 turf mile by 2 1/2 lengths (a rout) and should become a pony. I guess that's one way to fix racing...cull it to about 55 active horses. (maybe you were joking!).

.....yeah, im funny that way hughhh.