10/3 (MED): Meadowlands Cup H. (Gr. II)

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Wonder what kind of reversal of form we'll see here with Arson Squad, who not only gets off the synthetics where he has goose egged after being a double Grade 2 winner on convential dirt, but also goes to the barn of Rick Dutrow.

I like him tomorrow night as well. Last time we saw him on conventional dirt, he looked to have some promise. Like the aggressive spotting by Dutrow and the race appears to set up for him with Da' Tara, Timber Reserve and Past the Point likely to make the pace honest.

[Danzig]

da tara a scratch, will run sunday in the jerome instead.

[Mike]

I pre-bet this race, thinking I wouldn't get home on time. Glad I went for PV Lightening(at this point, 20 mtp) instead of my other choice, Arson Squad, who is being heavily bet early. Some would say this is the smart money, I suppose

[RolloTomasi]

Timber Reserve is oscillating between even money and odds-on?

As Ice Cube put it so eloquently:

I don't know KARATE but I know KA-RAZY...

[dalakhani]

Always liked arson squad...i hope he does well.

Doesnt this race set up pretty well for anak nakal? There is nothing but pace in here and he is the only one coming from the back.

Im going to give him a shot at 7-1 over this questionable group of older horses.

Good luck all.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Mike

I pre-bet this race, thinking I wouldn't get home on time. Glad I went for PV Lightening(at this point, 20 mtp) instead of my other choice, Arson Squad, who is being heavily bet early. Some would say this is the smart money, I suppose

If anyone wants to shoot someone today, I'm a volunteer victim

[cmorioles]

I'd love to see Coco Belle return to real dirt as well. She could probably win the BC sprint.

What does all this do to the Eclipse Awards, if anyone give a crap about those. Turf has seperate divisions, but are we supposed to pretend that dirt and synthetic are the same? Keeneland this weekend, in addition the The Big M Cup, tells you all you need to know about the dirt/synthetic comapison.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I'm going to bet a few bucks on True Resurgence. Ran well 2 back to past the Point who is 5/2 in here. True Resurgence is 18-1. Wouldn't be shocked to see Arson Squad run huge for the reasons Rollo and Ateam already mentioned.

Yeah. Going with Arson Squad in a romp here. Looks good in the parade. Past The Point will should hold for 2nd.

Hope the limb holds up, cuz I'm going pretty far out there...

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Nice call guys. Makes you wonder about the other Headley horses that were very good on dirt and have been not so good on synthetic. Too bad he refuses to ship them.

Like Surf Cat.

How the hell did that piece of garbage Anak Nakal get second? I could've sworn Timber Reserve won that photo for me.. Ugh.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

How the hell did that piece of garbage Anak Nakal get second?

Because Timber Reserve is a whole bag of garbage?

The :45+ half mile fraction probably helped the 1-2 finishers, too.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Because Timber Reserve is a whole bag of garbage?

The :45+ half mile fraction probably helped the 1-2 finishers, too.

Would've been nice for Meadowlands to post anything beyond the first quarter fraction, but I don't want to ask for too much.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Surf Cat definitely and Magnificience. I'd like to see her try the dirt again, because she clearly doesn't like synthetic.

Street Boss might be another Ghostzapper for all we know...

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Nice call guys. Makes you wonder about the other Headley horses that were very good on dirt and have been not so good on synthetic. Too bad he refuses to ship them.

In Headley's "defense", I don't think he cares for synthetics one bit. I wonder if he was younger, if he wouldn't start to ship his horses. Probably being defiant like the captain of a sinking ship or Charleton Heston or something.

Dutrow just said post-race that the horse will target the Clark.

Too bad, would have been interesting to see him in the BC Dirt Mile. That way, I could have figured out if the move up was cuz of the real dirt or cuz of Dutrow.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

In Headley's "defense", I don't think he cares for synthetics one bit. I wonder if he was younger, if he wouldn't start to ship his horses. Probably being defiant like the captain of a sinking ship or Charleton Heston or something.

Dutrow just said post-race that the horse will target the Clark.

Too bad, would have been interesting to see him in the BC Dirt Mile. That way, I could have figured out if the move up was cuz of the real dirt or cuz of Dutrow.

How does Headley not caring for the synthetics affect how his horses run on them? If he has one that likes it, shouldn't it still be able to perform on it even if Headley hates it and vice versa?

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

How does Headley not caring for the synthetics affect how his horses run on them? If he has one that likes it, shouldn't it still be able to perform on it even if Headley hates it and vice versa?

That wasn't the point I was trying to make and it was only a minor point at that.

Bruce Headley was called out for not shipping his horses where they can run on conventional dirt. A valid question in the face of his struggle to maintain his previous rate of success, not to mention the specific stakes-calibur horses in his barn that seem to have lost their top form since the CA mandate.

I only suggested that the reason had nothing to do with his being satisfied/pleased with synthetic surfaces. He was actually one of the voices against its installation to begin with.

[GPK]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I hear ya. It just seems like a no brainer. Doesn't he have assistants? Can't they ship with the horses? I know he has had his fair share of health problems. You make an intersting point in your last paragraph. Maybe it was a mixture of both.

Surf Cat is the one that is most interesting to me. He clearly doesnt not have that powerful stride he used to have and I have always wondered if it was the synthetic or the injuries he has had....or a combo of both.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by GPK

Surf Cat is the one that is most interesting to me. He clearly doesnt not have that powerful stride he used to have and I have always wondered if it was the synthetic or the injuries he has had....or a combo of both.

I thought Surf Cat's last 3 races were good, though I think he doesn't want to go further than 8.5f. He was solid in the San Diego, was in contention but didn't see out the 10f of the Pacific Classic, and made what I thought was a winning move in the Goodwood before hanging down the lane. His only poor efforts were when he was contesting the early pace (Oak Tree Mile and Californian). Certainly he hasn't been running indifferently on them the way Arson Squad was. I think he's interesting in the Dirt Mile if allowed to settle well off the pace.

I don't think he ever won a route race that had decent horses in it.

Going back to Arson Squad, and the Danzig turf discussion, I wonder if Headley wouldn't have held on to this horse if he moved him to the grass. His sire Brahms is by Danzig, and Arson Squad's only grass start was the La Jolla at Del Mar a couple of years ago. He was an even 4th, but I remember him being a little closer to the pace then usual and possibly stuck inside waiting for room on the turn. At the very least, the turf was worth another shot at some point.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I hear ya. It just seems like a no brainer. Doesn't he have assistants? Can't they ship with the horses? I know he has had his fair share of health problems.

He ought to do something if he cares about his career (or his daughter's--his assistant), cuz how much longer will it be before his other owners begin to see the big picture.

In fact, this looks bad for every trainer in CA with "good" horses that don't put out.