4/11 (KEE): Blue Grass; Jenny Wiley; Commonweath; Shakertown

[Pedigree Ann]

One thing that we have to consider these days is whether the horse was bred to mature early and excel at 2 or not. Such horses will look really good at 2 but will get no better at 3, sort of like Arazi, the poster child of this sort. Meanwhile others of the crop will have improved with maturity from 2 to 3, catch up and surpass the juvenile hotshots.

The clearest example of this currently is Beethoven. He is by a stallion who reached his peak at 2 out of a mare who reached her peak at 2. I didn't expect him to go on at 3, based on what he was bred to be, and he hasn't.

Now when you get a horse who isn't bred to be an early maturing sort and STILL beats them all at 2, like Hoist the Flag, then you know you have a real racehorse.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

One thing that we have to consider these days is whether the horse was bred to mature early and excel at 2 or not. Such horses will look really good at 2 but will get no better at 3, sort of like Arazi, the poster child of this sort. Meanwhile others of the crop will have improved with maturity from 2 to 3, catch up and surpass the juvenile hotshots.

The clearest example of this currently is Beethoven. He is by a stallion who reached his peak at 2 out of a mare who reached her peak at 2. I didn't expect him to go on at 3, based on what he was bred to be, and he hasn't.

Now when you get a horse who isn't bred to be an early maturing sort and STILL beats them all at 2, like Hoist the Flag, then you know you have a real racehorse.

Arazi is a bad example. Perhaps you missed the Kentucky Derby he ran in. He was even better than he was in the BC Juvenile.

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Arazi is a bad example. Perhaps you missed the Kentucky Derby he ran in. He was even better than he was in the BC Juvenile.

What? he ran a well-beaten eighth in the Derby. Are you trying to tell me that Lil E. Tee, Casual Lies and Dance Floor were better horses than Bertrando, who was second in the Juvie? Or were you trying to be sarcastic? Can't tell oftentimes, without a clue of some sort.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

What? he ran a well-beaten eighth in the Derby. Are you trying to tell me that Lil E. Tee, Casual Lies and Dance Floor were better horses than Bertrando, who was second in the Juvie? Or were you trying to be sarcastic? Can't tell oftentimes, without a clue of some sort.

I know where he finished. I also know what kind of race he ran. That's why I wonder did you actually see the race or are you just going by the final results? In that Derby, he made another run which, to me, was more impressive than the BC run was. He passed every horse in moving from last place and was right there at the top of the lane. It's my belief that his not finishing had more to do with the fact that he'd had the surgery and only one 8f prep race between the BC and the Derby, that race being on grass in Europe, than it had to do with him not getting any better.

[King Glorious]

Hold Me Back over Patena with Charitable Man and Join in the Dance battling for third.

[Mike]

I'm taking Charitable Man, he's going to be all the talk on the Derby Trail(until Square Eddie destroys the Lexington imposters next Saturday)

Got Backseat Rhythm next

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I know where he finished. I also know what kind of race he ran. That's why I wonder did you actually see the race or are you just going by the final results? In that Derby, he made another run which, to me, was more impressive than the BC run was. He passed every horse in moving from last place and was right there at the top of the lane. It's my belief that his not finishing had more to do with the fact that he'd had the surgery and only one 8f prep race between the BC and the Derby, that race being on grass in Europe, than it had to do with him not getting any better.

Stop the presses. I agree.

Arazi made a huge move in the Kentucky Derby, typically a winning move, but it all caught-up to him.

[Danzig]

so, does this mean mafaaz will be skipping the derby?

[HaloWishingwell]

Originally Posted by Danzig

so, does this mean mafaaz will be skipping the derby?

The DUNKIRK connections must hope so along with CHARITABLE MAN and possibly TERRAIN. For good measure he would like to see a subpar performance from PAPA CLEM and I would say he's in.

[Sightseek]

Hopefully they will consider a prep race this time, but they went from thinking Charitable Man was ready for the Derby to now pointing to the Travers.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/102949.html