5/9 (HOL): Mervyn LeRoy H. (G2)

[Bobby Fischer]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Has he lost a few steps with age?

No.

[King Glorious]

So much for HOY. What a piece of ****.

[asudevil]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

So much for HOY. What a piece of ****.

Andy Serling was right!! Paper!! He's a useful front runner, and that's about it.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by asudevil

Andy Serling was right!! Paper!! He's a useful front runner, and that's about it.

Please. Andy said Dakota Phone could beat him. Didn't say anything about the winner. And Dakota Phone didn't beat him.

[10 pnt move up]

Hind sight is always 20/20 but I wonder if Valdivia should have used that horses natural speed a little more, those fractions were very soft. I hate when fast horses make the race a sprint to the wire.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

Hind sight is always 20/20 but I wonder if Valdivia should have used that horses natural speed a little more, those fractions were very soft. I hate when fast horses make the race a sprint to the wire.

He didn't give himself the best chance but I'd bet that if odds could have been taken at the 1/4 pole, Rail Trip would have been 1-50. If he was the kind of horse that he is supposed to be, he wins that anyway. In my opinion, Ellis wasted some races with him. The horse was going well and instead of stepping him up to take on better, he wasted a couple of races at SA. I feel like each work and race is taking something out of a horse and I don't think of them as reserves that can be replinished. I see them each as having a finite number of efforts in them and, especially when you get one that had whatever the issues he had that kept him off the track for so long, when you get them good, take advantage. Don't waste efforts. They found out absolutely nothing in starts four and five that they didn't find out in start three. Then they were talking about running him three times during this meet. That would have given him eight starts from the end of November thru the Gold Cup. I thought they were trying to go from overly conservative to overly ambitious.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

In my opinion, Ellis wasted some races with him.

I hear you. Running horses in their current conditions is never a good idea.

The horse was going well and instead of stepping him up to take on better, he wasted a couple of races at SA.

Yep, the Big Cap as his 4th career start was a no-brainer. Its not like he would have been stretching him out in distance significantly at the same time.

I feel like each work and race is taking something out of a horse and I don't think of them as reserves that can be replinished. I see them each as having a finite number of efforts in them and, especially when you get one that had whatever the issues he had that kept him off the track for so long, when you get them good, take advantage.

Yeah, cuz when you got an unsound one going good its best to rush them into top company even if it means sacrificing a little foundation and experience. Its not like running in a Grade 1 is any more stressful than a modest allowance race.

Don't waste efforts.

Yes, waste careers instead.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

Hind sight is always 20/20 but I wonder if Valdivia should have used that horses natural speed a little more, those fractions were very soft. I hate when fast horses make the race a sprint to the wire.

Agreed.....if he was more aggressive, Dakota Phone would have jogged.

He's certainly not a distance horse. Maybe if the turn him back he will be OK. He's got ability but the hype was ridiculous.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Agreed.....if he was more aggressive, Dakota Phone would have jogged.

He's certainly not a distance horse. Maybe if the turn him back he will be OK. He's got ability but the hype was ridiculous.

I was the only one that hyped him like that and I didn't reach the levels that some did with Harlem Rocker last year. I don't think so anyway.