Travers Buzz: Quality Road a yes..

South Beach Luv · #1 08-05-2009, 07:24 AM

If Rachel doesn't run, is Mine That Bird or Quality Road the favorite?

dalakhani · #2 08-05-2009, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by South Beach Luv

If Rachel doesn't run, is Mine That Bird or Quality Road the favorite?

I would think Quality Road.

I agree with Round Pen. QR wouldnt be a very good bet at what likely will be short odds. Maybe he is some kind of super freak and he wins but it still looks like a very poor bet. I wouldnt bet a horse going 10f for the first time 3 weeks after prepping with a 6.5 furlong sprint. Throw in the fact that it is following an injury and four month layoff and it looks like a strong bet against.

Gander · #3 08-05-2009, 08:29 AM

I think Quality Road is the Travers favorite, as I have a feeling Rachael wont go (I hope I am wrong). Wouldnt appeal to me as a betting race because I think Quality Road could win the race, but he will be in the neighborhood of 6/5 without Rachael in there. Now, throw Rachael in there and it becomes a great betting race if you think she is beatable.

NTamm1215 · #4 08-05-2009, 08:36 AM

I think Rachel Alexandra is a longshot to go in the Travers and that has more to do with Kensei than anything else. The Travers is the logical spot for him and there's no reason for Jackson/Asmussen to run those two against each other.

The buzz at Monmouth after the Haskell was Woodward, which I think would be a terrific place for her to run. It's uncharted territory and gives her a chance to bring some life to the final weekend of the meet.

A Travers lineup that includes the Birds, Kensei, Warrior's Reward, and Quality Road isn't too shabby. I suppose you can throw the vaunted stakes winner Charitable Man in the mix as well.

NT

jpops757 · #5 08-05-2009, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalakhani

I would think Quality Road.

I agree with Round Pen. QR wouldnt be a very good bet at what likely will be short odds. Maybe he is some kind of super freak and he wins but it still looks like a very poor bet. I wouldnt bet a horse going 10f for the first time 3 weeks after prepping with a 6.5 furlong sprint. Throw in the fact that it is following an injury and four month layoff and it looks like a strong bet against.

Quality Road has proved his quality. Couldnt this be considered a6.5f work, preping for the Travers? If it was just a work, some would say it was perfect work 26 days out and now they would just work on his conditioning.

dalakhani · #6 08-05-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpops757

Quality Road has proved his quality. Couldnt this be considered a6.5f work, preping for the Travers? If it was just a work, some would say it was perfect work 26 days out and now they would just work on his conditioning.

Okay, so call it a work. You want to bet a 3 year old that has never been 10f coming off an injury layoff of close to 5 months off of works?

This is no indictment of the horse's talent. I just don't see how he could be ready.

Cannon Shell · #7 08-05-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Okay, so call it a work. You want to bet a 3 year old that has never been 10f coming off an injury layoff of close to 5 months off of works?

This is no indictment of the horse's talent. I just don't see how he could be ready.

This used to be the way almost all horses were prepped off of layoffs

dalakhani · #8 08-05-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

This used to be the way almost all horses were prepped off of layoffs

Chuck, you are the trainer. What is your opinion on the horse being ready?

Cannon Shell · #9 08-05-2009, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Chuck, you are the trainer. What is your opinion on the horse being ready?

There is no reason why he couldnt be ready. Pletcher rarely runs a short horse in any case. Obviously if the foot becomes an issue of any sort, that changes everything.

parsixfarms · #10 08-05-2009, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Okay, so call it a work. You want to bet a 3 year old that has never been 10f coming off an injury layoff of close to 5 months off of works?

This is no indictment of the horse's talent. I just don't see how he could be ready.

How is what Quality Road doing any different from the long line of fillies that used to prep for the Alabama in the Test (aside fom the fact that he'll get 26 days to recover instead of only nine)?

dalakhani · #11 08-05-2009, 10:11 AM

both of you guys just said "used to".

SniperSB23 · #12 08-05-2009, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalakhani

both of you guys just said "used to".

So cause it worked on great horses in the past it can't work on horses today? I don't question whether Quality Road will be fit for 10 furlongs, I just question whether he is a 10 furlong horse to begin with.

For anyone that is looking forward to betting against Quality Road you should be really pissed at the Beyer people right now for using their handheld time instead of the official time to give him a 103 figure instead of a 119. Can you imagine how much more money he would have drawn coming off a 119?

#13 08-05-2009, 10:25 AM

Quality road is a quality horse under the care of a quality trainer with the riding services of a quality jockey. There is no reason to believe this horse, who had a quality return to the races on Monday, will perform poorly in a quality race like the Travers on a quality track like Saratoga.

Cannon Shell · #14 08-05-2009, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalakhani

both of you guys just said "used to".

Trainers stopped doing it because somewhere along the line horses werent allowed to lose and were supposed be ready to fire their best shot every time.

Round Pen · #15 08-05-2009, 11:45 AM

[quote=parsixfarms]How is what Quality Road doing any different from the long line of fillies that used to prep for the Alabama in the Test (aside fom the fact that he'll get 26 days to recover instead of only nine)?[/QUOTE

THat has Nothing to do with it now it might if all those fillies came off of a 4 month layoff in the test.

miraja2 · #16 08-05-2009, 11:59 AM

I don't know what to think of Quality Road at 10f. His Florida Derby performance was certainly impressive, but there really didn't seem to be any clues to me in that race one way or the other regarding how he would like the extra furlong. I never really like Elusive Quality's stretching out past 8.5, but memories of Smarty Jones and Raven's Pass make me wonder if I'm just flat out wrong about that. The dam is bred to run all day.
He's a tough one to figure, but he has enormous talent and I actually like the sprint/route angle off a layoff. If the race was 9f, I think he'd be really tough. At ten....I just don't know.

parsixfarms · #17 08-05-2009, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Round Pen

THat has Nothing to do with it now it might if all those fillies came off of a 4 month layoff in the test.

You make it sound as if this horse was out of training for four months. In reality, it was closer to four weeks. He had 5-6 works heading into the Amsterdam. This horse has back distance foundation, having won the Florida Derby at 9F. Fitness should not be an issue.