8/29 (SAR): Personal Ensign S. (G1)

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by Princess Doreen

Oh, for cripes sake, shut up - the lot of you. You make Jr. High class clowns look like Rhodes Scholars. Now we're into unwarranted insults, physical threats, and death wishes.

These FAST disciples are like that. They buy into their PARADIGMS and then when the system fails them, in other words, their horses run SLOW (or the lose to SLOW(ER) horses), they don't know how to deal with it. The only thing left is to go back to the only thing they have left: attacking the SLOW horse; you know, the one that's NEVER lost. Mike the Eunuch, over at PA, has made this his life's work. A DVD of all his posts will hit the market by the end of the year.

[Rupert Pupkin]

The one thing that nobody is bringing up is the track itself at Saratoga. There are plenty of horses that don't like that track. RA may not like that track. There may be a big difference between RA at Saratoga vs RA at Churchill or Belmont.

The same thing can be said for Life at Ten. She may not like Saratoga. She's never won there. She's 0 for 3 at Saratoga.

[kgar311]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

The one thing that nobody is bringing up is the track itself at Saratoga. There are plenty of horses that don't like that track. RA may not like that track. There may be a big difference between RA at Saratoga vs RA at Churchill or Belmont.

The same thing can be said for Life at Ten. She may not like Saratoga. She's never won there. She's 0 for 3 at Saratoga.

its also funny to me that the worst race by far in Rachels career beyer wise was equal to Zenyattas last "spine tingling" win

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by kgar311

its also funny to me that the worst race by far in Rachels career beyer wise was equal to Zenyattas last "spine tingling" win

The way that track (Saratoga) was playing (tiring) on Sunday, and the way that race set up, I think Zenyatta would have won that race by about 8-10 lengths. I'm not saying that makes her a better horse. I don't think Rachel likes Saratoga.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

The way that track (Saratoga) was playing (tiring) on Sunday, and the way that race set up, I think Zenyatta would have won that race by about 8-10 lengths. I'm not saying that makes her a better horse. I don't think Rachel likes Saratoga.

Huh? Speed was good on Sunday. And Rachel doesn't like Saratoga? What on earth gives you that idea? Her Woodward last year -- I know you people can't understand this -- was very good, and she was beaten by pace/distance on Sunday, not the surface.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

Huh? Speed was good on Sunday. And Rachel doesn't like Saratoga? What on earth gives you that idea? Her Woodward last year -- I know you people can't understand this -- was very good, and she was beaten by pace/distance on Sunday, not the surface.

Every time I have watched one of those 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 mile races at Saratoga, the track looks very tiring. It almost reminds me of Del Mar in the sense that it doesn't seem to matter how slow they go, the come-from-behinders still seem to have the edge. Blind Luck came from well out of it, even though the pace was slow. Blame was able to run Quality Road down, even though the pace was just moderate. It's the same way at Del Mar. They can go :49 or slower and a horse like Richard's Kid can still win coming from way out of it.

With regard to RA's race at Saratoga last year, I thought she ran ok but I didn't think it was anywhere near one of her best performances. I know that she was taking on older males that day and I know that she set a pretty fast pace. Despite that, I would have still expected her to win a little easier if she would have run anything close to her best. Do I know for sure that it was because of the surface? No, I don't know that for sure. I'm simply saying that could be one possibility.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Every time I have watched one of those 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 mile races at Saratoga, the track looks very tiring. It almost reminds me of Del Mar in the sense that it doesn't seem to matter how slow they go, the come-from-behinders still seem to have the edge. Blind Luck came from well out of it, even though the pace was slow. Blame was able to run Quality Road down, even though the pace was just moderate. It's the same way at Del Mar. They can go :49 or slower and a horse like Richard's Kid can still win coming from way out of it.

With regard to RA's race at Saratoga last year, I thought she ran ok but I didn't think it was anywhere near one of her best performances. I know that she was taking on older males that day and I know that she set a pretty fast pace. Despite that, I would have still expected her to win a little easier if she would have run anything close to her best. Do I know for sure that it was because of the surface? No, I don't know that for sure. I'm simply saying that could be one possibility.

You named two horses that have proven they can overcome slow paces in the past at other tracks as well. That's hardly enough of a sample to compare Saratoga to a synthetic track. What about Glenwood Canyon running way better than he had any right to against Convocation on the lead? What about A Little Warm and Miner's Reserve going 1-2 around the track in the Jim Dandy? What about Winslow Homer wiring the field to win by a pole in the Curlin? What about Trickmeister doing the same in the Pleasant Colony? If anything, two-turn races at Saratoga this meet have been more kind to speed than closers. And this weekend's track was indisputably speed-favoring.

And as for the Woodward, horses just don't go :22 and :46 and 'win easy' at Saratoga. It doesn't happen. That she won at all is unbelievable and certainly doesn't support any antipathy for the surface.

[Metal Man]

Originally Posted by kgar311

its also funny to me that the worst race by far in Rachels career beyer wise was equal to Zenyattas last "spine tingling" win

Just goes to show up the quaility of beyers!

[2Hot4TV]

I was out of the country for the last 2 week and I guess I missed the RA excitement.

Has RA won a race this year?

Hell of a 3yo and JUST a real good older race mare.

She wont make it to the Breeders Cup, she doesnt want to race anymore.

Put a fork in it and retire. Keep racing her and we will forget her altogether.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by 2Hot4TV

I was out of the country for the last 2 week and I guess I missed the RA excitement.

Has RA won a race this year?

Hell of a 3yo and JUST a real good older race mare.

She wont make it to the Breeders Cup, she doesnt want to race anymore.

Put a fork in it and retire. Keep racing her and we will forget her altogether.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by 2Hot4TV

I was out of the country for the last 2 week and I guess I missed the RA excitement.

Has RA won a race this year?

Hell of a 3yo and JUST a real good older race mare.

She wont make it to the Breeders Cup, she doesnt want to race anymore.

Put a fork in it and retire. Keep racing her and we will forget her altogether.

I'll answer the last paragraph, she is definitely not done and she definitely should not retire.