Finger Lakes Today...

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Oscar Gomez was trying way too hard. He absolutely rode the hair off of her early to keep her close to a pace setter who - from a pace figure standpoint - runs graded stakes caliber like first quarters and always stops. The whole race was filled with speedball stoppers.

You can blame the trainer for riding an 8% jock at Finger Lakes and not recognizing the race shape.

If the trainer simply tells his jock "everyone in this field is capable of running a spectacular opening quarter. They can all go 21 and change on the lead -without urging - on a track that's no faster than par. Don't panic at all if they're sharper than you away from the gate. They'll knock heads - they have no other choice - you stay out of it. Own the final quarter mile! That's the important thing, they'll all hit a wall at the quarter pole and so will you if you gun her after they outquick you from the gate"

He tells his rider that - and she wins going away.

Instead, he guns up two lengths off of a 21.66 first quarter - that quarter set by the eventual last place finisher - a stopper whom I believe has one of the faster Moss pace figures I've ever seen.