ATR Hall of Fame Debate: Gio Ponti?

[KirisClown]

Originally Posted by GPK

The article was going along just fine...until this:

"Though head and withers the best American turf horse in training, perhaps the best since Manila dominated the division in the mid 1980s..."

Gio Ponti is a nice/consistent horse and it's great he's stayed in training, but the best since Manila?? It's hard to believe that someone in their right mind would actually believe that..

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by KirisClown

Gio Ponti is a nice/consistent horse and it's great he's stayed in training, but the best since Manila?? It's hard to believe that someone in their right mind would actually believe that..

I love Gio Ponti. He couldn't have warmed up the likes of Lure or Paradise Creek. Bad opinions foster bad opinions.

[KirisClown]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I love Gio Ponti. He couldn't have warmed up the likes of Lure or Paradise Creek. Bad opinions foster bad opinions.

Agreed, those are the two I immediately had in mind.. The author of that piece has been around long enough to know better, it feels like it's an opinion based on sentiment rather than fact..

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I love Gio Ponti. He couldn't have warmed up the likes of Lure or Paradise Creek. Bad opinions foster bad opinions.

Certainly you could think of another 20-30 since Manila that were better than GP.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Certainly you could think of another 20-30 since Manila that were better than GP.

I don't know about quite that many, as he is good, and has been for a while, and the US turf horses are a pretty weak group, and have been for years. But, I'm sure there are more than a handful.

I think the Hall of Fame has been too liberal over the years with some of their inductees. However, hopefully the internet vote hasn't go so far as to now naming Hall of Fame members. Wasn't electing an undeserving Horse of the Year bad enough?

[Calzone Lord]

You can get 10-to-1 on Gio Ponti right now off-shore.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

You can get 10-to-1 on Gio Ponti right now off-shore.

To make the Hall of Fame?

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

To make the Hall of Fame?

I'd take that on the basis of the poll results in this thread.

But no, to win the Mile.

[GPK]

Originally Posted by KirisClown

Gio Ponti is a nice/consistent horse and it's great he's stayed in training, but the best since Manila?? It's hard to believe that someone in their right mind would actually believe that..

That's when I quit reading the article. Like Andy said, bad opinions foster bad opinions. There probably wasn't a bigger fan of English Channel than me (My God, I still have his name on my license plate) but English Channel doesn't belong in the HOF and English Channel would have handled Gio Ponti with no problem.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by GPK

That's when I quit reading the article. Like Andy said, bad opinions foster bad opinions. There probably wasn't a bigger fan of English Channel than me (My God, I still have his name on my license plate) but English Channel doesn't belong in the HOF and English Channel would have handled Gio Ponti with no problem.

Yeah, that.