You make the call.. Classic or Mile for Wise Dan?

[cakes44]

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985

He wasn't beating POE at 9f derby day.

Yep, pretty sure POE was scratched because they knew he was going to blow the doors off Wise Dan that day and they just felt bad for him.

[Danzig]

i enjoyed wise dan's races last year. hope they try him on dirt at least once again this year.
that said, turf is considered kinder to a horse. and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. hopefully between him and his half-brother, we'll be treated for plenty more good racing, this year and for a few years to come.

[Thunder Gulch]

So what's the goal here? The BC Mile is a big check with a high probability of cashing. Win there and you join a handful of horses who have won different BC races and cementing a legacy of one of the best in that turf mile division.

However, if you take a gamble in the Classic, you really are going for "all time greatness." I don't think he has a good shot, but he has a shot at American racing immortality. I don't think that's an overstatement for a multiple HOY who won BC races on different surfaces, capped by the Classic.

For an old guy with a once in a lifetime horse, I'd take the shot.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

So what's the goal here? The BC Mile is a big check with a high probability of cashing. Win there and you join a handful of horses who have won different BC races and cementing a legacy of one of the best in that turf mile division.

However, if you take a gamble in the Classic, you really are going for "all time greatness." I don't think he has a good shot, but he has a shot at American racing immortality. I don't think that's an overstatement for a multiple HOY who won BC races on different surfaces, capped by the Classic.

For an old guy with a once in a lifetime horse, I'd take the shot.

i think it depends on what happens with successful dan. mr. lopresti has a possible chance to win two races on cup day. that's an enviable position for sure!

[RockHardTen1985]

[quote=cakes44;939844]Yep, pretty sure POE was scratched because they knew he was going to blow the doors off Wise Dan that day and they just felt bad

Thanks for making things up.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by -BT-

you just anointed a horse who scratched the day of, a winner, over reigning horse of the year.

Huh?

Cakes dear... you're gonna have to preface it with some kind of little warning or something next time you're being sarcastic.

[classhandicapper]

I think Wise Dan has clearly demonstrated he has the versatility to compete against the best horses in the game across all surfaces at middle distances.

However, I also think we are so used to trainers not knowing their own horses well, we assume that's true of all trainers.

To me, Charles Lopresti seems to be a trainer of extraordinary talent. Just look at the job he has done with Successful Dan also. Amazing!

I don't think the winning streak (he's already lost a bunch of races) or HOTY have anything to do with the thinking of Wise Dan's connections. They have to know this campaign won't get him HOTY again or even enhance his reputation a great deal.

My guess is that the connections think Wise Dan does NOT want to go further than 9F against the best horses in the country and they also believe they are competent enough to make that assessment without running him. So the Classic and Turf Classic are off the radar. Once you reach that conclusion, the best way to win the Turf Mile again (and some great horses have done just that) is to probably do exactly what they are doing, not bouncing back and forth between surfaces, running in the Whitney or Woodward or some Classic race on synthetic in CA etc...

The may be thinking along these lines.

It's one thing to throw your horse into a challenging situation that he's prepared to handle and has a decent chance to be successful at. It's another to throw him into a race you already know he can't win just because the fans want it.

I'm sure there are loads of people here that disagree with that assessment of Dan or feel like the horse deserves a chance to prove it on the track, but I really don't think the winning streak or HOTY have anything to do with their thinking. So what else can it be.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

I think Wise Dan has clearly demonstrated he has the versatility to compete against the best horses in the game across all surfaces at middle distances.

However, I also think we are so used to trainers not knowing their own horses well, we assume that's true of all trainers.

To me, Charles Lopresti seems to be a trainer of extraordinary talent. Just look at the job he has done with Successful Dan also. Amazing!

I don't think the winning streak (he's already lost a bunch of races) or HOTY have anything to do with the thinking of Wise Dan's connections. They have to know this campaign won't get him HOTY again or even enhance his reputation a great deal.

My guess is that the connections think Wise Dan does NOT want to go further than 9F against the best horses in the country and they also believe they are competent enough to make that assessment without running him. So the Classic and Turf Classic are off the radar. Once you reach that conclusion, the best way to win the Turf Mile again (and some great horses have done just that) is to probably do exactly what they are doing, not bouncing back and forth between surfaces, running in the Whitney or Woodward or some Classic race on synthetic in CA etc...

The may be thinking along these lines.

It's one thing to throw your horse into a challenging situation that he's prepared to handle and has a decent chance to be successful at. It's another to throw him into a race you already know he can't win just because the fans want it.

I'm sure there are loads of people here that disagree with that assessment of Dan or feel like the horse deserves a chance to prove it on the track, but I really don't think the winning streak or HOTY have anything to do with their thinking. So what else can it be.