7/25: Saratoga (Day 7; Curlin)

[ScottJ]

Today's third race was the 12-furlong turf affair that featured a well-backed Clearbrook - a filly facing males for the first time - that was an absolute play against in my mind meaning that I saw this race as full of value.

Javier takes the lead and as is so typically the case, the entire field watches through a half-time in 1:16.71! (Skipping to the end game, the race was timed in 2:28.35 meaning the back half came in 1:11.56!)

As expected with another poorly timed Cornelio ride, he falls a half-length short as Saffron Hall prevails over Grand Rapport. Often times, you will hear that all of the jockeys in the Saratoga colony are top flight and interchangable. Watch the third race from today and explain how that is possible.

Just once, will a jockey in this colony PLEASE press the lead going two (or three) turns?

As a public service, someone should let Irad Ortiz know that he can now release the choke hold on Royal Blessing. Also, someone please let Alan Garcia know that the race has actually started.

[pointman]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

Today's third race was the 12-furlong turf affair that featured a well-backed Clearbrook - a filly facing males for the first time - that was an absolute play against in my mind meaning that I saw this race as full of value.

Javier takes the lead and as is so typically the case, the entire field watches through a half-time in 1:16.71! (Skipping to the end game, the race was timed in 2:28.35 meaning the back half came in 1:11.56!)

As expected with another poorly timed Cornelio ride, he falls a half-length short as Saffron Hall prevails over Grand Rapport. Often times, you will hear that all of the jockeys in the Saratoga colony are top flight and interchangable. Watch the third race from today and explain how that is possible.

Just once, will a jockey in this colony PLEASE press the lead going two (or three) turns?

As a public service, someone should let Irad Ortiz know that he can now release the choke hold on Royal Blessing. Also, someone please let Alan Garcia know that the race has actually started.

Just curious, if the Saratoga jockey colony is not top flight, what colony is?

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by pointman

Just curious, if the Saratoga jockey colony is not top flight, what colony is?

Exchange Javier Castellano and Cornelio Velasquez in that third race and the results are different. Many feel that watching the jockeys is unimportant at Saratoga and I tend to disagree greatly. Hence, my comment regarding interchanging those particular third race pilots.

As for the strength of the colony, I have always agreed that these (along with Del Mar's group) are very talented; that said, it is fairly clear that few if any can adequately judge pace and internal fractions in a race which is a major gap in their arsenal. If I have this wrong, why do we see so much discussion about NYRA-disease - also known as "clutch and grab"?

[pointman]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

Exchange Javier Castellano and Cornelio Velasquez in that third race and the results are different. Many feel that watching the jockeys is unimportant at Saratoga and I tend to disagree greatly. Hence, my comment regarding interchanging those particular third race pilots.

As for the strength of the colony, I have always agreed that these (along with Del Mar's group) are very talented; that said, it is fairly clear that few if any can adequately judge pace and internal fractions in a race which is a major gap in their arsenal. If I have this wrong, why do we see so much discussion about NYRA-disease - also known as "clutch and grab"?

I can't say I have ever heard anyone say that the jockey's in the Saratoga colony are interchangeable. Can anyone really say that you can use Abel Lezcano in place of Jose Lezcano and lose nothing?

Certainly the NY colony has been very frustrating all year with the grabbing instead of being aggressive with speed horses. However, there is no colony that is even close to being as good as the Saratoga colony, regardless of how frustrating the grabbing has been. The grabbing has not been limited to NY either.

The Del Mar colony is not even close to the Saratoga colony. When Edwin Maldonado is one of the top riders in a colony there can be no comparison to the Saratoga colony.

[jms62]

Originally Posted by pointman

I can't say I have ever heard anyone say that the jockey's in the Saratoga colony are interchangeable. Can anyone really say that you can use Abel Lezcano in place of Jose Lezcano and lose nothing?

Certainly the NY colony has been very frustrating all year with the grabbing instead of being aggressive with speed horses. However, there is no colony that is even close to being as good as the Saratoga colony, regardless of how frustrating the grabbing has been. The grabbing has not been limited to NY either.

The Del Mar colony is not even close to the Saratoga colony. When Edwin Maldonado is one of the top riders in a colony there can be no comparison to the Saratoga colony.

And Castellano times his move in the 7 just a bit too late.

[ADJMK]

It sure looked like V.E day gave Charge Now a solid bump down the lane and they don't even look at it. There goes my P4.

[Pants II]

Toga 10
$.50 tri 1,7/1,4,6,7/1,2,3,4,6,7 $12
$4 ex box 1,7
$20 win 1

[ScottJ]

It will be interesting to see how Race 10 is decided - the 10 clearly herded the 9 outwards into the 5; meanwhile, the 9 forced himself into a lane which did not exist in the stretch. This could clearly be a double-DQ.

[ADJMK]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

Today's third race was the 12-furlong turf affair that featured a well-backed Clearbrook - a filly facing males for the first time - that was an absolute play against in my mind meaning that I saw this race as full of value.

Javier takes the lead and as is so typically the case, the entire field watches through a half-time in 1:16.71! (Skipping to the end game, the race was timed in 2:28.35 meaning the back half came in 1:11.56!)

As expected with another poorly timed Cornelio ride, he falls a half-length short as Saffron Hall prevails over Grand Rapport. Often times, you will hear that all of the jockeys in the Saratoga colony are top flight and interchangable. Watch the third race from today and explain how that is possible.

Just once, will a jockey in this colony PLEASE press the lead going two (or three) turns?

As a public service, someone should let Irad Ortiz know that he can now release the choke hold on Royal Blessing. Also, someone please let Alan Garcia know that the race has actually started.

Garcia has ridden Rapscallion 3 times with 2 wins and a second all on or pressing the lead. I guess he decided he was going to have success being a closer today?

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by ADJMK

Garcia has ridden Rapscallion 3 times with 2 wins and a second all on or pressing the lead. I guess he decided he was going to have success being a closer today?

This underscores my point about internal pace knowledge among the jockeys - Alan Garcia had Rapscallion seven lengths off the pace in 1:16 3/5. He needed his horse to come home in 1:09 and change to have something to say in that race. (Same argument regarding Cornelio Velasquez's ride.)

On a positive note, Joel Rosario brushed three-wide in the first turn with Shetan to get into the mid-pack flow after being left at the start.