Prado on Casino Drive

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

What did it cost him?

It's hard to say exactly.

If he's not a big favorite with a bullseye on his back - he and the two other speeds try and back the pace down and make it easy on each other and hard on the rest of the field.

Instead - Smith and Prado on the two other speed horses tried to do a little race riding with Big Brown and Kent did what he had to in order to get out of it.

Big Brown ran a very mediocre figure - and the other two speeds finished 11th and 12th in a 12 horse field - 8 lengths behind whoever finished 10th. Obviously all three would have ran better individual races if they decided to work as a team and backed down the pace instead of race ride.

[MisterB]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

If you watch the race, he attempted to keep him boxed in as they came into the backstretch. Kent D got him outside and the rest is history. But, he did try to and Dutrow noticed. Here's some of his comments about it.

Dutrow commented on the ride by Edgar Prado aboard Riley Tucker in the Preakness. Prado, who often rides for Dutrow, rode Riley Tucker aggressively to keep Big Brown down on the rail as the field entered the backstretch. After a half-mile was run, Desormeaux was able to ease back and come outside of Riley Tucker and the pacesetting Gayego. Riley Tucker finished last.

“It looked like (Prado) was just trying to keep our horse in a box, and not out to get the best finish out of his horse,” said Dutrow, who remarked he received a phone call from Riley Tucker’s owner, Ahmed Zayat, who told him he was upset by Prado’s ride. “It looked like he just did something to keep our horse in behind his horse, and he had to go out of his way to do it.”

"I got paid to win the race, not to pay favors," Prado said in a phone interview between races at Belmont Park.

Prado, a Hall of Fame jockey, was set to ride Big Brown in the horse's career debut in September but was injured two races beforehand. Big Brown's owners later chose Kent Desormeaux over Prado for his 3-year-old season.

"Edgar being with us so much, it looks like he did something just to keep our horse in behind the other horse," Dutrow said. "He had to go way out of his way to do it. So we're not real happy about that, either."

From ESPN.com and Bloodhorse

Bull crap huh? Good call as usual.

You read to much of the Dutrow News broadcast. What I saw was KD trapping himself, and Prado race riding, as he should. KD could have moved out off the rail if he wanted to, but didn't, so now Prado tried to box him in. Again Bull crap!!!!!!!!!!!!

[knickslions2]

Prado and Casino Drive will be lucky to even see Brown down the stretch as Brown will be 15 lengths in front of him. Then down the stretch Prado will get hit in the face by dirt kicked up by Denis of Cork as Cork blows past him down the stretch. Casino Drive will be lucky to finish in the money.

[jms62]

Prado always gives his best. I love the back story, Prado - Barbaros(still undefeated in my book) jock trying to stop the undefeated BB from the Triple crown..

[Linny]

Prado rode Birdstone. 'Nuff said.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

The great Sarava as well I believe.

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

The great Sarava as well I believe.

most definately sarava as well

[booner]

What happened to Take coming to Belmont?

Of course, the obvious answer would be Prado's familiarity with Belmont Park; I was just wondering if something else happened.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

You seem to be forgetting that Prado rode the Preakness to win, like he was supposed to. He boxed in Big brown out of the first turn and Dutrow complained about it in the press. Prado is a pro, I doubt he'll do anything but give his best out there.

At this point all Prado is capable of is his 'best' impersonation of Ariel Smith. Which, I might add, he seems to have mastered.

[stonegossard]

Originally Posted by NoLuvForPletch

So you are saying that there isn't anyone else out there, besides me and probably Porter, that thinks it was more than just a bad ride? 115 and 1/5 for 3/4's with Hard Spun under a Santos-like stranglehold, watching Curlin the whole way and keeping him pinned down on the rail, moving whenever he moved, while Rags was able to run in the clear the whole way.

Remember, Gomez was Rags jock and Porter wouldn't let him out of the commitment after TAP announce she was going to run.

Thinking like that is INSANE. Hard Spun was not gonna win that race on the lead. They tried to rate him....didnt work. You really think a top jock like Gomez is gonna throw a race on purpose? Do you know for a fact that Jones didnt tell Gomez to try and rate HS?

Crazy thinking.

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by stonegossard

Thinking like that is INSANE. Hard Spun was not gonna win that race on the lead. They tried to rate him....didnt work. You really think a top jock like Gomez is gonna throw a race on purpose? Do you know for a fact that Jones didnt tell Gomez to try and rate HS?

Crazy thinking.

Did you just hear hear yourself? Try and RATE Hard Spun? Seriously? The only chance the horse had was if HE got loose and forced everyone to come and get him. It was his ONLY chance. If there wasn't something up then it was the all-time worst ride by a guy who is considered a current world class jockey. How odd would that be?

[hockey2315]

There's no way that Gomez blew that ride on purpose - but I disagree that rating was his best chance to win.

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Again, you're forgetting that the reason they took Pino off was he was too aggressive in the Preakness. They switched to Gomez, who is a known strong finisher, but not exactly known for sending early. Didn't that sort of tell you what they were looking to do?

Yeah, he had a great deal of trouble making the lead 2 races earlier on Dream Rush.

[stonegossard]

Originally Posted by NoLuvForPletch

Did you just hear hear yourself? Try and RATE Hard Spun? Seriously? The only chance the horse had was if HE got loose and forced everyone to come and get him. It was his ONLY chance. If there wasn't something up then it was the all-time worst ride by a guy who is considered a current world class jockey. How odd would that be?

Correct me if I am wrong...but didnt Hard Spun fail on the lead in The Derby going 1 1/4 ? How could he go 1 1/2 then on the lead. From what I remember they never rated him before The Belmont. Maybe..just maybe Jones knew his horse could not get the Belmont distance on the lead and wanted to try something different.

To suggest Gomez tried to lose on purpose is assinine.

[stonegossard]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

You can't be serious. What does one have to do with the other? How can you completely avoid what I said and talk about another race?

The guy probably lost a bunch cahsing Hard Spun in The Belmont. Needs to blame somebody for his loss.

[stonegossard]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I usually just blame Morty.

Morty has to be psyched. Ohio Derby is the one day he stops making lampshades out of human body parts in his basement.... and goes out into public and heads to Thistledowns.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

The Belmont ride on Hard Spun was a comical Fucl< up.

Gomez could have had a clear and uncontested lead through very moderate fraction - instead he opted to strangle the whole way, in a play to keep Curlin bottled up inside.

I disagree that he was trying to lose the race - obviously. However, it was painfully obvious that he put the bullseye on odds-on favorite Curlin - and was race riding him .. keeping him inside of horses where he doesn't want to be..and getting first run when it's time to sprint home.

It was a great strategy at taking Curlin out of his comfort zone - but Hard Spun is basically an allowance horse when he can't make the lead - and a Grade 1 type stake horse when he can.

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

You can't be serious. What does one have to do with the other? How can you completely avoid what I said and talk about another race?

You said Gomez wasn't exactly known for sending early, right?

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Right he isn't. Enough of the diversion. We're talking about the Belmont, not the Acorn. Don't you think it's possible that them going after Gomez was because they were trying to get him to relax a bit? Go watch the Preakness again.

No I think in their mind he was the "best jock available". They were wrong. I'm sure Larry Jones didn't tell him to choke the horse for a mile and sprint home. The horse relaxes fine. Watch the race at Turfway. Pino moved him in the Preakness. He didn't just decide after half a mile on his own to take off like that.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

The Belmont ride on Hard Spun was a comical Fucl< up.

Gomez could have had a clear and uncontested lead through very moderate fraction - instead he opted to strangle the whole way, in a play to keep Curlin bottled up inside.

I disagree that he was trying to lose the race - obviously. However, it was painfully obvious that he put the bullseye on odds-on favorite Curlin - and was race riding him .. keeping him inside of horses where he doesn't want to be..and getting first run when it's time to sprint home.

It was a great strategy at taking Curlin out of his comfort zone - but Hard Spun is basically an allowance horse when he can't make the lead - and a Grade 1 type stake horse when he can.

I agree with much of what you say here. But...In Hard Spun's only Grade 1 (the kings bishop) win, he was forced to rate until the turn.