Willie's ride

ShadowRoll · #1 07-12-2007, 01:03 PM

Forgive me if some of this has already been covered in other threads. There's been so much chatter since the race yesterday that I haven't been able to keep up with it all, even though I've tried.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Willie gave our girl a great ride. Despite inheriting the lead, he managed to take our girl back and relax her enough to have something left for the stretch drive. I've seen jocks try this many times, and it doesn't appear to often work. With a lot of horses, it seems the heart goes out of them once they give up the lead.

The fact that Willie was able to do this with Sumwon is a testament to how much she trusts him. She did what he wanted and trusted that Willie would let her loose again when it was time to run. It's also a testament to Chuck that he has been able to teach this reformed hell-for-leather frontrunner how to rate. And it's a testament to Sumwon because she's obviously smart enough to learn all this.

Maybe Sumwon needed yesterday's race after the layoff or maybe Green Door is just that good (I'm thinking that GD must have run the best race of her life, though I haven't seen any figures), but I feel real good about the future.

Scav · #2 07-12-2007, 01:07 PM

Trust me, she is smart as hell, when I got to the barn you couldn't feed them because it was race day. I had a cargo pocket full of peppermints and she smelled them and was all over my leg, it was quite hilarious......

ArlJim78 · #3 07-12-2007, 01:33 PM

I like a rider who knows his horse and doesn't flinch and make a sudden reaction when a couple of cheap speed horses make a run for it on the backstretch. Sometimes jocks will make a premature move when that happens and compromise the horses chances. Willie stayed cool, let them do their thing, and waited for them to fade.

I'm thinking that it was a new top for Green Door, especially for a route.
We'll see.

wiphan · #4 07-12-2007, 02:26 PM

I also think Willie did an excellent job with his ride on Sumwon. It seemed at the stretch that she waited for GD to come get her and then kicked it back in again too late after GD passed her. I believe TC said it best- she needs the blinkers.

Scav · #5 07-12-2007, 02:31 PM

If you put blinkers on this horse, you will undue all the hard work that Chuck has done to get her to rate. She is a horse with speed, she isn't a hanger

Bid said it best that hilarious Mojica Jr gunned her horse, right when Willie had her nice and settled, and it got her into the bit again

SniperSB23 · #6 07-12-2007, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scav

If you put blinkers on this horse, you will undue all the hard work that Chuck has done to get her to rate. She is a horse with speed, she isn't a hanger

Bid said it best that hilarious Mojica Jr gunned her horse, right when Willie had her nice and settled, and it got her into the bit again

That is my feeling as well. Her record screams hanger but from watching all of her races that isn't the case at all.

Scav · #7 07-12-2007, 02:42 PM

I disagree about her record screaming hanger. Just becuase she has 2nd/2nd/2nd doesn't mean hanger. She has gone up against two stakes horses and run hard against both, and then she yesterday she ran into an improver with a perfect trip.

Running second in those situations is not a bad thing. 6 months ago this horse was a 15k claimer, now she is solid allowance horse

wiphan · #8 07-12-2007, 02:45 PM

If you watch the race again, you see her settle in and slow down in the stretch and then once she sees GD pass her Sumwon kicks it back in. How do you propose on fixing that?

AeWingnut · #9 07-12-2007, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiphan

If you watch the race again, you see her settle in and slow down in the stretch and then once she sees GD pass her Sumwon kicks it back in. How do you propose on fixing that?

where did you watch the race replay?

wiphan · #10 07-12-2007, 02:50 PM

Arlington's website has it in the archives.

Scav · #11 07-12-2007, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiphan

If you watch the race again, you see her settle in and slow down in the stretch and then once she sees GD pass her Sumwon kicks it back in. How do you propose on fixing that?

She slowed down because she wasn't switching leads. When she switched at the 1/16 pole, she took off again.

SniperSB23 · #12 07-12-2007, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scav

I disagree about her record screaming hanger. Just becuase she has 2nd/2nd/2nd doesn't mean hanger. She has gone up against two stakes horses and run hard against both, and then she yesterday she ran into an improver with a perfect trip.

Running second in those situations is not a bad thing. 6 months ago this horse was a 15k claimer, now she is solid allowance horse

All I meant by that was if you knew nothing about the horse and saw a 8-1-6-0 record you would immediately think hanger. Having watched all her races though we know that isn't the case.

Scav · #13 07-12-2007, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

All I meant by that was if you knew nothing about the horse and saw a 8-1-6-0 record you would immediately think hanger. Having watched all her races though we know that isn't the case.

I agree.....