Derby Trail Forums

Go Back   Derby Trail Forums > Triple Crown Topics/Archive..
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-08-2008, 04:57 PM
The Indomitable DrugS's Avatar
The Indomitable DrugS The Indomitable DrugS is offline
Flemington
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,007
Default Pyro

Awfully unimpressive in victory over a mediocre field.

Proud Spell ran 2/5ths faster at the same distance- though she did have the situation of a lifetime trip.

Pyro got shuffled a bit but didn't appear to have a big excuse otherwise.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:00 PM
King Glorious's Avatar
King Glorious King Glorious is offline
Atlantic City Race Course
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Beaumont, CA
Posts: 4,607
Default

I was thinking that same thing. Pyro is a good horse. I reluctantly have to admit that. But the time comparison is interesting. Last time, it was said that the girls ran faster because of the pace. This time, the half in the Derby was faster than the pace in the Oaks. The final time was .43 slower than the girls. On the bright side, it was nearly a full second last time so maybe the boys are closing the gap.
__________________
The real horses of the year (1986-2020)
Manila, Java Gold, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Go for Wand, In Excess, Paseana, Kotashaan, Holy Bull, Cigar, Alphabet Soup, Formal Gold, Skip Away, Artax, Tiznow, Point Given, Azeri, Candy Ride, Smarty Jones, Ghostzapper, Invasor, Curlin, Zenyatta, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Havre de Grace, Wise Dan, Wise Dan, California Chrome, American Pharoah, Arrogate, Gun Runner, Accelerate, Maximum Security, Gamine
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:04 PM
jms62's Avatar
jms62 jms62 is offline
Saratoga
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 19,679
Default

Proud Spell had the advantage of being in a 2 horse match race with a speedster. Of course the fractions will be faster.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:06 PM
SCUDSBROTHER's Avatar
SCUDSBROTHER SCUDSBROTHER is offline
Flemington
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: L.A.
Posts: 11,326
Default

Give Bravo a real rider n' He and PYRO hit the wire together.What a waste of a mount.Somebody good gunna want this mount,and I hope they get it.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:15 PM
Hickory Hill Hoff's Avatar
Hickory Hill Hoff Hickory Hill Hoff is offline
Newmarket
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: the "Sand Flats"
Posts: 6,903
Default

He'll do well vs. War Pass when they meet again.....2nd best, once again!
__________________
"Change can be good, but constant change shows no direction"

http://www.hickoryhillhoff.blogspot.com/
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:20 PM
TitanSooner TitanSooner is offline
Randwyck
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Los Alamitos
Posts: 1,303
Default

let's just not have the triple crown races this year.

jeez
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:25 PM
Travis Stone's Avatar
Travis Stone Travis Stone is offline
Oaklawn
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 2,229
Default

Not the performance I was expecting...

This crop just continues to look weaker and weaker.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:27 PM
miraja2's Avatar
miraja2 miraja2 is offline
Arlington Park
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago
Posts: 4,157
Default

I guess I was more impressed with him than all of you guys seem to be, although the crop as a whole continues to look poor. The time was obviously not great compared to what Proud Spell did in the previous race, but Pyro ran into some trouble in the second half of the race and overcame it to win easily.
As far as I am concerned he was far more impressive than Proud Spell throughout the last 2.5 furlongs of the race, despite not getting ideal fractions to run into.....again.
He clearly isn't great at this point, but he seems pretty good to me.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:32 PM
Travis Stone's Avatar
Travis Stone Travis Stone is offline
Oaklawn
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 2,229
Default

Pyro sprints away from a MCL in the last 16th while every other horse is gasping. Combine that with the time... eeek.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:34 PM
The Indomitable DrugS's Avatar
The Indomitable DrugS The Indomitable DrugS is offline
Flemington
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,007
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by miraja2
As far as I am concerned he was far more impressive than Proud Spell throughout the last 2.5 furlongs of the race
He was more impressive than her overall - even though he ran a few lengths slower.

Proud Spell will never get a better situation than she got today. With a real fast pace to set Pyro up - he could certainly run a lot better than his softish win today.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:35 PM
ceejay ceejay is offline
Detroit Race Course
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 289
Default

His running style will make it tough in a field of 20.........
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:35 PM
King Glorious's Avatar
King Glorious King Glorious is offline
Atlantic City Race Course
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Beaumont, CA
Posts: 4,607
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jms62
Proud Spell had the advantage of being in a 2 horse match race with a speedster. Of course the fractions will be faster.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the quarter and half of the Derby were FASTER than the Oaks.
__________________
The real horses of the year (1986-2020)
Manila, Java Gold, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Go for Wand, In Excess, Paseana, Kotashaan, Holy Bull, Cigar, Alphabet Soup, Formal Gold, Skip Away, Artax, Tiznow, Point Given, Azeri, Candy Ride, Smarty Jones, Ghostzapper, Invasor, Curlin, Zenyatta, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Havre de Grace, Wise Dan, Wise Dan, California Chrome, American Pharoah, Arrogate, Gun Runner, Accelerate, Maximum Security, Gamine
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:40 PM
King Glorious's Avatar
King Glorious King Glorious is offline
Atlantic City Race Course
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Beaumont, CA
Posts: 4,607
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis Stone
Pyro sprints away from a MCL in the last 16th while every other horse is gasping. Combine that with the time... eeek.
And let's not forget the third place horse, trying dirt for the first time.

I think it's fashionable to say that Pyro has improved since the fall. I'm not so sure. I think he was better than these horses in the fall and he's still better than them. I feel like it's impossible to tell how much he's improved. I don't think anything more can be taken from this race than can be taken from War Pass' race or from Big Brown's race. Each situation has been one good horse against vastly inferior horses and the good horse doing what he's supposed to do. Majestic Warrior, Tale of Ekati are "name" horses so it seemed like this was a deep field today but under the conditions they were put under, they had no shot at all to give their best and even their best might not have suited the conditions of today being that neither of them has proven they can win past 7f or around two-turns.
__________________
The real horses of the year (1986-2020)
Manila, Java Gold, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Go for Wand, In Excess, Paseana, Kotashaan, Holy Bull, Cigar, Alphabet Soup, Formal Gold, Skip Away, Artax, Tiznow, Point Given, Azeri, Candy Ride, Smarty Jones, Ghostzapper, Invasor, Curlin, Zenyatta, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Havre de Grace, Wise Dan, Wise Dan, California Chrome, American Pharoah, Arrogate, Gun Runner, Accelerate, Maximum Security, Gamine
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:46 PM
The Indomitable DrugS's Avatar
The Indomitable DrugS The Indomitable DrugS is offline
Flemington
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,007
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ceejay
His running style will make it tough in a field of 20.........
The horses who raced 19th and 20th early on in last years Derby - finished 1st and 4th.

4th place finisher Imawildandcrazyguy just ran 3rd in a small stake at Tampa today.

All things being equal, I'd prefer a closing style in the Derby.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 03-08-2008, 05:59 PM
easy goer
 
Posts: n/a
Default

closers win almost half of the KY derbies, stalkers take about 1/2 the rest. So all things being equal you'd take a closer. All things being equal. It seems that the various running styles are about equallydistributed but that's just a rough count based on last couple runnings of the derby.

OTOH, some running styles like stalkers have to turn into closers in the derby because of all the traffic. Fu Peg or Charismatic might be examples of this.

All in all one should not dismiss a horse for the derby on the basis of his being a closer. Being a closer is a plus.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 03-08-2008, 06:03 PM
Travis Stone's Avatar
Travis Stone Travis Stone is offline
Oaklawn
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 2,229
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS
All things being equal, I'd prefer a closing style in the Derby.
I had this same conversation with a friend of mine today. The chug-up finishers in the Derby are often great to wheel underneath at good prices:

Bluegrass Cat 30-1, Jazil 24-1, Steppenwolfer 16-1 in '06, Limehouse 41-1 in '04 etc.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 03-08-2008, 06:14 PM
NTamm1215 NTamm1215 is offline
Havre de Grace
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,629
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS
The horses who raced 19th and 20th early on in last years Derby - finished 1st and 4th.

4th place finisher Imawildandcrazyguy just ran 3rd in a small stake at Tampa today.

All things being equal, I'd prefer a closing style in the Derby.
Excellent point and another step in the road to convincing people that they needn't be overly concerned with closers in the Derby as only around three of the last 17 were won by horses on the pace.

NT
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 03-08-2008, 08:25 PM
sumitas sumitas is offline
Santa Anita
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,362
Default

I thought that most of the Derby winners were within 3 lengths of the lead at the first turn ?
Street Sense is an obvious exception to that.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 03-08-2008, 08:26 PM
Cannon Shell's Avatar
Cannon Shell Cannon Shell is offline
Sha Tin
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 20,855
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by sumitas
I thought that most of the Derby winners were within 3 lengths of the lead at the first turn ?
Street Sense is an obvious exception to that.
maybe final turn
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 03-08-2008, 08:42 PM
blackthroatedwind blackthroatedwind is offline
Jerome Park
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 9,932
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cannon Shell
maybe final turn

What's one turn between friends?
Reply With Quote
Reply



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:50 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.