Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

Oh I forgot they cancelled all of the derby preps between march 21-april 14th.

My bad.

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

That's the way I feel. I don't want to do that " you're too young to remember " crap but the way people seem to eagerly declare horses as " great " these days when they pale in comparison to horses from earlier eras is a bit frustrating. Sorry, Bernardini is not a great horse at this point in his career and as far as I'm concerned he needs to both run faster and accomplish more in order to move into that imaginary group. It's possible he will, and that would genuinely be exciting, but sadly we've gotten to a point when pretty much no horse is even allowed to establish greatness.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

It does make you feel a bit old though

Originally Posted by oracle80

Never EVER will you hear me bashing anyone for skipping the tri crown or a race within that series.
You can see what the tri crown has done to our best three year olds in the past decade. Its no coiincidence that the most accomplished three year olds who went on to do great things in the summer/fall or at age 4, all skipped part or all of the Tri Crown. Messrs Bell, Ferguson and Albertrani(as well as Sheikh Mo) deserve kudos for not rushing him to the Crown. They have been rewarded with a sound animal for that decision. I wish more would follow their lead in the future.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

He hit the gate when he broke his maiden, don't you think that he may have come out of the race a little sore since they didn't run him back until the 29th? I mean in the history of horseracing so many horses have broke their maiden in March and been pointed directly to the Derby. The fact he was able to win the Preakness in his first two turn race on May 20 was a top achievement

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Fact is that they were pretty aggresive going from maiden win to Withers to Preakness. That the horse won so easily distracts you from this.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Fact is that they were pretty aggresive going from maiden win to Withers to Preakness. That the horse won so easily distracts you from this.

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Yes, but lucky to have seen some horses to give me this perspective.

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

A top achievement against tired horses. Pisses me off. There needs to be changes to the TC format. It's become nothing but a duck, dodge, and pounce on the weary series.

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

It's not aggresive to go after horses coming off two weeks rest.

Originally Posted by oracle80

Asking horses to run 3 miles and 15/16th's in three different states in 35 days is lunacy, pure lunacy. Anyone who chooses not to do that is just smart.

Originally Posted by oracle80

The Withers was specifically chosen due to the fact that it was an allowance race type field of 4 horses.
Luxembourg had only won a maiden and non winners one. Doc Cheney not even that. I don't recall the straggler but he was the same.

The Preakness contained a small field as well, and other then Sweet, Bro D, and Barb, there was noone of any real consequence.
Those moves were not as aggressive as you paint them. They then backed off the Belmont where he would have been 3-5, that was very conservative and the key to his development.

Originally Posted by oracle80

He never ran on two week rest, better check that out bro.

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

It's not aggresive to go after horses coming off two weeks rest.

Originally Posted by oracle80

The Withers was specifically chosen due to the fact that it was an allowance race type field of 4 horses.

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Actually I believe he was slated to go in a conditional allowance the Friday prior to the Withers and chose the Withers instead when told it was coming up so light.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Dude it the freaking Preakness, open to all eligible 3 year olds, not the exhausted horse invitational. There have been a lot of horses that have gone Withers to Preakness and I may be wrong but I dont think any of them have ever won the Preakness.

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Actually I believe he was slated to go in a conditional allowance the Friday prior to the Withers and chose the Withers instead when told it was coming up so light.

Originally Posted by oracle80

Shell I think you have that one wrong. Although run the past few years three weeks before the Preakness, it used to be run only 13 days or 14 days prior to the Preakness. Thats why I don't recall many who tried that move.