how is my point weak? tell me where i'm wrong. i've shown exactly who won what, what is there to dispute?

invasor only won three? ONLY? graded placed in a fourth. and earned all those after dubai, and the dread 'curse', his second there is his only loss ever, he's got a great resume....discreet cat does have a graded win in the uae derby. of the three, DC ran once since march, last friday in an allowance. henny has run twice all year. not sure exactly what kind of resume they even have based on that. a lot of promise shown, a lot of talent. i have no problem praising a horse for what he's done. what's been accomplished.

tell me this, when is the last time i posted that barbaro would have beaten bernadini?? i've made NO comparisons between the two other than their records, which are right there for everyone to see.

lol

hell dahoss, i said two (or was it three?) pages ago that this thread was like a dog chasing it's tail. not going anywhere, but a lot of energy exerted.

thanks for the lively discussion!!

i gotta say, this year has been amazing, and it ain't over yet! there have been some bad, bad things to happen this year...but i think i'm more enthused about every race to come than in some years past.

[quote=Danzig188]ok...now you bring that up to prove that voting DOESN'T take the whole year into consideration?? which is it?? you just said they did. neither of those ran past june.QUOTE]

Voting does consider the length of the entire year. In those years that Smarty and Alex won the Eclipse Award, they were clearly better than all the other horses that ran. They accomplished more in the spring than any of the other three year olds accomplished throughout the entire year. Alex beat out Flower Alley who didn't have near the resume that Alex did despite the fact that Flower Alley raced all year, and Smarty Jones beat out Birdstone who was also a very good horse winning big races. Still Smarty Jones accomplished more by going on a great win streak. While Birdstone's races were good in the summer, he didn't do very much toward the end of the year. Smarty was great the entire length of his three year old career although it ended prematurely. He and Alex (except in the Rebel due to the lung infection) never ran a bad race unlike Birdstone and Flower Alley (KD derby, losing the Arkansas Derby to Alex by eight lengths, JCGC although he did have a legitimate excuse as well).

i remember all the heat alex took after his loss in oaklawn....and then his bounce back. revenge!!

i'm hoping that fog will end up ok...things looked pretty bleak for barbaro there for a while, hopefully he'll turn out ok as well...

lost in the fog was my favorite horse last year...he reminded me of a couple other horses that have always been faves of mine--a family resemblance.

[quote=kentuckyrosesinmay]that's all true...but the voters can be a fickle bunch....and we all (most fans do i think) give a lot of weight to a 3 yo beating older, but then tiznow loses to point given after winning the bcc....no way of knowing WHAT they'll do...just ask the two year old afleet alex!

lol
are we even arguing?? you're saying the same things i've been saying....he is just as impressive. all i'm saying is it isn't over yet, indeed it isn't black and white.

it's bernardinis to win or lose. barbaro can do no more than he has.

one more win and that guy has it. that WOULD set him apart. and bernardini would be a truly deserving winner.

he's everything you'd want to see in a horse. he's great looking, great moving..he seems the complete package.

javier is a lucky guy.

fantastic, i enjoy intelligent conversation....

Barbaro has captivated a nation. He is a great horse. The media has really been hyping Bernardini up lately too though. It is a good sign for horse racing. They are calling Bernardini a superstar and a superhorse. I just read an article on the whole Barbaro vs. Bernardini debate in the NY Times. You know, Barbaro captivated a nation because of his heart, courage, and determination through a brillant win streak and a painful, life-threatening mishap. Wouldn't it be great for racing if Bernardini really does become a superhorse with all of the negatively surrounding the sport right now? It would be something postive and warming. Maybe God threw us some heartbreaks because he was finally going to give us HIM...THE NEXT COMING. What if Bernardini really is HIM? I can't imagine seeing a horse run live like those greats that ran in the 1970's. It has been one of my biggest dreams for years and years...to see one on live TV that we could honestly call one of the best that has ever been. To be there in that moment would be priceless. Maybe we are in that moment and we just don't know it yet.

[quote=Danzig188]Alex should have definitely gotten that award!

Foggy and Alex were my two co-favorite horses last year. I loved them both dearly. Foggy got my mother back into the game. For that, I can't thank him enough. He will always have a special place in my heart. I have cried more for Foggy than I even did for Barbaro.

I own a very expensive original painting of Barbaro in which I bought from Pat DeLong this spring after his amazing romp in the Derby. I really thought that HE was our next coming. I didn't even know who Bernardini was at that point. I hope Barbaro pulls through. God knows that I was devastated in the Preakness. As soon as he pulled up, I was balling because I saw just how bad his injury was. Dr. Richardson recently said that his leg looked awesome and had even completely fused in some areas with only a little more fusing left to go in other places. Maybe Bernardini and Barbaro can compete against each other in the shed. Who will produce the first KD winner!?! I hope Barbaro lives to see that.

Here is my painting. Her work is so beautiful and this is a stunning painting in real life. Now, I'll always have a fantastic picture of a great horse and a great rider in a great moment in horse racing. Words do not describe the feeling that this picture gives you. I am very proud of it...

http://www.finalturngallery.com/SmartyJones/barbaorftg

i saw the latest on barbaro, it's great news and i'm relieved to hear it.

if he gets to cover mares, that's just the cherry on top. yeah, a huge, valuable cherry....but nonetheless. initially i thought he was done, expected sunday morning to see he was gone. he's a rarity, one in a million. not too many could have made it this far...hopefully he's around for years to come. if he can pass on just some of his heart and will, that would be something.

i just hope some of his luck can rub off on lost in the fog.
as long as they're alive and fighting there's hope.

I didn't even know who won the Preakness on Preakness day because of what happened to Barbaro, but when I watched the replay (of course skipping the part where the incident occurred) I was stunned at the wonderful performance that Bernardini put in. At this point and time, Bernardini's performance was being widely over-looked by a concerned/devastated racing community. I really wish I could see Bernardini in person (now, not on Preakness day, all the money in the world wouldn't have made me go to that Preakness). You should feel privileged that you got the opportunity!