Suggestions for Casino Drive Jockey
 

I would like to see Edgar Prado or John Velasquez. Prado was brilliant with Birdstone and I can see that type of race unfolding with BB. JV though is the best in the game. I still think his ride on Rags was brilliant. I lean towards JV.

Gomez

HRTV just said that Y. Take's coming in from Japan to ride in the Belmont

In a race that is often a jockey's race that is not a smart move. They should have gone with experience. Although this horse looks like he can run all day. BB might just be a super horse but that is what it will take to beat this horse at 12f.

Please.. That's nonsense.

Yutaka Take is one of the best jocks in the world. He rides in races bigger than the Belmont regularly.

Isn't that 'experience' you suggest the type Kent Desormeaux brought to Real Quiet?

Trivia: Name the runaway Belmont Stakes winner who Yutaka Take rode to a 2nd place finish behind High Cascade in his career debut at Del Mar?

Y Take not experienced? thats a laugh.

He rode Point Given in his debut I believe...

Touch Gold??

Come on, that's just silly. Take is the man!

How many races has he ridden at Belmont? How many has Johnny V?

If they were looking for an American rider, there are presently several alternatives better than Velazquez. He just hasn't been the same since the Up an Octave spill.

Correct.

I don't think that has anything to do with it. Take is a damn good jock-I see nothing wrong at all in going with him.

If going with an American jock, I think Gomez or Prado would be a better choice than JV. He hasn't been having a very good year.

Is Honour making such an unreasonable point? Belmont's a lot different than most American tracks. I saw both Stewart Elliot and Jeremy Rose ride in the Belmont. My recollection is that Elliot was there for the first time on the day of the race while Rose went up about a week early and rode some other horses to get a feel for the track. Not saying that experience with the track was the dominant factor in either of those races (I thought Smarty Jones got tag-teamed into an uncomfortable and contested pace on the lead in contrast to the smoother trip Afleet Alex got), but I still wonder if Elliot's move on Smarty Jones was premature compared to Rose's move, which seemed timed just right.

I don't think it matters really. I don't know why going with JV would be better than going with Take. You mentioned Elliott, but what about Desormeux on Real Quiet? He rode the track before, and RQ still lost.

I'm not sure that Real Quiet's loss can be attributed to jock error. And I'm not pushing any particular jock over Take. Just pointing out that because Belmont is somewhat unique with its long, sweeping turns, isn't it an advantage to have ridden the track before to get the timing down, and to lessen the chance of jock error?

maybe for a new jock, but not one with Takes experience.

Considering Take's home track is Sha Tin, I don't see how our little Belmont track would be a problem for him.

Oh? How big is it?

Go look. I'm sure Belmont will seem like a canter through an open meadow compared to Sha Tin.

I don't think Elliot was up there for very long before the race but I know he had some mounts at the track the day before the Belmont Stakes that year.

Sha Tin is in HK, not Japan.

I thought the plan all along had been to bring Take over for the Belmont.....

If my math is right (for circumference):

Sha Tin
1899 meters
or 1.17998 miles

Belmont
2414.016 meters
or 1.5 miles

You're right about HK, thanks. That's what I've always read the plan to be for Casino Drive. Take is one of the top jocks in the world, has ridden quality horses at tracks all over the world, and rides for this trainer regularly. It will be exciting to see him come here to ride. Who knows, maybe attendance will go up here, too <g>

PS Apacheeeeeeeee ~!

And the all weather track at Sha Tin is shorter, at 1560 meters.

:cool: :)

As an aside, anyone know how his stablemate back home is doing?

His name is Tiger Mask (same owner) and all his $ earned goes to charity (an orphanage).

Just wondering..... it's hard finding news from the JRA at times...

Can't we reasonably expect him to show up a week or two (or more) prior and catch a few mounts and gain some experience before the big one?

The Victoria Mile is on the 18th.....

No way will he miss that, especially with Vodka entered.

Yeah...

Apparently this pesron thinks that Take is planning on swimming to the States, then walking the rest of the way to Belmont Park after the race over there. If thats the case then she is right...3 weeks might not be long enough.

Yes but I'm busy getting my dates all mixed up right now... :D

As an aside, the Japanese Oaks is May 25th and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) is on June 1st.....

Hard to see him missing either...

Look at the turns and chutes leading into it, and the setup of the track itself (downtown, the stands, highrises next to it, etc) I'm sure Take has more than enough experience on the various big stages of the world to handle Belmont.

One other thing I noticed about Casino Drive (and his entry mate in the Peter Pan) is that nobody has yet mentioned the medication thing - which sorta surprises me.

Fernando Jara would be a good choice

Info, maps, etc on the racecourses in Japan, for anyone interested.....

http://japanracing.jp/course/j-racecourse.html