TP: Kentucky Cup Classic

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

i picked up a new word, minify.

Maybe we can use it as a secret password for "the club."

[NoChanceToDance]

I have to say, i am FAR from convinced with Street Sense and in my opinion i don't think he has a hope of winning the Classic.

In my opinion he has reached as high he is going to get and could be on the downward spiral now. How anyone can say he didn't act on the Poly is beyond me. If a horse doesn't act on a surface they are beaten at the gates, simple. He acted on the poly, but he didn't battle close to the wire.

I know there was a slow pace, i know Hard Spun got an uncontested lead, but why? SS was more than capable to challenge HS early without taking much out of him.

It was the fact that Borel really got serious with SS and he found almost nil when under pressure.

We know he loves coming from a mile back and passing beaten horses in his races. That will be very difficult to do at a place like Monmouth and i can already see Boral getting slaughtered for the ride he will give on October 27th.

[Danzig]

i am hoping that many involved in the classic will think that street sense could have put pressure on hard spun, but chose not to since he had bigger fish to fry, and that hard spun will come back to them with the added distance.
and then i hope hard spun wins by a country mile.

[geeker2]

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/...TS08/709300574

[NoChanceToDance]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i am hoping that many involved in the classic will think that street sense could have put pressure on hard spun, but chose not to since he had bigger fish to fry, and that hard spun will come back to them with the added distance.
and then i hope hard spun wins by a country mile.

My thoughts also.

[geeker2]

Originally Posted by NoChanceToDance

My thoughts also.

Suppose they decided to take HS from well off the pace in the Classic..would everyone not say they took him out of his best game? Well isn't that exactly what SS has been asked to do his last two races? Race on the pace when his best game is from well off the pace... and yet he won and finished a close second.

Both are good horses and it should make for a great Classic..may the best horse win..but probably some obscure longshot will win in a head scratcher!

[NoChanceToDance]

Originally Posted by geeker2

Suppose they decided to take HS from well off the pace in the Classic..would everyone not say they took him out of his best game? Well isn't that exactly what SS has been asked to do his last two races? Race on the pace when his best game is from well off the pace... and yet he won and finished a close second.

Both are good horses and it should make for a great Classic..may the best horse win..but probably some obscure longshot will win in a head scratcher!

Good horses should be capable of winning races from any sort of position given luck in running. I don't like the fact that so many of the "top" American horses HAVE to be ridden in a certain way if they are going to perform at their best.

I like tactical races, as most of our races are tactical, and i'm pretty sure that (even though SS might be best when closing) Borel would have been murdered by the media over here for giving Hard Spun such an easy lead. Whether it was a prep or whatever, i thought the ride was dreadful if i'm honest. He got within half a length early on....... how much more would it have taken out of him to make HS go one or two strides faster, even if it was just for a furlong or two?

One thing is for sure, SS won't have an easy time closing in the classic.

As Danzig said, i've got a funny feeling that everyone will give HS an uncontested lead, just assuming he will come back to them over 10furlongs. There is every chance that he will steal it from the front and leave everyone else looking rather stupid.

[geeker2]

Originally Posted by NoChanceToDance

I like tactical races, as most of our races are tactical, and i'm pretty sure that (even though SS might be best when closing) Borel would have been murdered by the media over here for giving Hard Spun such an easy lead. Whether it was a prep or whatever, i thought the ride was dreadful if i'm honest. He got within half a length early on....... how much more would it have taken out of him to make HS go one or two strides faster, even if it was just for a furlong or two?

One thing is for sure, SS won't have an easy time closing in the classic.

As Danzig said, i've got a funny feeling that everyone will give HS an uncontested lead, just assuming he will come back to them over 10furlongs. There is every chance that he will steal it from the front and leave everyone else looking rather stupid.

Boy..that scenario never happen before when HS faced more than a limited # of starters. He had plenty of company upfront..I find it hard to believe that is how it will play out in the Classic.

But PEACE..understand your point of view.

[NoChanceToDance]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

You think after seeing what he did in the Derby and what he did yesterday, that people are going to give Hard Spun a clear lead in the Classic? I say no way. I also think it's a bit too premature to declare that Street Sense won't have a easy time closing in the Classic. Why not? We have no idea how the track will play.

Again, I don't know how plainly I can put this. Nafzger is an old school kind of trainer, in the sense that he points for a race and is not that disappointed if the horse loses in the prep for the race. The prep is just that, a prep. I'm not sure he'll win the Classic. But Nafzger has done this to perfection twice, so I'm confident we will see a Street Sense that is 100% come October 27th. The stuff about getting Street Sense more involved early is ridiculous. That's NOT his running style and what sense does it make to dramatically change a horses running style to win a prep that ultimately isn't your goal? None.

I'm just not a fan how top horses in America are trained, i suppose. Prep upon prep and one, maybe two 'proper races' in a year.

Why get Street Sense involved early......why not?? I get so fed up with these so called "brilliant" horses that have to have a race run to suit. If that is the case, the horse isn't "brilliant" at all. He got within half a length early on and stayed there for quite a while. Why not let out an inch of rein? Could it have done that much harm..... ofcourse not!

I wasn't talking about how the track will be riding, but Monmouth is a tight track (correct me if i'm wrong). SS got very, VERY lucky in the Derby with the passage he got (it opened up like the red sea). If Borel hadn't got the initial gap in the Derby it is almost certain he would have finished at best mid division. The same tactics won't always work to perfection.

I seriously think Hard Spun will get it fairly easy on the lead, mainly because everyone else seems to think he won't get home over ten furlongs. It will be difficult, but not as difficult as it will be for Street Sense in my opinion.