Can we all agree...

[Kasept]

Further.. say what you will about Dutrow, but he kept trying with Frost Giant until he figured out what to do with him...

http://www.derbytrail.com/forums/sho...816#post392816

From Dave Grenig's BEL notes last week:

"He's a hard horse to figure out; I still ain't got him figured out yet," Dutrow said. "He's going good now though. I don't have a problem trying what we're going to try."

Dutrow said if Frost Giant runs big Wednesday, he'll leave him at Belmont with Bobby Frankel and walk him into the Suburban.

"I'll put him on the lead in the Suburban," Dutrow said. "I'll put Rudy [Rodriguez] on him and let him ride him right out of there, that's what the horse wants. He doesn't want you to take a hold of him."

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Further.. say what you will about Dutrow, but he kept trying with Frost Giant until he figured out what to do with him...

http://www.derbytrail.com/forums/sho...816#post392816

From Dave Grenig's BEL notes last week:

"He's a hard horse to figure out; I still ain't got him figured out yet," Dutrow said. "He's going good now though. I don't have a problem trying what we're going to try."

Dutrow said if Frost Giant runs big Wednesday, he'll leave him at Belmont with Bobby Frankel and walk him into the Suburban.

"I'll put him on the lead in the Suburban," Dutrow said. "I'll put Rudy [Rodriguez] on him and let him ride him right out of there, that's what the horse wants. He doesn't want you to take a hold of him."

But he wasn't on the lead (Naughty New Yorker pulled Prado there), and they did take a hold of Frost Giant through rather pedestrian fractions.

That being said, I think the race was more a case of Solar Flare losing the race, as it looked like he had put Frost Giant away turning for home.

[Cannon Shell]

No matter how you look at it, this was a sad edition of the Suburban

[eajinabi]

The Surbarban should be stripped from its G1 status

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

No matter how you look at it, this was a sad edition of the Suburban

In reality, the Suburban should probably no longer be a Grade I race. Last year, Political Force beat Fairbanks in an equally dismal edition (when Corinthian didn't fire going 10F). With the way the major trainers want so much spacing between races, the Foster and Whitney are the "must-do" races in the handicap division, and the Suburban suffers for falling in between those two races.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by parsixfarms

In reality, the Suburban should probably no longer be a Grade I race. Last year, Political Force beat Fairbanks in an equally dismal edition (when Corinthian didn't fire going 10F). With the way the major trainers want so much spacing between races, the Foster and Whitney are the "must-do" races in the handicap division, and the Suburban suffers for falling in between those two races.

Spacing is immaterial when there arent any good horses anyway isnt it? The older horse divisions are painfully weak.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Spacing is immaterial when there arent any good horses anyway isnt it? The older horse divisions are painfully weak.

I agree on the general quality of the older division in general, but I do think the Suburban's timing and 10F distance has really hurt it, especially with the Whitney becoming sort of a "Summit meeting"-type race for Eastern handicap horses in recent years and it having been moved to the opening weekend of the Saratoga meet.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I would like to see Fabulous Strike go 9 furlongs.

He's by Smart Strike out of a Lost Code mare - and he switches off and rates very kindly if no one trys to press him. He's gone 23 and change over very fast racetracks without being hard held at all.

I know he is built like a sprinter - but it would be fun to see him try a route. When you look at the dog that won the Gr 2 at Prarie Meadows and the bums that swept the big Grade 1 stakes going long on the front end yesterday - it makes you hope they try him.