Curlin didn't look invincible...

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Isn't the point that he won? You should know as well as anyone here that horses don't fire their best every single time. So he ran a subpar race and won the Woodward. Maybe he's tailing off. But he has never been an invincible horse. He's just really good and since there are only a handful (maybe) of really good horses in training we expect them to show it everytime. And while I don't agree necessarily agree with Lance Armstrong's take, Curlin's trip was a bit trickier than you are suggesting.

Sure he won but to describe his trip as a tough one is hardly realistic. He was floated wide in the first turn but had clear sailing after that. He did not finish very strong and certainly this effort, though winning, was not up to par though the Beyer numbers will lead you to believe that it was typical. And if they are going to run this horse six times this year then I do expect him to be up to par everytime.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Sure he won but to describe his trip as a tough one is hardly realistic. He was floated wide in the first turn but had clear sailing after that. He did not finish very strong and certainly this effort, though winning, was not up to par though the Beyer numbers will lead you to believe that it was typical. And if they are going to run this horse six times this year then I do expect him to be up to par everytime.

Chuck-

Is it fair to say that he didnt finish strong because he had to start his run much earlier than he would have liked thus taking a little starch out in the last furlong?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Chuck-

Is it fair to say that he didnt finish strong because he had to start his run much earlier than he would have liked thus taking a little starch out in the last furlong?

No. i cant believe that knowledge people are calling this a tough trip? They didnt go 44.2, they went 46.20. How hard did he have to run to catch them? The went the last 3/8 in 40 seconds and he made up 6 lengths in that span. Is that good? Using that theory Past the Point was far superior to everyone because he started his run in the first turn and only lost by a length. using a rough estimate Curlin ran his first 6 furlongs in close to 110.4 to 111. Why should he be tired after that? Maybe he was short or not right but this was not a great effort and that is using his prior efforts as a measuring stick.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

You expect a lot in this day and age.

Where exactly was the problem with his trip? I expect my stars to finish faster than 40 seconds for the last 3 furlongs and faster than 14 seconds for the last 1/8th. Especially with tiring leaders that are backing up in front of him and without a straw in his path and without having to worry about moving too soon and getting caught from behind. I guess i ask too much.

[SentToStud]

Tricky trips are always a challenge. Much llike sneaky good trips.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e7mmrF-4rUE

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by SentToStud

Tricky trips are always a challenge. Much llike sneaky good trips.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e7mmrF-4rUE

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ip8PfWugvY

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Where did I say he had a rough trip? I said it was a bit trickier than you mentioned. By no means was it tough, but TFM was correct in saying that Curlin was essentially the only horse to make a move. I'm not a horse whisperer, so I don't know why he didn't bring his "A" game yesterday. But, if I had to guess, I think he's tired. From what I have no idea, maybe the trip to Dubai, who knows. I just don't know what your point is. Yeah, the Curlin that ran yesterday is multiple lengths slower than the one we saw in Dubai. No sh it. He's a star by today's standards, but not an all time great. No sh it.

TFM said his move was impressive. I disagreed. His race was substandard yet I keep hearing how just winning matters, the race was tougher than it looked, the speed figures came back good. If Georgia(the number 1 team) beat Georgia Southern(subpar opponent) yesterday with a last second field goal I sure that we be talking about how poorly Georgia played instead of how great of a kick it was to win the game.