9/27 (OSA): Goodwood Day (6 Gr. I stakes)

[King Glorious]

I just don't see running against males as being more difficult than running against females simply because of the fact that they are males. I mentioned Personal Ensign earlier but I always thought she was given way too much credit for beating the boys. It was Gulch and King's Swan at 9f. Facing boys in and of itself is not tough if you are better than them. Proud Spell probably had a tougher race in the Alabama than she would have had she gone in the Jim Dandy or Travers because the horse she faced in Music Spell is better than anything in those two male races, IMO. If you want to talk about a race frying a horse, look no further than that effort and her subsequent run in the Cotillion.

[10 pnt move up]

I have a carefull eye on the meet, what I love is people who dont handicap the races and look at the charts and say "bias". It might be, but yesterday for example all the pace horses were really bad form/talent. Today a horse with good form went wire to wire in the second. I suspect it players closer to HP then to Del Mar. To me HP was a fair track for the most part, when people say it does not play like dirt I think alot of them are saying "its not nearly as speed biased".

Ginger Punch is not as good as HL or Zenyatta and would lose to both on a dry dirt track, and even likely on a synthetic track.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

Today a horse with good form went wire to wire in the second. I suspect it players closer to HP then to Del Mar. To me HP was a fair track for the most part, when people say it does not play like dirt I think alot of them are saying "its not nearly as speed biased".

Speaking of that horse, Details R Sketchy, I didn't think he looked nearly as good as he did at Del Mar, although he did show some grit when challenged to pull clear late. Looked like he was under a lot of pressure through the stretch though, and I'd imagine he won't go much further than 6 or 7f (he's by King's Bishop runner-up Great Notion).

The Hollywood Prevue is probably next, but I don't think he's the next Afternoon Deelites.

Watch for a horse that came out of his maiden race. Can't remember the name, but its a Distorted Humor owned by George Strawbridge and trained by Neil Drysdale. Was a good 12 lengths off the leader early and was the only horse from the back markers to rally, coming on in the far turn to be a decent 4th about 5 back.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Speaking of that horse, Details R Sketchy, I didn't think he looked nearly as good as he did at Del Mar, although he did show some grit when challenged to pull clear late. Looked like he was under a lot of pressure through the stretch though, and I'd imagine he won't go much further than 6 or 7f (he's by King's Bishop runner-up Great Notion).

The Hollywood Prevue is probably next, but I don't think he's the next Afternoon Deelites.

Watch for a horse that came out of his maiden race. Can't remember the name, but its a Distorted Humor owned by George Strawbridge and trained by Neil Drysdale. Was a good 12 lengths off the leader early and was the only horse from the back markers to rally, coming on in the far turn to be a decent 4th about 5 back.

he is "ok", GG never throws down early so when you have those slow-fast finishes with him riding on the lead its tough to gage. He aint much and if he was he would have run saturday rather then today.

i think street boss is pretty close to a lock, as well as Red Giant, i think wait a while is going to get beat.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I just don't see running against males as being more difficult than running against females simply because of the fact that they are males. I mentioned Personal Ensign earlier but I always thought she was given way too much credit for beating the boys. It was Gulch and King's Swan at 9f. Facing boys in and of itself is not tough if you are better than them. Proud Spell probably had a tougher race in the Alabama than she would have had she gone in the Jim Dandy or Travers because the horse she faced in Music Spell is better than anything in those two male races, IMO. If you want to talk about a race frying a horse, look no further than that effort and her subsequent run in the Cotillion.

That's fair enough, though I don't necessarily agree that the 3yo colt races were by any means easier.

And just for the record, Gulch was a Grade 1 winner at 9f and classic-placed. Maybe he didn't win all his route races, but he certainly could get the distance.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

That's fair enough, though I don't necessarily agree that the 3yo colt races were by any means easier.

And just for the record, Gulch was a Grade 1 winner at 9f and classic-placed. Maybe he didn't win all his route races, but he certainly could get the distance.

I didn't mean to imply that Gulch was a flunky at the distance. He was a very talented horse by all means. I just meant that she wasn't facing a horse that was probably among the top 10 older male route runners that year.

Let's say it wasn't the Dandy or the Travers. Say it was the Super Derby or the WV Derby? I think those would have been easier for her than the Alabama was.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Let's say it wasn't the Dandy or the Travers. Say it was the Super Derby or the WV Derby? I think those would have been easier for her than the Alabama was.

To be honest, and I mentioned this in the Cotillion thread, Proud Spell IMO makes hard work of it regardless of the field (at least she has since the Mother Goose debacle). I thought she looked like hammered sh!t entering the far turn of the Delaware Oaks, yet she gutted out the win. I think the main thing with the Alabama was the 10f distance being to much for her. She is very similar to Ginger Punch in these respects.

Also, I'm not sold that Music Note, who's 3 Grade 1 wins are all basically gimme's, is necessarily tougher than the second tier 3yos. I think she should have won the Alabama given the way the race played out.