Santa Anita Surface for the BC

[The Bid]

Right.

You think Tiago beats Curlin on the dirt? Tiago would be lucky to beat me on the dirt

[TitanSooner]

didn't Tiago run very well on the dirt at Oaklawn?

I think you are placing Curlin way to high up on a pedestal.. He won his races this year over some very suspect "G1" horses.

How is it not possible that he was either moved to early and too wide and Tiago basically sucked up for third after a ground saving trip?

I just don't get your logic.

[The Bid]

He was moved when he needed to be moved he didnt kick on like he does on the dirt. Thats very typical of a horse that cannot get over a surface, they do not finish their run.

I do not think Curlin is great, but I certainly do not think that field should have beaten him, nor would they have on a dirt track. That being said you are right about how hes looked this year and the crappy horses hea beaten. Merchant Marine whom he just beat looked like garbage on BC day at Belmont.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by The Bid

Right.

You think Tiago beats Curlin on the dirt? Tiago would be lucky to beat me on the dirt

Tiago is a 8 furling dirt horse who has decent enough class to hit the board against good horses at longer distances on both syn and dirt.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

He would get smoked 10 times out of 10 on the dirt against Curlin. No question about it. The 2 horses don't even belong in the same discussion if the race was on dirt. Personally, I thought Curlin ran his race. He's just not as good on synth or turf as he is on dirt. Few horses are.

Tiago was a suck up third, when you are never really in it to win the race and catch a horse who tried to win a race........honestly it happens every day, I dont even think the two trips/efforts are equatable.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

Tiago was a suck up third, when you are never really in it to win the race and catch a horse who tried to win a race........honestly it happens every day, I dont even think the two trips/efforts are equatable.

Agreed. Look at the king of the suck ups...Steppenwolfer. Still hasnt won a race but might have come in fifth here.

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Agreed. Look at the king of the suck ups...Steppenwolfer. Still hasnt won a race but might have come in fifth here.

Tiago has won races. It's nonsense to compare the 2.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by The Bid

You think Tiago beats Curlin on the dirt? Tiago would be lucky to beat me on the dirt

That Tiago finished third in the race was not beyond the realm of possibilities. He had run several figures (many Ragozin "3"s) that could put him on the board in this race.

The question is why did Curlin regress in this race? Was it solely the racing surface? Was it the effects of a long two years of racing, especially after a trip to Dubai and back? Was it a premature move by Albarado? None of us can say for sure. The fact is that this was by far the best field that Curlin faced all year, and he didn't get the job done.

Finally, while it is questionable that either Raven's Pass or Henrythenavigator would have contested the Classic had it been run over a conventional dirt track, their pedigrees (by Elusive Quality and Kingmambo) would have been far more suited to a conventional dirt track than the pedigrees of the Euros (by such sires as Galileo, Danehill, and Sadler's Wells) that flopped in the Classic in recent years. They were legitimate Grade I horses that ran well. If they were able to transfer their form to a dirt surface (like a Giant's Causeway), the result may have very well been the same.