3/12 (TAM): Pletcher enters Mo and Brethren; field of 10 for Derby

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Actually I'm on-board for having 2yo earnings count less since it probably would cut down on the "he's got his Graded earnings" so we'll just race once or twice prior to the Derby.

I'm not making excuses for Pletcher. Uncle Mo is a fantastic horse, but you really have to hope a Gourmet Dinner or Mucho Macho Man wins the Derby and horses like Mo and others being campaigned similiarly come up short in the stretch at the Derby.

So funny you say that. Told Andy over the weekend that I hoped Gourmet Dinner or some other lesser light with maybe 15 starts going in would win the Derby to quash the nonsensical 'fresh horse for the Derby' approach.

[Thunder Gulch]

For years the standard was 3-4 preps, and Charismatic even went beyond that when he won 2/3 of the Triple Crown, plus the Lexington in a 4 week span. I thought Point Given's failed attempt to win roses off 2 preps would keep everyone on the 3 prep schedule. Then along comes Carl Nafzger with his master stroke on Street Sense, and the tide swung quickly back the other way.

I think a lot of the current line of thinking can be put on the Ragozin/Thorograph guys. Those guys are smart and what they do works for them, but when all the trainers are thinking "fresh" instead of "fit", the game suffers. You end up with 3yo's having one test before the Derby, and later in the year you are forced to decide HOY championships from a couple of 5 race campaigns.

[NTamm1215]

What will come out of this all is if another Pletcher horse wins the Derby, and considering the favorite is likely to come from his barn, they will have to be ready to run back in two weeks if they're hoping for a Triple Crown. Pletcher is 0-14 over the last five years with graded stakes horses coming back in 14 days or less. It clearly doesn't fit his "program."

[3kings]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

What will come out of this all is if another Pletcher horse wins the Derby, and considering the favorite is likely to come from his barn, they will have to be ready to run back in two weeks if they're hoping for a Triple Crown. Pletcher is 0-14 over the last five years with graded stakes horses coming back in 14 days or less. It clearly doesn't fit his "program."

Good stat. My question is why does everyone copy- cat stuff that negatively impacts the sport. It is getting tiresome never seeing the top contenders run against each other. I'm in the Sightseek camp, make the 2 year old earnings count only 1/2 at most and weigh the earnings by Grading ( I, II, III) while they are at it.

[Linny]

Todd has become the tail that wags the dog in this game. He stuttered about the TB Derby and GP hopped in to create a nonsense race. No one in their right mind would face Mo for so little money, especially UNGRADED money. He gets a public work, scheduled and paid foressentially as a backup plan. Other trainers who might be looking at the two options have to weigh decisions based on how they feel about running second and for how much money.
It becomes a self fulfilling prophesy when Todd (or any trainer) controls so many horses within a division (whether it's 3yo colts or NW2X allowance fillies) because Todd can get racing offices to change conditions and dates of races and add races to satisfy his barn.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by Linny

It becomes a self fulfilling prophesy when Todd (or any trainer) controls so many horses within a division (whether it's 3yo colts or NW2X allowance fillies) because Todd can get racing offices to change conditions and dates of races and add races to satisfy his barn.

Plus it spreads-out good horses, leaving fewer options for stakes races throughout the year. With Todd having say 2 or 3 of the best of division "x" - when that stake comes-up at Belmont, or Saratoga, he runs one of them. Whereas if those horses who spread-out more, they all would be there.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

What will come out of this all is if another Pletcher horse wins the Derby, and considering the favorite is likely to come from his barn, they will have to be ready to run back in two weeks if they're hoping for a Triple Crown. Pletcher is 0-14 over the last five years with graded stakes horses coming back in 14 days or less. It clearly doesn't fit his "program."

I wonder if that experience last year has caused him to adjust the training of Uncle Mo, so he would be more suited to wheeling back in two weeks. Then again, the horse was hanging-out at the beach for a few months before even posting a workout. So who knows.