Saturday Picks

re: Saturday Picks

ruffianruns — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:09:16 GMT

Zenyatta is THE Horse of the Year.

re: Saturday Picks

OLD TIMER — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:20:16 GMT

I once implied that perhaps Draynay and Andy Beyer were one and the same. I now see that I was wrong. At least Andy had the class to write an honest and decent article in DRF about Zenyatta after the BCC and give credit where credit is due.

As I noted earlier, I bet on Blame because with him 5 to 1 and Zenyatta even money (4 to 5 up until the last seconds), there was no question where the value was.

However I couldn't care less who they give the HOY. It was one of the best Classics ever and both horses were fantastic.

Oh, and Quality Road and Boys at Toscanova were mortal locks... yeah right.

re: Saturday Picks

Dr Drunkinbum — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:49:45 GMT

Slew

Numerous horses slipped on the turf. Numerous jockeys said their horse had trouble on Saturday. There are no reports that I know of where that was happening on Friday. Why would they move away from their normal routine that was working, and give extra water on Friday night? How much extra I don't know. I don't know if they bowed to Euro pressure or not. It would be nice to hear an explanation as to why the routine all of a sudden changed when the weather didn't. It's not only about loss of life, which is a tragedy but about bettors expecting a safe, firm surface.

re: Saturday Picks

Dr Drunkinbum — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:35:43 GMT

I just saw video of Northern Dancer just before he was retired from stud. He had muscles like I've never seen before even in old age. Isn't he the greatest sire? No wonder.

re: Saturday Picks

thirteen — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:26:04 GMT

Gomez has not only defeated zenyatta but BOb Baffets LAL. He has slapped him on his face Bob should watch the replays and take a good look that not only blame has defeated LAL - But Gomez is the one who defeated LAL.....Six months of Patience proved that u the best GG

re: Saturday Picks

jayjay — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:06:45 GMT

Draynay doesn't have any choice folks, he has to jump on Goldi and Blame's wagons. QR is still running and he's still waiting for him to hit the board. When QR gets there (hopefully before January), he'll jump back on his wagon and proclaim him the 2010 HOTY. I just wish he'd take his medication before he posts though. The boy is an excellent handicapper after the race LOL.

See you guys in a week! I'm off to enjoy my winnings and recover from this weekend.

re: Saturday Picks

Forbidden Apple — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:11:29 GMT

Doc Bar,

I never claimed to be the biggest Zenyatta fan on the planet. I realize that Mike Smith only rode her 17 times, my mistake. Thank you for the proofreading and enjoy your Keystone light.

Ranagulzion,

The real question is how many winners did I bet on? In this game you only need one good winner on any given day. I don't bet every race that comes along, but I did make a good score betting Blame to win. I also made a nice score playing him in the exacta over Zenyatta. Thank you for all of the laughs this year involving Quality Road and Eskendereya. You are the one who was silly enough to be claiming Eskendereya a triple crown winner and Quality Road HOY in March.

re: Saturday Picks

Dr Drunkinbum — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:04:56 GMT

Slew

The track maintenance was exactly as it should be, ten minutes water a night, until Friday night when they put extra water on the turf surface beyond the ten minutes. The drains were closed so the surface was too slippery early on Saturday, and you know what happened to Rough Sailing. I don't know if the extra water was because of Workforce's connections complaints or not, who then scratched their own horse.

re: Saturday Picks

Zen's Auntie — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:00:22 GMT

On another note

Im really glad to see Mine that Bird retired - I think he would make a lovely hunter prospect sound and all maybe some teenage girl could ride and love on him.

Anyway I hope he enjoys retirement he deserves it.

re: Saturday Picks

Mike Relva — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:16:47 GMT

DRAYNAY

You also stated last week Zenyatta wouldn't beat LAL,remember? What's your excuse with him? I thought you stated a million times RA is the greatest mare,now it's Goldie. You've always been loyal,haven't you? lol Give me a break,Zenyatta beat everyone in that race and almost beat Blame. You didn't even like Blame. Always surrounding yourself with the next flavor,right?

re: Saturday Picks

In aint easy being good! — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:39:18 GMT

I have to admit I was wrong about Zenyatta and she should be HOY I thought she would get trounced and it was def. a disappointing day for all you Z fans. Blame is a grinder and gets no respect! G Gomez was on fire the last 2 days. Fly Down will be a great 4 year old and think he will be a force next year. How about Uncle mo though that was impressive I think Uncle Mo could of went another lap. Jayico what a joek that was!

re: Saturday Picks

Mike Relva — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:12:48 GMT

DRAYNAY

You have ZERO CREDITABILITY! Not a shred! What happened to QR being a lock? Do you ever realize that people like Baffert,Ellis,Gomez,etc would laugh you out of the room if they heard the "nutjob" statements you still continue to make regarding Zenyatta?

re: Saturday Picks

2:24 — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:47:51 GMT

Draynay, didn't care much for your last post. Shows very little class. Especially after she dusted your horse (and my pick to win) Quality Road.

Obviously, you could argue about Zenyatta's standing among all time fillies/mares and there would be a difference of opinion. I would personally rank her on top of all other fillies and mares, and as you know I have questioned her campaign throughout the year. I think she gained status in the BC Classic this year and really had a chance to win against a great field. I would have no problem arguing that she is among the top 15 or 20 North American based horses of all time.

re: Saturday Picks

Slew — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:24:17 GMT

I wondered about the scratch of Workforce until the commentators mentioned that John Gosden felt the turf was firm on the bottom but loose on top. And then Rough Sailing slipped on that turn, and life was over for him. I now have no doubts that scratching Workforce proved to be a wise decision after all. Hindsight came at a terrible price. (though I really did miss seeing him run.)

re: Saturday Picks

nay nugget — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:48:36 GMT

Now that Quality Road and Blame are gone maybe Zenyatta can come back again and try to take on what is remaining of the best males running?

Draynay 07 Nov 2010 8:03 PM

Quality Road? You mean the G1 winning male that Zenyatta totally thrashed on dirt? The same horse you said was a lock to win the Classic and finished dead last? The same horse who you touted all year as the best including RA? Zenyatta was clearly better than QR and would have no trouble beating that one time and time again. You are clearly dilusional. Zenyatta came within a half head of defeating the 2010 HOY by simply running out of room and you still spew your garbage? Give it a rest, You have been wrong about her all along and are too small to admit it. What horse is next on your list to ridicule? A grown man making fun of and disparging a horse. What a legacy you are leaving. Go away for good.

My pick as the favorite to have the worst 2 days of handicapping is draynay. easiest pick i have ever had.

nay nugget 29 Oct 2010 3:27 PM

Was I right or was I right on? QR to win and he finished last, BAT to win he got whipped. LAL to bet big on to hit the board (he finished out of the show pool) and a $100 exacta box with QR. Those are the "big winners" drayanay chose. Hope you kept some change for the dollar menu at McDonald's so you could eat.

re: Saturday Picks

Billy's Empire — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:39:52 GMT

Wow, what a day of racing on Saturday. I am still shocked that almost everyone that posted above was going against Goldi and Uncle Mo. I had the winner of half of the races this weekend, so I am in high spirits Monday morning. Jason, you need to get a tattoo like Jessie James has on his hand, PAY UP SUCKERS!!

What caught me as very suprising was that Dangerous Midge went off at almost identical odds as Red Rocks. Same trainer in Meehan, same Track, I think the post was alomst the same, 8 or 9, and he wins easy. I had that double and I singled Blame in the Classic. Had the tri and exacta of the Turf and the Mile, and hammered Blame to win. What an awesome race...

re: Saturday Picks

gw_bushwacker — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:30:55 GMT

As usual draynay was completely wrong about Zenyatta and Quality Road his "lock" for the Classic who finished dead last beating nobody. The draynay curse lives on.

"My Borel angle worked to a charm today. Everyone at our table did it too AND we all did a shot when Borel won a race. We all put 50 on him to win every race"

draynay 01 May 2010 8:35 PM

How did the "Borel Angle" work for you this time draynay? At 50 bucks a pop you lost alot of money doing what you say you always do at Churchill. The onlt thing Borel won was a hefty fine for a classless act. They should have ejected him from the remainder of the Breeders Cup and an additional year for his childish behavior in front of millions. What a black eye on the sport.

draynay claimed repeatedly that Zenyatta would never beat a single male on dirt and would not hit the board in the Classic. She came within a foot of taking them all down and was the only horse in the race who closed on every single competitor. These weren't average males like RA beat last year. Even draynay said all year that he believed QR was the best out there over RA and look where he finished. Zenyatta took on the best the year had to offer two years in a row , something RA never did once. It took the HOY to beat Zenyatta the only time she was beaten in her life. No other horse in history can make that claim. What a valiant effort by a true Champion. The wire just came 1-2 strides too early, she had him measured. Even Mike Smith had the courage to admit that it was him who got her beat. A real act of class in a Breeders Cup where some Jocks showed no class at all.

draynay once again you were completely exposed to be a terrible Handicapper and a childish fool. Time to move on.

re: Saturday Picks

skyfire — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:02:39 GMT

Mike Smith in TDN: "She just wasn't leveling out like I wanted to : Smith said. "There was the dirt, of course, hitting in her face--a lot of it. She just wasn't used to that part, it just left her with too much to do."

I can't help but believe that if Shirreffs/Moss had sent Z. to Saratoga for a dirt race such as the Personal Ensign, etc., Z would be undefeated.

Training job of the year: Freddie Head: Goldikova

Owners/Sportsmen of the year: the Wertheimers who own Goldi, and let us enjoy her

re: Saturday Picks

Tim — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:03:33 GMT

First of all the biggest lock was Uncle Mo and anyone who picked against him or had any doubts about him needs to stop betting, not that anyone on these blogs bets everyday anyway. Also Uncle Mo doesn't have 2 different styles of running. In each of his first 2 starts he rated on the lead and he works behind horses. He also is bred for distance all around so whoever said he's a middle distance colt doesn't know his pedigree or for that matter even seen him run. One more thing Dakota Phone in the Oaklawn went to the lead because Jery wanted to experiment with him. With a gelding you can play around with major stakes races because there are plenty more races left on the calender and a last place finish doesn't mean anything because he can't be bread.

re: Saturday Picks

Sir Barton — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:29:52 GMT

Livesouthwest,

Midge also had a couple of open length wins (six and eight lengths) over a gf (good/firm) course in Europe. That's why I played him.

Granted they weren't high level races, but he showed an afinity for our type of course conditions.

That made him worth a play IMO.

re: Saturday Picks

Sir Barton — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:23:18 GMT

Dray,

You're welcome on the tickets. I enjoyed our two days at the BC. Some really great races. Zenyatta was gallant in defeat, but Blame held on and deserves his credit.

I understood the crowd giving a lot of love to Zen as they came back, but they really dogged it on Blame, which I thought showed a lack of class. He did what he was put in the race to do.

She ran a great race, but he won. 'Nuff said. The crowd needed to give Blame his due, and they didn't. That's not right.

This was a great BC. I'm looking forward to next year, and hoping I can come out ahead. I did this year, which made my second consecutive winning BC.

re: Saturday Picks

stevebiscuit — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:20:38 GMT

Draynay, Zenyatta had a trip that made victory impossible, and yet she still almost won against a colt at his home track. Blame may get Horse of the Year, but Zenyatta was the greatest horse to run this year. Comparing her to Rachel is a joke. Though Zenyatta lost, the males that finished behind her were 10 times the horses Rachel faced. After seeing her ability to overcome, I believe that if you put her in a race with any horse in history and she got the same trip she got in last year's Classic, she would win. She is perhaps the greatest horse we will ever see. Oh, and didn't your pick, Quality Road, just lose to Zenyatta by 29 lengths? That's a bit more impressive than beating a bunch of weak 3 year old fillies by 20 1/4, wouldn't you say?

re: Saturday Picks

Dr Drunkinbum — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:15:42 GMT

I just watched The Classic replay. There was nothing at all wrong with Mike Smith's ride. It was a very good ride and he shouldn't blame himself(excuse the pun). They just got beat by another great horse. It happens. Blame was powerful also and got the jump. It's not like he was just hanging on, he was driving to and through the wire. There is no guarantee that Zenyatta would have won even if she started her run earlier. Blame might have responded to the challenge. Be at peace Mike. It was a horse race. Hail to the Queen, and to the new King.

re: Saturday Picks

SMA — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:50:52 GMT

As we saw yesterday, the Breeders Cup is at its best on a dirt track where owners decide to keep their horses in training for the good of the game. We can debate Zenyatta's merits until we're blue in the face (though how you can come away from that not considering her one of the best in recent memory escapes me), but the real story of yesterday in my mind was the fact that the Mosses selflessly kept her in training for everyone to enjoy. Look at how much better this game is when the stars stick around. Look at how exciting it is when the fields aren't watered down because an owner who is already filthy rich decides to hijack a racing career (and in turn harm the sport) in favor of stud fees.

Imagine if we'd had Afleet Alex vs. Bernardini in 06, or Bernardini vs. Curlin and Street Sense in 07, or Curlin against Zenyatta and Blame yesterday. It's not my investment, so it's easy for me to say this, but I really hope that keeping Zenyatta in training will inspire more owners to keep their star horses around. When they do it, everyone wins.

SMA

re: Saturday Picks

Dee — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 05:59:07 GMT

I was so sure Life at Ten was going to be scratched, and then they loaded her right into the gate. Then Saturday, after the first race and then Atta Boy Roy right behind the cameras, I was quite worried around the first turn that Zenyatta had gotten hurt when she was squeezed at the start. She was just so far back around the first turn. How much farther during the race did she run than Blame?

alphaecho-

You make some good points but I have to disagree with just one thing- "I think in the wild, an older male horse rules the roost because he has been endowed by nature/God to be faster and stronger."

Actually... From Wikipedia, horse behavior- "Contrary to traditional portrayals of the herd stallion as the "ruler" of a "harem" of females, the actual leader of a wild or feral herd is the alpha or dominant mare, commonly known as the "boss mare" or "lead mare." She is usually one of the more mature animals, responsible for the overall safety of the herd, familiar with the terrain and resources available. She takes the lead when the herd travels, determines the best route, when to move from one place to another, and claims the right to drink first from watering holes and stake out the best location for grazing...When the herd travels, the stallion brings up the rear, watching for predators and driving straggling herd members on, keeping the group together... however, most of the time, the stallion is fairly relaxed, spending much of his time "guarding" the herd not by herding the mares around, but by scent-marking manure piles and urination spots in order to make clear his position as herd stallion... He is exposed to more risks than any other herd member and can be replaced by a stronger successor at any time."

So... in the wild, no jockey's and their decisions impacting the outcome... Zenyatta's in the lead, the queen, running the heard, and Blame's bringing up the rear of the herd, fighting, mating, and apparently just scent marking, able to be replaced easily. And still there'd be doubters!