Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Ms Easy Goer — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:46:18 GMT

Did everyone forget that HDG was beaten by Blind Luck several times? She will NEVER be a Zenyatta. But they will never meet on the track so let's move on to current stars. I wouldn't be surprised if Uncle Mo won but I am sick of the mouths of his connections so I will root for Flat Out and Game On Dude. Mostly I want GET STORMY to do well as well as the NY Breds WeeMissFrankie and Giant Ryan. And of course, hope Mike Smith wins LOTS of races. What a great two days of racing coming up. I am excited!

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

chucky — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:34:41 GMT

Gracey now ranks up there with Zenyatta? what a joke...she finished behind Blind Luck 4 times ...and TWICE at 10 furlongs.. on top of that the handlers of BL avoided Zenyatta...so where does Blind Luck rank?

Even if Gracey wins the Classic SHE IS NOT AND NEVER WILL BE IN THE SAME CLASS AS ZENYATTA...

FORGET ABOUT IT!! oh better yet

GET OVER IT!!!!

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

chucky — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:34:23 GMT

FACTS::

Rachel A. = most overrated horse of the year ever...couldn't run 10f even if you give her a ride, same class as Quality Road...mostly 8 to 9 furlongs horse.

Uncle Mo = another overrated sprinter that has no business running at 10 furlongs..."not 100% will be the excuse"...would have won if if if if...uhhuh

Gracey = going to get mugged in the first turn and will be running scared the rest of the way...will not even try....

The contenders are:

So You Think

Await The Dawn

Game On Dude

Flat Out

Drosselmeyer

Headache

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Greg R — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:02:03 GMT

Some overall factors to keep in mind re: Classic.

1) I don't think BC history favors horses that have run well in both Woodward and Jockey Club and then tried the BC Classic the same year (with few exceptions). That is just too much of an effort to sustain. (However, those three races are farther apart than they used to be, so who knows if that still applies.) Havre De Grace ran on THOSE DAYS, though not in both exact races, and possibly ran TOO WELL in both, so this probably counts against her.

2) The principle of "horses for courses" seems to apply even more at Ch. Downs than at most other tracks. That is why I'd have favored Blind Luck over H D G if BL had stayed in form and they had met in BC in either race. If BC were at Belmont, different story. Proven form at C D also gives me hope for Uncle Mo, although he is by Indian Charlie, a superior speed sire. Once in a while, a speed sire has a great breakthrough with the one horse that transcends those limitations. Gulch, top sprinter, had Thunder Gulch, Derby and Belmont winner, etc. Mo hasn't had chance at 1 1/4 and shorter preps have been the steppingstones he needed after hiatus.

3) A Classic winner obviously doesn't need to win its prior start, but it needs to run well (hit the board) in a well-rated race within a reasonable period before the BC. I fear this lets out Tizway, even if he IS the most talented older horse.

This will be a tough one to figure out!!

-Flat Out is on a roll, likes 1 1/4 mi. and bounced out of last start with good energy, but class comparison........?

-Uncle Mo is easy to root for, but better suited to Met Mile next year if hangs around?

-Twirling Candy is much overlooked, but capable of putting it together on the big day with his talent?

-As for So You Think, I applaud Coolmore's ongoing sportsmanship in trying repeatedly, but do High Chapparals have any record on dirt?!

We shall see!

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

rorschach1992 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:05:41 GMT

One other thing gave me a great chuckle was the comments, I think made by Sylvester who insists that Personal Ensign is the gold standard of females. Well first off, the name is a dead giveaway for a person with a youtube account name known as "sylvestergreyhound" who's common practice is to comment about how Zenyatta is not as great as Personal Ensign and never will be, and one of his cheap insults to Zenyatta is calling her "suckyatta" yeah how about some effort? Before his name was "jamesgreyhound" and when he was shot down with no comeback by another commentator on youtube, he changed to Sylvester. I find the whole notion of her to be the absolute gold standard a tad on the ridiculous side to. Yes her 1988 campaign is quite good, but it wasn't all that challenging. She faced fillies and mares who were hopelessly overmatched. There are only two I remember by name that she faced in 1988, they were Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo, and both were in the Distaff, Colors also the Maskette. And her lone win against males, came in a field with only two males, who weren't right for the Whitney, Gulch, great horse, was a sprinter, all his major victories, other than the '87 Wood Memorial, came in sprint races, and King's Swan, a hard trier for sure, but a crowd favorite, not quite G1 caliber. And to top that off, she was given a whopping SEVEN pounds, the males carried 124, she carried 117, and still it wasn't a walkover, had she carried more weight, she may not have won that Whitney. The race was clearly her's for the taking, no question. Zen only got three pounds in the Classics, 126-123. There was no need to even consider the G2 Molly Pitcher for Ensign, yet they ran her there and naturally won. Plus she rarely ever left Belmont, yes her schedule was akin to Zen racing at HOL, SA, and Del Mar, running at BEL, SAR, and Monmouth, Zen shipped more than she ever did, going twice to Oaklawn and finally Churchill. Then the issue of the Distaff instead of the Classic. I'll always consider her Distaff one of the best races I've watched, and an unforgettable performance, but the people who want to say that her having screws in her legs was why they opted for the easier race are kidding themselves, as she showed in the Distaff, she was going to run her heart out no matter what, and I think she could have won. But that route shot her HOY chances. Lady's Secret accomplished more IMO, running double the amount of races in '86, 15 to Personal Ensign's 7, and winning 10 of them, facing males 4 times, only winning once, a walkover in the '86 Whitney, but wasn't disgraced in the other efforts. Yes she ran in the Distaff also, in another thrashing, but her campaign up to that point had some major weight to it already, more than Personal Ensign's IMO. And as it proved enough to take HOY. So yes Personal Ensign is great, but she is not the absolute gold standard for fillies, she didn't race past 4, and just as sylvester likes to pan Zenyatta's fans for hailing her as the gold standard, well the same argument can be flung at him for being Personal Ensign's little fanboy. Everyone has their likes, and some may find fault's with them, but all that matters is that that's who they like. Final thought: The fact that people still debate over Zenyatta and talk about her a year later just proves her greatness, that she can still strike up cnversations, on completely unrelated topic boards.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

rorschach1992 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:37:29 GMT

So I know I'm late on this, but a lot of these posts crack me up. First of all, a majority of them have absolutely NOTHING, ZIP, ZILCH to do with this year's BC Classic, which is what this blog is about. Regarding that, I'm still doubtful about Uncle Mo at 10f. And to the person who said he'll go a mile in 1:34 2/5, at that rate he'll defeat Secretariat's track record, which if he does, if he goes that fast for a mile in the Classic and wins, I'll give you $1,000, seriously that deserves some prize. But I know that's not happening. My choice is Havre De Grace. I think she has been more spectacular that any male all year long, and her Beldame was my favorite race on Super Saturday. She was geared down, so comparisons to Uncle Mo's mile in the Kelso, are ill-informed, as Uncle Mo was actually running, and Velasquez pushed the Go button on him. Grace was eased down and still pulling away in the final furlong. Had she been full throttle, her time would be much, much faster. She's my single, the only horse I give any chance to beat her as of now is So You Think, but he's not confirmed, so she's my single. My two cents on the Grace v. Zenyatta issue, no comparison. Grace is great, but she's absolutely no Zenyatta, Zenyatta eclipses her in just about every way. In fact its ridiculous to even suggest such a notion that Grace is greater. If she has another great campaign, she can be talked in the same breath with Zen and Rachel, but as of now, its absolutely ridiculous.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

TerriZ — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:46:47 GMT

It's ashame that horses can't speak. Where is Mr. Ed when you need him?

Zenyatta and her best friend, Tasty Temptation, have reached their own resolution of the conflict between Z's and Rachel's fans.

Tasty is related to Rachel as both she and Rachel have the same sire, Medaglia d'Oro. And they are best friends and don't even care about the supposed rivalry.

Give it up people and let's enjoy another Classic Race with a terrific field.

And yes, let's cellibrate a third year of the fabulous winning fillies. You go girls.

Harve de Grace is a powerhouse and she is the real deal. Larry Jones, who weighs 200 lbs., gallops her himself and she really has blossomed under his care. I have never seen any female so closely resemble her father (Saint Liam) in so many ways unless you compare Terlingua to Secretariat or Layla Ali to Mohammad Ali. Incidentally, Saturday Oct 15th has been declared Havre de Grace Day by the govenor of Delaware Park. Rick Porter will be at the park signing artigraphs this Saturday.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Racingfan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:00:04 GMT

Dr D - glad to hear you may have an interest in the great Dancer! He was awesome and is my all time favorite even though he was before my time. There are 2 great books on him out there--I have them both. One is part of the Thoroughbred Legends series sold thru Exclusively Equine. If you do read up on him at some point, post your thoughts if you will...

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

oso7 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:33:27 GMT

oso7. I seem to recall Jess Jackson playing with the dates and distances of the Apple Blossom to improve his chances as well. Zenyatta's camp pretty much said were not concerned bring it on. Then, all of the sudden Rachel Alexandra is not ready.

Householder 11 Oct 2011 8:38 PM

Yes, Householder, you are correct. Jess Jackson asked to move the date up a week to give his filly more time. Then he backed out completely. Hard to imagine beating Zenyatta if RA can't manage to beat a 3rd stringer in the Shirreffs's barn, I suppose. He probably made the right call in never facing Zenyatta.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

oso7 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:42:23 GMT

She lost, Get over it"

Is that all you know, Jason?

Jason, Everytime I hear you say these boring little words you spit out you make me want to scream.

"Arrrrh"

Guiness 11 Oct 2011 7:27 PM

Makes me want to scream, "Get over it you handful of denigrators. You will never change her spot in history, no matter how hard you try to find an angle to diminish her."

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Householder — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:38:04 GMT

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Guiness — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:27:45 GMT

"She lost, Get over it"

Is that all you know, Jason?

Jason, Everytime I hear you say these boring little words you spit out you make me want to scream.

"Arrrrh"

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

oso7 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:16:06 GMT

SO, that lose defined her.

tonka 11 Oct 2011 5:45 PM

Yes, in their eyes, 19 wins didn't matter. Just a loss by an ever diminishing margin is what is important. That is why their disparaging comments are as laughable as they are.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

-Keelerman — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:52:31 GMT

I just read that Blind Luck is to be sold at the Keeneland November mixed sale.

What do you think, Jason? Any thoughts?

-Keelerman

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

tonka — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:45:18 GMT

SO, that lose defined her.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

oso7 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:24:06 GMT

CHAD

There are no nags, but alot of idiots.

Lol. Funny how they group together as well. No matter how much they're taken to task for their lunatic statements, they just keep coming back for more.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Mike Relva — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:10:15 GMT

JIMMY

Please let me know WHEN Blame gets into the HOF. lmao

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Mike Relva — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:04:32 GMT

CHAD

There are no nags, but alot of idiots.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Jason Shandler — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:00:07 GMT

Tonka: She lost. Get over it.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

tonka — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:57:59 GMT

I just have to sit back and laugh! This is about this years BCC and the talk is still a majority about Zenyatta. Win lose or draw that is the proof in the pudding. This alone proves what a great horse she is. Not one blog stays on topic; nor are they even close to having as many hits as last year. Zenyatta is great the detractors prove it. they can't shut up about her!

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Footlick — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:55:52 GMT

Billy- I have to say I haven't taken American racing very seriously this year, so lots of times I take longshots on top for the Public Handicapper. I have many horses in the money but do not have the winners on top. I'm $44.20 down. I see no reason to choose a short pricced horse whether I think it will win or not because I'm not betting real money. But I've done well in Europe. Glad you are doing so well in it!

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Carlos in Cali — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:54:57 GMT

Ian,

Too bad you,Jason & Co weren't astute enough to also cash Ex,Tri & Super tix. Sucks.

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Afleet Treet — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:30:22 GMT

Keelerman,

THANKS SO MUCH for your response! I too have been a huge fan of "Gemster" for years and it was an amazing experience to spend a few days hanging around him. He is an amazing horse and it is even more amazzing that as an 8yo he is still so competitive. He may not always win but he sure runs his heart out every time. I LOVE HIM! I have some incredible pictures of him if you wish to see them...I posted them here under his blog there....and also have tons I can share via email (or Facebook), which is there as well...: www.horseracingmania.com/.../content.php

It's nice to see I am not the only one who is crazy about him...he sure has faced some top class competition hasn't he? And with you pointing out STreet Sense, I stand corrected...he has ran against 3 Kentucky Derby winners, not 2.

GOOOOOOO GEMSTER! I swear if it plays out the way you explained I will be in tears of joy (and probably holding a nice ticket) and excitement to see a horse I have long loved and logn supported (even against the odds)...it was SO amazing to see him up here for the Longacre's Mile, to see him storm home over the local hometown hero and even better to ply him with MANY carrots for a race well run! HE is as classy as they get! Thansk again for your response!

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

Weekend — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:07:06 GMT

Footlick, you been doing any good on publichandicapper this year? I am in 172nd place, 35% winners. Maybe we can get these bloggers to join to see how they stack up...

re: Suddenly, BC Classic is Full of Intrigue

-Keelerman — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:06:16 GMT

Afleet Treat;

I have been a fan of Awesome Gem for years, and I always cheer him on wherever he runs.

I don't believe that a good performance in the Breeders' Cup Classic is out of the question for this remarkable old gelding.

His racing record by year stands at this:

Year: Starts: Firsts: Seconds: Thirds:

2011 8 2 2 1

2010 8 1 2 1

2009 9 2 2 1

2008 7 0 2 1

2007 9 2 4 1

2006 6 2 3 0

Thus, it is safe to say that he is having his best year since 2007, when he won the San Fernando Stakes (gr. II) and finished second in the Pacific Classic, Goodwood Stakes, and third in the Breeders' Cup Classic (all gr. I).

Unlike many of the horses shooting for this year's Classic, Awesome Gem has proven himself time and time again at ten furlongs. To date, he has competed in eleven ten furlong races, with victories in the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) and Hawthorne Gold Cup (gr. II).

I'm hoping that Churchill Downs turns into a sea of slop for the Breeders' Cup Classic. After all, Awesome Gem blew up a bunch of trifectas in 2007 when he rallied for third behind Curlin and Hard Spun in the Breeders' Cup Classic, leaving the likes of Street Sense and Lawyer Ron behind him. Perhaps -- just perhaps -- the old gelding will hand his younger opponents a stunning defeat under the lights at Churchill Downs next month. There have been bigger upsets before.

-Keelerman