Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Tina — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:36:31 GMT

Hi Evan, great research! Also my favorite photo of Slew. What do you think about Premier Pegasus? Tina

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

south carolina — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:32:54 GMT

lets not give the Derby away yet,theres alot of good horses out there.Great admirer of slew and big red and dont forget Native Dancer,he barely missed. so lets give um achance to prove himself worthy to compared to these horses

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Phil — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:57:29 GMT

Just watch Slew's Jockey Club Gold Cup against Affirmed- That would have been the end of Uncle MO

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Zenyatta John — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:59:41 GMT

Hey Trebloc -

Wheres Cal Nation now! HA! Beaten at 1/5. Hope you were all in!

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

eightbelles5308 — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:43:43 GMT

ok first off in my own opinion comparing any horse to a horse of another era year or decade is a no no making comparisons about their campaigns is not a mortal sin please no one will ever be the next seattle slew or secreatariat or ruffian or rachel or zenyatta but i think mr hammonds is just noting similarities (sorry if my spelling is off) i love Uncle Mo i think he is a really nice horse do i think he can win the triple crown sure i do i also thought war emblem could and smarty and real quiet but they didn't. i think mr repole is good for this sport as is the mosses he thinks about the fans he is exciting and so is MO we are in dire need to end this triple crown drought and i hope Mo can do this as for getting the distance no one thought big brown could do it because his sire was a sprinter but he did. so we wont know until the race is run and over. I will keep hoping this is the year and if it isn't well there is always next year. The life at ten situation is a total disaster i think the jockey trainer and track vet should all be held accountable for the mare's horrible race i am just glad that nothing worse came out of it and she is still alive. Here is to hoping for another great year of racing we need a new cover girl/boy for racing maybe we will get both who knows

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

anita — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:56:50 GMT

there have been too many times in the past where a trainer/jockey felt horse wasn't right and the stewarts refused to scratch said horse. sothe stewarts are too blame--why not scratch-especially in a race like the breeder's cup. but the stewarts won't. thank heaven that life at ten didn't get hurt.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Luis Lezama — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:25:04 GMT

Uncle Mo tiene una combinación de velocidad (Indian Charlie) y resistencia (Arch). Seguro ganará el Wood, KD, Prreakness pero el Belmont lo logrará si Affirmed lo permite.-

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Luis Lezama — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:22:09 GMT

Uncle Mo parece tener una combinación de velocidad (Indian Charlie) y resistencia (Arch). Es un gran caballo. Las 4 carreras suman 27 cuerpos de ventaja sobre sus rivales. Los trabajos en Florida han sido todos muy buenos.

Seguró ganará el Wood, KD and Preakness, pero los 2.400 m del Belmont se harán realidad si Affirmed lo permite.-

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Anna — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:42:01 GMT

Fun column! I do think we can compare Mo to the greats...not saying we rank him there yet. But weren't his recent fractions faster and faster as the race went on like Secretariat's Derby? Still he galloped out in 1:49...so he'd have to do an 11 or better the last eighth at Churchill to break the 2:00 mark ...but we can root for him! Go Mo! ...hey "No Mo" - Arazi had a bone chip removed before the Derby if I remember correctly so he was medically tampered with. I don't think that's a good comparison at all.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Eric rickard — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:13:41 GMT

Uncle Moe could be special. Let us wait and see.

I despise this two race before trend. They might peak for the Derby; but not the T. C. As for P. Peg, looksold school.

7 f, than 1/1/16, than 1 1/8. Than the derby. Let's hope so.

As for Life at Ten, jokes all around. I agree with others about Pletcher.

As for Indian Charlie , he ran a credible 3 rd in the Derby. He also won the Santa Anita Derby. Only time will tell.

As for Quality Road. He should have run better; at least until the mile and an 1/8.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

The Fish — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:09:25 GMT

If you think Premier Pegasus' San Felipe is 7 lengths faster than Uncle Mo than I think you are missing a very basic understanding between track variants on Santa Anita and Churchill Downs on Breeders cup day. Santa Anita is souped up to produce unreal fast time.

Churchill Downs plays a little bit more evenly except for Derby day in 2001 and 2005.

If you are into Beyers, or Ragozin, or Thorographs, Uncle Mo is much above Premier Pegasus and on Breeders Cup day actually had one of the best performances minus Goldikova. His sheet numbers were even superior to Blame and Zenyatta.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Malcolm — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:54:18 GMT

Let's not forget Smarty Jones's trainer needed a "rest" after the Preakness and instead of going right to Belmont, he sent him back to Philadelphia as he "rested" for a few days and did not bring him to New York until 2 days before. Also the jock, who did not ride at Belmont, had no idea when to move and pulled the trigger way to early.

Trainers do make the most difference.Todd Pletcher always believes fresh is better than fit. That attitude usually will fail him.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Sue M. — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:36:58 GMT

Regardless of bloodlines or even how a horse is trained, the horse that wins the Triple Crown has to be great, and great on those 3 days. To me, that's an intangible that can't be predicted. You can see horses that (at this stage) may show glimpses of it, but it's all guesswork at this point. You could say about the TC winners, they were all "one of a kind" horses, so to speak. And their legends grew as the series went on. They have to be extremely versatile and also have some luck along the way, too (no injuries, or even minor health issues, etc.)

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

mike s — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:08:31 GMT

joe c., right on, i also remember arcaro saying slew was washed out going into gate at derby and didn't have a chance. sorry eddie, slew was one of all time greats and look what he's done for breeding. please save any comparisions to slew for 30 years from now.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

cat thief — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:48:08 GMT

bellamy road, eskendereya or war emblem, smarty jones, only a few weeks and we'll know which.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Matthew W — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:30:31 GMT

Medium sized, runs head low, has major speed but can rate...super impressive if not suspect at 1 1/4---reminds me of Snow Chief, who did win at 1 1/4 in the Jersey Derby--just not in the Kentucky Derby--methinks they would rather The Factor not make it into the gate--they don't want to stalk a fast pace, as Snow Chief did....

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Early Speed — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:55:38 GMT

Uncle Mo still has something to prove to me before I can consider him to be a serious Derby contender...he needs a two turn race, and a race longer than a mile and a sixteenth before I will be convinced he can go the distance.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

joe c. — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:56:49 GMT

I was a huge fan of Slew's from his Champagne on. I recall the unfair knocks against him by Arcaro (after Slew's dynamite 3-year old debut and impressive Flamingo), faint praise by Cosell after the Derby (he missed that bad start from the gate), and Pete Axthelms post Preakness mea culpa "Nothing Left To Knock." I recall trainer Billy Turner in Slew's ESPN bio saying he backed off training for the Wood- thought if he's going to be beaten it will be in the Wood. I only know how very much I enjoyed that ride with Slew in '77, and two starts now before the Derby isn't nearly as much fun for a fan to follow!

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

no mo mo — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:39:36 GMT

I compare Uncle Moe to Favorite Trick and Arazi. A speedy 2 yr old with questionable distance limitations.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

the_wiz — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:38:09 GMT

Comparisons to Premier Pegasus are silly, since the final quarter in the San Felipe was 31 and change.

JON 16 Mar 2011 8:55 AM

JON did you go to the draynay school of math? Where in the world did you come up with a final 1/4 in 31 and change for PP in the San Felipe? PP ran his 6f in 1:09 and change and finished his 1 1/16 in 1:41.2. That's finishing his last 1/4 in around 24.8 which is a very nice finish after blazing

fractions. Uncle Mo needs to pick it up to reach that level as his best 1 1/16 is 7 lengths behind that time. Perhaps you thought the race was only a mile?

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Zenyatta fan — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:19:09 GMT

If I had a lot of money right now to race horses at the top level, Pletcher is the last trainer I would send my horses to. Don't crown Uncle Mo yet. Not enough bottom to win any of the TC races and not going to get it either with walk overs like the Timely Writer. What a joke for a top contender.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

The Fish — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:10:16 GMT

A son of Indian Charlie absolutely could get the Derby. They used to think the same about Elusive Quality, Distorted Humor, etc.

Smarty Jones could get the Belmont distance as well it's ridiculous to say he couldn't. Think, if Birdstone did not enter that race SJ would have won by 8 lengths. Any horse can get the distance if you go slow enough, cough, Drosselmeyer, cough. A true Belmont Horse is one like Point Given, or Afleet Alex, or of course, the immortal Secretariat.

Pletcher is a great trainer who sometimes overestimates his horses abilities ala Quality Road, who the Classic distance was too far for him. He made a mistake with Life at Ten but he's always before erred on the side of caution with his horses in the past.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Robin from Maryland — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:08:11 GMT

If the horse didn't feel right to JV, than it was his responsibility to report that to the stewards and vet. Thank God she didn't breakdown and/or fall during the race. JV could have potentially put alot of lives in jeopardy. Again, thankfully nothing happened. I like Uncle Mo - but the first saturday in May is a long way away. Too bad TP is the trainer.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Zenyatta John — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:58:51 GMT

Please -

There no way on Gods green Earth to compare Seattle Slew and Uncle Mo. Let's let Mo get 10 furlongs, come back in two weeks and get 1 3/16, then see where on the track at Belmont he is when the 12 furlongs hits him square in the head.

Johnny V should be arrested for "Altering the outcome of a sporting event." He cost innocent people millions of dollars. His lawyer Maggie Moss called him a scapegoat. I call him guilty of activity that could be convinced as criminal.

re: Comparatively Speaking - By Evan Hammonds

Mary — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:13:33 GMT

It was the Derby in which Secretariat ran each quarter faster than the one before, not the Belmont, right?