This is a request for anecdotal observations on which jocks truly seem to understand the value of saving ground. I know there's a statistic for that on the sheet, but I'd like to hear others' observations.
I've been following GP, and (anecdotally) I've been impressed by Brice Blanc and Manoel Cruz's ability/desire to save ground. Maybe I've just noticed them because I've cashed some nice tickets with them.
I'm interested in this because I've really begun to calculate how much ground I think a horse will lose (especially in 2 turn turf routes) in my handicapping, and it really seems to help.
I add a quarter point to my projected figure for each path I think the horse will go wide, and tend to be very conservative with my estimates. I'm also conservative in the adjustments I make for weight. It's amazing how many times that quarter point is the difference between winning and being out of the money. Anyway, I'd appreciate other thoughts.