jmetro Wrote:
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> Barbaro, being the Derby winner, was naturally
> going to be the focus of attention in the
> Preakness and therefore more scrutiny. Had he
> been the clear cut favorite in the Derby perhaps
> more camera time would have been devoted to him at
> that time as well, and some of this quirkyness,
> for lack of a better word, would have been
> exposed.
>
> Do we have the warm-up tapes on him prior to the
> Holy Bull, Florida Derby or even the KY Derby?
> He's a horse who had an unusual running action,
> maybe he always required additional warm-up
> because of that.
>
> I was a simulcast site Saturday so I wasn't privy
> to Stevens or Baileys comments, the one shot I did
> see he had his next bowed and looked like he was
> sitting on another big race. My buddy, who was at
> the Derby, even commented that he looked the same
> in the Preakness post parade as he did in the
> Derby.
>
>

On figure pattern analysis, he was sitting upon a regression.

There were no real workouts between the Derby and the Preakness. No opportunity for him to demonstrate that he came out of the Derby 100%.

Both Gary Stevens and Jerry Bailey thought his demeanor/warm up routine were quite different from the Derby.

Good race observers thought he was agitated.

In that regard, he busted the Gate. He hadn't done that before. When he popped that gate, all doubt was removed. Was doubt removed because it was the last straw in a chain of considerations? Or was doubt removed because that gate rush injured him?

And then it suddenly ended after a relatively small number of Straightaway jumps.

Suppose it doesn't really matter. There won't be any more bets for or against Barbaro.