Re: KING OF THE ROXY... (800 Views)
Posted by:
JohnTChance (IP Logged)
Date: April 10, 2007 01:26PM
On this particular forum, opinions stem from numbers and number analysis. It seems that, though "a lot of variables go into this game," numbers ARE the overwhelming part of the puzzle these days, changing the way horses are perceived, and even handled. When HARD SPUN ran that "clunker" in his loss at Oaklawn, it was "numbers" that redefined the perception of his performance. Thoughts that the colt may not have handled the Oaklawn surface, gave way to trainer Larry Jones defended his colt by referring reporters to the good sheet figure he ran. On the ThoroGraphs, HARD SPUN had run another 2. That is, he ran well, not poorly. And recently, Todd Pletcher changed the schedule of his Derby-bound colts, giving one more time. Wasn't that decision based, not so much upon the horse's weight, blood count or breeding, but as a sheets-influenced decision? There's tangible sheets evidence that Todd's horses do well off layoffs.
The young Pletchers that run these huge orgasms early on in their 3-yr. old year at GP - I'm thinking of those from TEXAS GLITTER through to LIMEHOUSE, VALUE PLUS, KEYED ENTRY and now KING OF THE ROXY. When you run a -1 as an early 3 yr. old, what do you expect next out, and thereafter? Do you project they'll IMPROVE??? That they'll run a -3 soon? A -4 on dem bones? The point is that improvement has not been the norm, and whoever manages a fast colt's future is viced in by that magnificent early effort.
I'm not surprised an uncharitable expression about pharmacology as it relates to performance is ridiculed. How "absurdly naive!," eh? Mindful of your comments on this forum about Dr. Harthill a while back - something to the effect that "he's the best, and it's to my advantage to use him" - I can twist the argument and throw it right back at you to meet you at mid-field. So you think that Pletcher's horses aren't profoundly effected by steroids and injections? They run these -1 ThoroGraphs just on their own natural God-given development? Hay, oats and water only? Yeah. Right. God Bless America. You're wrong.
JTC