Re: KING OF THE ROXY... (743 Views)
Posted by:
Lance (IP Logged)
Date: April 11, 2007 11:26PM
Great post, Richie. Thanks for sharing your insight. Your points are very well taken.
Winning percentages aside, I still find it uncanny how Pletcher horses seem to re-break in the lane so often; it's like they suddenly find a second wind. I remember repeatedly witnessing the same thing with Frankel horses a few years back (Medaglia D'Oro in the San Felipe comes to mind first), but his current runners don't seem to display this tendency nearly as much as they used to. Upon reflection, I realize that what I'm probably seeing with the typical Pletcher horse isn't an animal "re-breaking," but rather one who is still running evenly when others are backing up. As Mr. Irwin so eloquently stated in his 2002 editorial, "Darbepoetin and EPO do not make a horse run faster, but allow a horse to delay going into oxygen debt and decelerate at a slower rate."
Re. the upcoming Derby: I know that Kentucky has -- or at least had -- a reputation for liberal medication policies, but I'm wondering if perhaps they (and other tracks) haven't figured something out in regards to surveillance on the biggest race days. Is there a reason Pletcher and Frankel are 0-fer in the Derby and a combined 6 for 90 in the Breeders Cup, despite saddling an inordinate number of short-priced steeds? Are there more barn-security/surveillance measures in place for the Derby than there are for your average Saturday race card?
Just questions running through my head...