This is a great thread...

I liked Eurosilver too, but I've liked a lot of em.

Nice memory on the '91 races Michael.

Dana said:

"I don't see how you look at a horse passing a gasping, tired animal and think he's a superstar -- believe me I learned the hard way, those races in California this year are WEAK and Lion Heart may well be the best California horse so that's not saying much."

If my math is right Lionheart came home in an extrapolated 25.22. If the race is as big T-Graph as it is other figs, its big because the track was slow. That would mean a close like Lionheart's may not mean he was gasping. I still think something is odd about two horses running that well. If I had access to Past Performances for Lion Tamer, I would look very closely at them and try to determine if his 1:23:14 and fractional marks for the race were consistent with a premise that the track was slow. I didn't handicap that card, so I'm in the dark.

"MO" mentioned Strike the Gold in this thread. I remember betting a bundle on Hansel in the Belmont and being worried to death about it. I think Hansel had to come off Lasix for the race. Anyway I'm there stone quiet in the stretch as I always am during the race. Though I'll admit to elation as soon as its official. My theory is the "Paul Brown" theory of handicapping. He always told his players not to celebrate like amateurs in the end zone. To treat the opponents with respect and conduct yourself as if you've been there before and expect to be there again...:) Anyway, I'm watching the race and theres this Latin fella screaming his head off for Strikey to get up...hes breaking my eardrum shouting "Chula, Chula", which i'm told means "faster, faster" in Spanish. He's also screaming "Strike the Gold, Strike the Gold" and slapping his own thigh with a rolled up racing form as if he's a jockey whipping the horse. I'm watching the stretch drive and sweating bullets, but a time comes, a long way yet from the wire, where I'm confident he isn't gonna go past. (I can judge momentum better than most) and I turned to the Latin man and forgot all about my "Paul Brown" discipline and I screamed at him in my loudest voice "HE AINT GONNA GET THERE!"

It was a close race MO is what I rememeber.

Wrong thread but I don't want to clutter the board.. :) Ark day the track started out sloppy and a bunch of favorites and 2nd choices dominated in wire type races. After the track turned muddy, it could be argued that closers faired better, however some of them were favorites. Tuff call on the track helping Smarty.

Finally replays! Smarty did seem to shorten stride in the last sixteenth and he changed leads again late as someone noted. Borrego cut into him, but significantly past the wire that white shadow roll you see is Borrego. I don't think he's getting by Smarty in the Derby unless its a bounce scenario. Borrego was beaten by 4.5 lengths. Though I can't say that I'm not somewhat concerned. But then Smarty showed a chink in the Southwest too.



Post Edited (04-15-04 01:51)