Some reflections and thoughts on ROTW.

[b]Charming Kitten[/b] totes 6 lbs more than 2nd place [b]Xaverian[/b] (for 2 miles)! [b]Xaverian[/b] loses a path of ground on the first three turns and the 4th turn ground loss looks to be arguably equal with the winner. Yet, per chart, they only finish 1+1/2 lengths apart at the wire or .5 pt according to TG analysis. i.e. 1 pt = 3 lengths at the distance of 2 miles.

So I'm curious about the net weight and ground loss adjustments because based on their form I wouldn't have expected the race to have been as close as it was at the finish. Nobody else in the same zip code so I guess it is fair to speculate [b]Xaverian[/b] ran a new top. (Not something I would have expected from Sky Mesa progeny at that distance yet the horse's line did shout never better. Charming Kitten, on the other hand, appears to me to have run a completely tactical race and does that hide how good or bad the performance was? While this may be a simple problem for figure makers (TG) it boggles my mind some.

Further, it seems to me that JR rode a smart race (as long as he got clear for the stretch run which he did with a little effort) causing Rosario to lose ground all the way around proving once again the importance of ground loss even in marathons.

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On the choice of ROTW, I can't help but wish it had been the Stakes @ Santa Anita. I looking forward to the date turning over because I want to see the sheet of the $131 winner [b]Lost Bus[/b]. Winning trainer Gary Sherlock has a history of winning @ a price with L/O horses and changing surfaces even though a low win percentage a positive ROI. But blinkers are his claim to fame and if I saw my tiny replay window correctly the winner was wearing a hood, first time blinkers?

Sorry to see you guys in the North East dumped on by the storm. Looks a real mess!