Bernardini Skips the Belmont

[magic code]

Kudos to Sweetnorthernsaint's connections for (possibly) trying again.

[Heidilady]

Every trainer and horseman I've talked to agrees that the TC races are too close together.

When you talk to the racing fans they like the spacing of the TC races as it is.

The difference between the horseman and the fans is, the horseman knows what is best for the horse and the fans dont.

When a trainer lives and spends many hours with his TB, they can tell if the TB is in super, super, form or is off his feed.

The trainer is getting paid for his services, lets leave the trainer alone and let him train and race his horse as he sees fit.

Well sure seems like trainers who manage to win them generally like it just fine and more trainers and jockeys asked on tv seem to be against changing it than for it. I wonder if it has anything to do with them all being races in the east and Cal-based horsemen being asked in your informal poll although I sure heard Baffert thinks they're good as is. At least that's what he's said publicly.

Yeah I'm sure the horsemen know what's better for the horse 100% of the time. Totally explains why they keep allowing horses to go in 2yo in training sales and blitz the clock whilst putting the horse at risk for the almighty dollar. Speaking of money, lots of trainers load up on bute and run em injured or give Lasix when something like 3/4 of the horses on it really don't need it if I understood correctly. Also plenty of claiming trainers run horses back inside of a week or two over and over again. Yup, totally hilarous that we have one standard for the expensive horses and another for the cheap ones. People don't like any chance of the $1 million dollar purchase coming up lame cuz that looks bad when they try to sell him as a stallion.

Plenty of people get paid for their services. The CEO of Enron sure did and lots of people got hurt when he was left alone to do what he wanted. People work for the trainer, people work for the owner and track, people bet on the horses. The trainer doesn't live in a bubble--if you think they do, I'm sure Michael Matz would appreciate some time to think without being asked stupid questions like 'so by coin toss you mean 50-50?' by crawling inside aforementioned bubble.

[Nessa]

Every trainer and horseman I've talked to agrees that the TC races are too close together.

<snip>

The difference between the horseman and the fans is, the horseman knows what is best for the horse and the fans dont.

<snip>

The trainer is getting paid for his services, lets leave the trainer alone and let him train and race his horse as he sees fit.

And it's up to the TRAINER to decide to run the horse. If they feel the race is coming up to soon, DON'T RUN IN IT. That includes the triple crown. If you think you can't make the 2 week turn around between the Derby and Preakness, SKIP THE PREAKNESS.

If you can't make the 3 week turn around between the Blue Grass and the Derby, SKIP THE DERBY.

Stop bitching about the spacing of the races and be more responsible with the horse. If the trainer doesn't think the horse can do it, stop pushing the horse to try.

I'm sorry, but I don't have one lick of sympathy for someone who complains about the spacing of the races, but still tries to run in them anyway.

Bravo Sam, you said it perfectly. Don't Run the freakin horse!

[valerie]

The TB fans dont know what these TB have to go through to run in all 3 TC races. Thanks to those TB owners who have made a wise decision and put their TB first before the gold and glory of the TC races.

The spacing of the races is FINE and does NOT need to be dinked with in an effort to dumb-down yet another thing in life. I'm pretty damned tired of people screaming "This is too hard, make it easier so I can feel good about being a wimp."

It's not the spacing of the TC races that is breaking down these colts. It's the tracks being concrete hard, it's the over-dependence on drugs, it's the dickhead trainers who don't pay any attention to the fact that these are living, breathing, flesh and blood creatures being pushed too hard and not knowing when to stop.

If the spacing of the races were the reason all these colts were breaking down, we'd have more dead claiming geldings since they run every 3 weeks and you'd never see a trainer run a horse back on 5 days rest.

Its the fact that we have too many dumbass owners throwing vanity entries into the Derby which means we have to use some stupid graded earnings list to get in.

Half the horses in this years race had no damn business in that gate. There's a huge push nowadays to earn a lot of money to be in that top 20 and the FACT is that no horse with $1million in earnings before the derby has ever WON the derby. I'm sure that will change eventually, but that right there is a problem that could be fixed.

When we have idiots who want to enter horses like With A City off ONE damn race simply because they can, THAT'S a problem. That means horses who probably have more ability but need more time are UNNECESSARILY rushed so they MIGHT earn enough to make the list of 20.

The Canadians have NO PROBLEM getting TC winners in the last 20 years with the SAME spacing of their races so that only lends more credence to the idea that the spacing IS NOT a problem nor is the breed any more fragile now than it was 50 years ago.

Rather than screw with the spacing of the races, I'd much rather they throw out this BS "graded stakes list", ignore 2yo form and find a method similar to what the AQHA uses for their major 3yo races. Some kind of trial that is NOT reliant on earned points -- because that would only reinvent the problems of a graded stakes earning list.

I also wouldn't be opposed to them getting rid of that damned Auxiliary gate, not because I think 20 horses in the race causes problems like everyone else does, just that I HOPE it would cut down on the BS vanity entries.

Well Said

[Shammy Davis]

I personally like the TC series. With the addition of the BC, I do think, like in the case of BERNARDINI, that owners and trainers from now on will have to take a look at a year long strategy that meets the character, talent, and quality of their horse. The mental character and physical maturity of the horse is going to be a big factor. My guess is that as BC purses look more enticing, owners and trainers of 3 year old contenders may sit out the TC series and wait on challenging the BC. It is nice that both ends of the year now offer horsemen a hefty amount of loot if their horse is talented enough to take one or more of the races on.

I'm not surprised that Louis offers that trainers think the TC series is schedule too tight, but if the truth be told, they don't have anything to do with it. Lucky for racing that is the case. Not to take anything away from Louis' horse acumen, but I think I remember a number of his posts related to multiple crosses beyond 8 X PHALARIS crosses and unsoundness. If I remember correctly, BARBARO according to Louis was out of the margin of error. Hybrid vigor, I think he remarked. Well as they say, that's what makes a horse race. As an aside, I've never believed that one stallion line contributes directly to unsoundness. I'm a firm believer we're running these babies too early. Ove the years, I've had my nose in a number of equine and livestock texts. None of them have ever given any significance to horses beyond the 5th generation.

We know that horses can triumph in all 3 TC races. Whether these TC Champion horses are freaks or have good luck or have the right timing by birth or at the quarter poll, no one will ever know. That's what is going to make handicapping the 2006 BS a real challenge. I can't help but remember weeks before the Derby, when all the writers and commentators were elaborating on the depth and talent of this year's 3 year old crop of runners. We'll definitely see if there dialog was true. Right or wrong, with the TC carried over to 2007, it's going to be one hard fought race to 3 year old Champion and HOY. Personally, I'd rather have a TC.

[louis finochio]

To Shammy: If the Preakness was run one month after the Derby, it would give those also rans in the Derby a chance to catch their breath. The Preakness would benefit by having a full field of TB.

If the Belmont was run one month after the Preakness it would attract TB that didnt run in the first or second jewel of the TC.

As you mentioned in your post these TB are trained too hard too early in their career. Years ago those TB had the underpining of steel, as evidence of their outcross pedigree's.

As the TB of today are have a fragile underpining, as evidence of their non-outcross pedigrees. Those trainers that have made adjustments in their training to accomodate these fragile TB, are getting more mileage out of these TB.

A good example of this is the trainers who push and train their TB hard to the max are using the vets 5-1 over those old school trainers that train the old school way.

Guess which trainers have the most injuries and breakdowns, you guessed it, the new generation of trainers. The problem is the old school trainers are sadly be called up yonder.

If the new generation of trainers paid thir dues and came up under an old school trainer they would have fewer injuries and breakdowns.

[Betsy]

The TB fans dont know what these TB have to go through to run in all 3 TC races. Thanks to those TB owners who have made a wise decision and put their TB first before the gold and glory of the TC races.

The spacing of the races is FINE and does NOT need to be dinked with in an effort to dumb-down yet another thing in life. I'm pretty damned tired of people screaming "This is too hard, make it easier so I can feel good about being a wimp."

It's not the spacing of the TC races that is breaking down these colts. It's the tracks being concrete hard, it's the over-dependence on drugs, it's the dickhead trainers who don't pay any attention to the fact that these are living, breathing, flesh and blood creatures being pushed too hard and not knowing when to stop.

If the spacing of the races were the reason all these colts were breaking down, we'd have more dead claiming geldings since they run every 3 weeks and you'd never see a trainer run a horse back on 5 days rest.

Its the fact that we have too many dumbass owners throwing vanity entries into the Derby which means we have to use some stupid graded earnings list to get in.

Half the horses in this years race had no damn business in that gate. There's a huge push nowadays to earn a lot of money to be in that top 20 and the FACT is that no horse with $1million in earnings before the derby has ever WON the derby. I'm sure that will change eventually, but that right there is a problem that could be fixed.

When we have idiots who want to enter horses like With A City off ONE damn race simply because they can, THAT'S a problem. That means horses who probably have more ability but need more time are UNNECESSARILY rushed so they MIGHT earn enough to make the list of 20.

The Canadians have NO PROBLEM getting TC winners in the last 20 years with the SAME spacing of their races so that only lends more credence to the idea that the spacing IS NOT a problem nor is the breed any more fragile now than it was 50 years ago.

Rather than screw with the spacing of the races, I'd much rather they throw out this BS "graded stakes list", ignore 2yo form and find a method similar to what the AQHA uses for their major 3yo races. Some kind of trial that is NOT reliant on earned points -- because that would only reinvent the problems of a graded stakes earning list.

I also wouldn't be opposed to them getting rid of that damned Auxiliary gate, not because I think 20 horses in the race causes problems like everyone else does, just that I HOPE it would cut down on the BS vanity entries.

The spacing of the TC races is fine with me; I agree Sam - this argument goes on every year. It's supposed to be tough, period.

In any case, the spacing of the races had no bearing on Bernardini not running in the Belmont. That is, it's his lack of foundation that I think the Sheikh based his decision on. He's only had 4 career starts and all this year; the Belmont is a grueling, taxing race for any colt, much less one with so few starts. Bernardini is an absolutely exceptional horse and I think he'll come back huge. I look forward to seeing him at Saratoga, refreshed and ready for a big fall campaign.

[Shammy Davis]

Louis: I'm very sympathetic to your views. If it were up to me, I'd move the juvenile racing back two years. Let them all start at 4. No exceptions. The problem is that 3 year old racing is entrenched in the industry. There is the other side of the coin too. There are an extremely high percentage 3 year olds of both sexes that have competed in the same series without serious injury for over 100 years. 12 have won the TC. Many have succeeded at 2 legs of the TC. We've all seen the early maturing colt or filly that has the ability to compete at the classic level. It's really a judgement call on the part of the connections. The BERNARDINI connections are making what they think is a good call. They may be right. Who knows. Can you say one way or the other that BARBARO would be sound today if the Preakness were run three or four weeks after the Derby. I don't think so. As good a horseman as Matz is, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have run his colt if he'd had any inclination of the future circumstances. BARBARO was ready that day to run the race of his life. It's conjecture now whether he took a bad step before or during the race or did fate just step in?