Best Sprinters of the Decade?

winds · Postby **winds** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:28 pm

Rok,

Thank you.

winds

bdw0617 · Postby **bdw0617** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:49 pm

Foggytrip wrote:The Lukas camp didnt train Bellamy Road.

I just think guys who are around these horses have a better handle on how good they are than you

Grade 1s mean nothing until you go to stud. Are you foolish enough to think a healthy LITF wouldnt have won multiple, if not countless G1 races had he been healthy? He was a complete freak, the list starts below him.

You sit down and think whats come out of that Lukas camp as far as named trainers, that was a SERIOUS operation.

who said the lukas camp did train him? Zito trained bellamy road

bdw0617 · Postby **bdw0617** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:57 pm

Playwithfire wrote:There aren't a heck of a lot of G1's for 3yo colts under a mile. Arguably LiTF ran in all of the toughest, most prestigious races he could - Carry Back, Riva Ridge, Swale, etc. He won 5 graded stakes that year, and the reason he didn't run against anybody...nobody wanted to face him. As an owner, you want to win races, so if you have a 3yo, you race against 3yos if that gives you a better chance to win. He eventually faced older horses, but i don't recall anybody shipping in to face him. Gilchrist announced his intentions for this horse well in advance. Hell, he won 9 straight stakes in a row, setting 2 track records. I think that's why everybody thinks he should be mentioned in the top 5.

I think there are different ways to measure a horse. One is pure racing ability. I'd argue he had the most pure racing ability as any of those sprinters you mentioned. Did he have as many Grade 1s? No, so maybe he isn't the best, and unless those horses raced against each other you really can't tell who the best is. But i'd say he deserves to be in the top 5.

very very well stated. My whole point is that you can't take away from a horse that stuck around and beat older horses just because LITF had cancer. If that was the case, I can put 10 or so extra horses in the Hall of Fame... anyone remember the Lukas filly out in California back in the 80's that won a 6F stakes by 25 lengths and died later that year undefeated? No one knows how good Steviewonderboy could have been. I can go on and on.

Potential doesn't equate accomplishments. LITF was very talented... and yes you are 100% correct.. 3yo sprints just don't wow anyone these days, but the derby triail, the bing crosby, the vosbrough are all high profile races that he could have ran in that are right up his alley. and didn't.

top 5? I still can't because Pomeory has a more impressive accomplishment list... I ask myself.. If I would hav eput pomeroy in all those races would he have won all of them..god yes.

bdw0617 · Postby **bdw0617** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:58 pm

Rokeby Forever wrote:Dr Fager, Mr P. A case can be made for Ruffian being a world class sprinter, as well.

but this is this decade, otherwise you are right.. and I dont' know if I would still put Mr. P in there.

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:02 pm

Mr P was as fast as you'd want a horse to be. Old timers that saw him break the track record in Florida shook their heads.

I might also add Barrera to that list. Not many people ever write or speak about that horse, but when I mentioned him to CA Michael, he wrote me how that horse gave him chills because he was so fast.