hpkingjr wrote:vallygirl927 wrote:I hit the exacta! Will Take Charge and Morena! Freaking awesome!
Where are you buying dinner?. Nice picking
what made you include moreno? i can see will take charge. i just had to tip my hat on the other
The GR I Travers
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bdw0617
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Re: Congrats
what made you include moreno? i can see will take charge. i just had to tip my hat on the other
"When the solution is simple, God is answering.”
- Einstein
- Einstein
hi TJ
with Will Take Charge, including his selection of Saez to ride him.
that the colt may have distance limitations. Reality is, Todd knows that V is mile and a quarter distance challenged , certainly at the elite level, and that Coolmore/Ashford will market/advertise the heck out of Verrazano when he's retired to stud...so saying nothing that may even be perceived as the slightest bit negative about V was likely rule one, at least as far as Team Coolmore was concerned.
...and today's Travers fueled that belief. Arguably he's the best, but certainly he's not the luckiest.
I'd be surprised if most didn't see or sense that something happened at the gate at the break. Some may care, some may not, but clearly Palace Malice appeared to stumble, and/or be off balance, or experience something not so good (if you will)
at the moment of the break ; and for those who may not have seen anything out of the ordinary occur at the break, track announcer Tom Durkin did specifically mention a Palace Malice happening (if you will) at the break.
What happened? The head-man/assistant starter assigned to Number 8 Palace Malice apparently encroached/crowded/impinged/minimized the colt and Mike Smith's space by leaning low and inward (apparently making contact with rider/horse); which was exacerbated by the assistant also using his LEFT hand/arm to help aim/direct the colt's head. When the bell rang and the gate popped open; the head-man was unable to be necessarily clear of horse and rider. A bummer, to say the least, reality nonetheless...and the race must go on. No do overs in horse racing, no mulligans .
Watch it frame-by-frame in slo-mo/stop action; it appears that the head-man impeded what should have been a clean break for Palace Malice and rider Mike Smith, causing an off balance stumble (of sorts) as horse and rider exited from the gate. For perspective, compare the other horses' assistants' positioning at the break, during the break, and after the gates popped open. I strongly recommend seeing it, there's plenty to see, digest and learn from there, and I'm confident the stewards, the starter, the assistant(s), and likely others, will have at least one pow wow. There may be adult language at that pow wow, so it may be rated R, and attendee(s) discretion may be advised
.
Bottom line....the assistant/head-man appeared to mess-up his important role by being down/low and leaning inward toward/into Smith/the colt at the break, causing the colt to be off balance and unable to break clean when the bell rang and the gate popped open; causing what appeared to be a stumble at the start. Without the leaning down/low and inward impingement (for lack of a better word) by the assistant, the break would likely have been clean and the colt well positioned. The outcome, I've no doubt, would have been different. Palace Malice was arguably the best horse in the race, but as we've seen time and again and again and again in horseracing, the best horse does not always win...for any number of reasons. Why? Things happen.
Despite the adversity/mess-up at the start, and its race-changing negative affect on Palace Malice's break and position, I was beyond impressed with the colt's very willing/forward/powerful move down the lane. Had the fractions been 23 and change, 47 and change (rather than 24 and 2/5, 48 and 4/5), I'm not so sure Palace Malice wouldn't have gotten up despite his very unfortunate/bad luck at the start/break. Even with the terrible break and slow fractions, the winner finished but a length ahead of Palace Malice. Oh well, such is horseracing.
I like to see the best horse win. In this case, I don't believe the best horse won. Regardless, congrats are in order for Will Take Charge, Moreno and Orb...three very nice horses that did nothing wrong, plenty right, and finished 1, 2, 3.
.
How about if I change gears here, and delve into the for what it's worth category...re a couple of what I submit are some interesting sports sentiments/comments/language that may help sum things up about high level sports in general, including horseracing. Here goes, for starters...in boxing, the referee states it clearly to the fighters...protect yourself at all times. As an introduction, one fight announcer always declares...let's get ready to rumble. Another MMA/UFC announcer loudly declares...it's time. Trainer Leroy Jolley is credited with the phrase...horseracing is not a game for anyone wearing short pants. What that all means may be in the eyes and ears of the beholder, but clearly horseracing at the highest level is extreeeeemely competitive sport, and (to my way of thinking) is not for the faint of heart .
When the top horses, top riders, top trainers, passionate owners, mix with huge dollars...hopefully all will unfold in a fashion whereas each and every participant will be able to experience/deliver a problem-free best effort/performance. Fast forward...
...Sometimes though, as in baseball, an umpire blows a call; the same can be said for football, basketball, soccer etc etc etc; and horse racing too is not immune to the vagaries/implications of an official's mess-up (if you will), as Team Palace Malice experienced at the gate in the Travers...OUCH. That's part of the sports world though; think about it...Let's Get Ready To Rumble, warns of an imminent battle; It's Time indicates, beware...right now. Protect Yourself At All Times, is a no nonsense warning to be aware that, fair or foul, anything may happen at any time; Horseracing Is Not A Game For Anyone Wearing Short Pants, seems to (with a unique choice of words) maybe cover it all, and set the tone for understanding that things happen, sometimes good, sometimes not so good; Not For The Faint Of Heart, is clear and concise language and, to my way of thinking, speaks volumes. ALL seem to be Fair Warnings To Be Prepared...for anything.
Horseracing...what a great game. Sometimes wonderment...sometimes euphoria...sometimes bewilderment...sometimes gut wrenching...sometimes an emotional roller coaster...plenty of anything, plenty of everything, plenty of who knows what.
At one time or another, hasn't everyone involved in the world of thoroughbreds/horseracing asked himself/herself something like the following? Oh racing luck where art though...hath you no heart?
What a great game!!!
Best to ya.
Respectfully
D Wayne did do an outstanding jobTJ wrote: WOW....that's the Saratoga of old...graveyard of favorites. Great job by D Wayne...
with Will Take Charge, including his selection of Saez to ride him. Moreno certainly did hang tough...bravo to Moreno and his team for a huge effort.TJ wrote:Moreno hung tough.....
I'm not so sure. Orb is a very nice horse...but he's just not convincing me. He had a trip that seemed to afford him every chance to get the job done, but he just didn't seem to be good enough.TJ wrote:...Orb will continue to improve...
To my way of thinking, Verrazano is fools gold at a mile and quarter; and Todd P knew it going in. With that weighing on him, Todd's toughest assignment going into the Travers was, arguably, carefully chiseling, crafting, then fine-tuning his talking points (for dissemination/the media) when it came to Verrazano and a mile and a quarter. Todd knows what he has, and knew that Verrazano and a mile and a quarter are not unlike oil and water...they just don't mix well. Todd's challenge? Not to say anything about Verrazano that may be construed in any way, shape, or form, as even a whisper-of-a-hintTJ wrote:...Verrazano was certainly not what I thought he was...
that the colt may have distance limitations. Reality is, Todd knows that V is mile and a quarter distance challenged , certainly at the elite level, and that Coolmore/Ashford will market/advertise the heck out of Verrazano when he's retired to stud...so saying nothing that may even be perceived as the slightest bit negative about V was likely rule one, at least as far as Team Coolmore was concerned. Palace Malice, is not only for real, I'm convinced he's the top/best 3-year-old in trainingTJ wrote:Palace Malice is for real...
...and today's Travers fueled that belief. Arguably he's the best, but certainly he's not the luckiest.I'd be surprised if most didn't see or sense that something happened at the gate at the break. Some may care, some may not, but clearly Palace Malice appeared to stumble, and/or be off balance, or experience something not so good (if you will)
at the moment of the break ; and for those who may not have seen anything out of the ordinary occur at the break, track announcer Tom Durkin did specifically mention a Palace Malice happening (if you will) at the break. What happened? The head-man/assistant starter assigned to Number 8 Palace Malice apparently encroached/crowded/impinged/minimized the colt and Mike Smith's space by leaning low and inward (apparently making contact with rider/horse); which was exacerbated by the assistant also using his LEFT hand/arm to help aim/direct the colt's head. When the bell rang and the gate popped open; the head-man was unable to be necessarily clear of horse and rider. A bummer, to say the least, reality nonetheless...and the race must go on. No do overs in horse racing, no mulligans
.Watch it frame-by-frame in slo-mo/stop action; it appears that the head-man impeded what should have been a clean break for Palace Malice and rider Mike Smith, causing an off balance stumble (of sorts) as horse and rider exited from the gate. For perspective, compare the other horses' assistants' positioning at the break, during the break, and after the gates popped open. I strongly recommend seeing it, there's plenty to see, digest and learn from there, and I'm confident the stewards, the starter, the assistant(s), and likely others, will have at least one pow wow. There may be adult language at that pow wow, so it may be rated R, and attendee(s) discretion may be advised
.Bottom line....the assistant/head-man appeared to mess-up his important role by being down/low and leaning inward toward/into Smith/the colt at the break, causing the colt to be off balance and unable to break clean when the bell rang and the gate popped open; causing what appeared to be a stumble at the start. Without the leaning down/low and inward impingement (for lack of a better word) by the assistant, the break would likely have been clean and the colt well positioned. The outcome, I've no doubt, would have been different. Palace Malice was arguably the best horse in the race, but as we've seen time and again and again and again in horseracing, the best horse does not always win...for any number of reasons. Why? Things happen.
Despite the adversity/mess-up at the start, and its race-changing negative affect on Palace Malice's break and position, I was beyond impressed with the colt's very willing/forward/powerful move down the lane. Had the fractions been 23 and change, 47 and change (rather than 24 and 2/5, 48 and 4/5), I'm not so sure Palace Malice wouldn't have gotten up despite his very unfortunate/bad luck at the start/break. Even with the terrible break and slow fractions, the winner finished but a length ahead of Palace Malice. Oh well, such is horseracing.
I like to see the best horse win. In this case, I don't believe the best horse won. Regardless, congrats are in order for Will Take Charge, Moreno and Orb...three very nice horses that did nothing wrong, plenty right, and finished 1, 2, 3.
If nothing else, interesting is probably a safe word to describe what may be aheadTJ wrote:Interesting 3YO picture the rest of the year. TJ
.
How about if I change gears here, and delve into the for what it's worth category...re a couple of what I submit are some interesting
sports sentiments/comments/language that may help sum things up about high level sports in general, including horseracing. Here goes, for starters...in boxing, the referee states it clearly to the fighters...protect yourself at all times. As an introduction, one fight announcer always declares...let's get ready to rumble. Another MMA/UFC announcer loudly declares...it's time. Trainer Leroy Jolley is credited with the phrase...horseracing is not a game for anyone wearing short pants. What that all means may be in the eyes and ears of the beholder, but clearly horseracing at the highest level is extreeeeemely competitive sport, and (to my way of thinking) is not for the faint of heart .
When the top horses, top riders, top trainers, passionate owners, mix with huge dollars...hopefully all will unfold in a fashion whereas each and every participant will be able to experience/deliver a problem-free best effort/performance. Fast forward...
...Sometimes though, as in baseball, an umpire blows a call; the same can be said for football, basketball, soccer etc etc etc; and horse racing too is not immune to the vagaries/implications of an official's mess-up
(if you will), as Team Palace Malice experienced at the gate in the Travers...OUCH. That's part of the sports world though; think about it...Let's Get Ready To Rumble, warns of an imminent battle; It's Time indicates, beware...right now. Protect Yourself At All Times, is a no nonsense warning to be aware that, fair or foul, anything may happen at any time; Horseracing Is Not A Game For Anyone Wearing Short Pants, seems to (with a unique choice of words) maybe cover it all, and set the tone for understanding that things happen, sometimes good, sometimes not so good; Not For The Faint Of Heart, is clear and concise language and, to my way of thinking, speaks volumes. ALL seem to be Fair Warnings To Be Prepared...for anything.
Horseracing...what a great game. Sometimes wonderment...sometimes euphoria...sometimes bewilderment...sometimes gut wrenching...sometimes an emotional roller coaster...plenty of anything, plenty of everything, plenty of who knows what.
At one time or another, hasn't everyone involved in the world of thoroughbreds/horseracing asked himself/herself something like the following? Oh racing luck where art though...hath you no heart?
What a great game!!!
Best to ya.
Respectfully
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vallygirl927
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He looked like he was sitting on a big race. Ghost zapper is on fire and I knew he'd have no problem with the distance. I kind of imagined he'd run a lot like his daddy....fast and far. Orb, Palice Malice and Verrazano have had a tough season so far. I figured if they didn't bring their best, Moreno and Will Take Charge would be right there and that's how the race played out.
Race
Horseracing...what a great game. Sometimes wonderment...sometimes euphoria...sometimes bewilderment...sometimes gut wrenching...sometimes an emotional roller coaster...plenty of anything, plenty of everything, plenty of who knows what.
At one time or another, hasn't everyone involved in the world of thoroughbreds/horseracing asked himself/herself something like the following? Oh racing luck where art though...hath you no heart?
Great synos Fos,
Sweet cash Valley Gil
At one time or another, hasn't everyone involved in the world of thoroughbreds/horseracing asked himself/herself something like the following? Oh racing luck where art though...hath you no heart?
Great synos Fos,
Sweet cash Valley Gil
Give the Pope and the King of England a horse and in thirty days, they'll be stealing halters.
Hi FOS,
Most certainly agree...Regards, TJ
FOS wrote:hi TJFOS wrote: D Wayne did do an outstanding jobTJ wrote: WOW....that's the Saratoga of old...graveyard of favorites. Great job by D Wayne...FOS wrote: Moreno certainly did hang tough...bravo to Moreno and his team for a huge effort.TJ wrote:Moreno hung tough.....
Agreed & Agreed:>)FOS Wrote: I'm not so sure. Orb is a very nice horse...but he's just not convincing me. He had a trip that seemed to afford him every chance to get the job done, but he just didn't seem to be good enough.TJ wrote:...Orb will continue to improve...
It was 77 days since Orb last raced....third longest layoff going into the Travers in history of those who had won. Shug is a good trainer, but having to put him in the game earlier than is his preference with a new rider I'd have to expect he will move forward in his next start.FOS wrote: To my way of thinking, Verrazano is fools gold at a mile and quarter; and Todd P knew it going in. With that weighing on him, Todd's toughest assignment going into the Travers was, arguably, carefully chiseling, crafting, then fine-tuning his talking points (for dissemination/the media) when it came to Verrazano and a mile and a quarter. Todd knows what he has, and knew that Verrazano and a mile and a quarter are not unlike oil and water...they just don't mix well. Todd's challenge? Not to say anything about Verrazano that may be construed in any way, shape, or form, as even a whisper-of-a-hintTJ wrote:...Verrazano was certainly not what I thought he was...
I'm not so sure Todd believed Verrazano wouldn't get the mile and a quarter. Verrazano really looked totally empty in the Travers....and considering those slow fractions, his race was just too bad not to have a valid excuse? PLetcher says he will make no plans with V for a couple of weeks...personally I would love to see Pletcher run him in the Jamaica on the turf at Belmont Park.FOS wrote: Palace Malice, is not only for real, I'm convinced he's the top/best 3-year-old in trainingTJ wrote:Palace Malice is for real...
No doubt he's an unlucky horse....yet he has come back and run well twice now...one with and one without luck:>) Todd Pletcher tells us what Smith told him about the start....“Mike said he took a step forward, they were trying to correct him when they kicked it, he wasn't standing properly, and his hind legs went out from underneath him,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He got away bad, totally took him out of his game plan. Considering that, he ran great, got beat a length.” This is another quote from Mike Smith....“He just lost his back legs leaving there, it happens,” Smith said. “I couldn't do anything, I can’t go to the lead. All I could do was sit back there creep up, creep up, creep up, and see if I could get them. For a moment there, I thought I still had it. It was just too much to make up.” What I saw looking at the start, there was no doubt he hit the right side of the stall coming out of the gate, knocking him off balance.FOS Wrote: What a great game!!!
Most certainly agree...Regards, TJ