Q for Cove and others: Pace strategy

[joekay]

05OctBelRace 8: Ramsey enters a rabbit who gets an easy lead and then SLOWS down the pace for the 1st quarter, which eventually results in everybody bunched at the top of the stretch, and most having a good chance to win.  I thought the purpose of a rabbit was to set a \"hot\" or at least a legit pace to get rid of the early speed and pressers and not leave your closer at risk for a wide trip or praying for a seam more than he normally would. It seems you really have to believe your horse can \"quicken\" in such a situation rather than just pick off tiring horses. Comments?

[covelj70]

I think you have the idea exactly right. They were just trying to ensure that little mike didn\'t get away with an easy lead and ensure an honest pace for big blue kitten. No one (including me) thought little mike could rate. Otherwise, the plan worked ok as they got an honest pace to run at. I think Ramsey assumed little mike was a need the lead type and that he would go even quicker in which case the plan would have likely worked perfectly

Hope you are well.

[Lost Cause]

covelj70 Wrote:
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No one (including me) thought
> little mike could rate. Otherwise, the plan worked
> ok as they got an honest pace to run at. I think
> Ramsey assumed little mike was a need the lead
> type and that he would go even quicker in which
> case the plan would have likely worked perfectly
>
> Hope you are well.

How quickly all of us forget that he rated to win the Breeders cup. Weird horse for me to handicap.  I almost never play him and have paid the price many times.  Just a very good, hard trying horse that likes to win.

[joekay]

Thanks Cove, but I was referring to the race last Saturday at Belmont with GET IN LINE (rabbit) and ADMIRAL KITTEN (closer).

[richiebee]

Lost Cause Wrote:
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> How quickly all of us forget that he rated to win
> the Breeders cup. Weird horse for me to handicap.
> I almost never play him and have paid the price
> many times.  Just a very good, hard trying horse
> that likes to win.

Ditto: Killed me in the 2012 Million, the BC and two weeks ago in the Joe Hirsch.
Doesn\'t hurt to have Smith in the irons; according to TVG yappers \"Iron\" Mike has
a 28% strike rate in G1 stakes this year.

[covelj70]

Whoops. Sorry about that. Guess he\'s using rabbits a lot lately! You can do that when you have 200 horses!

[miff]

The rabbit turned out to be a tortoise.David Cohen threw out the anchor and slowed the pace instead of running off fast for 5-6 furlongs before finding a soft place to lay down.

Instructed to be a rabbit,Cohen should not have been paid! Must have had a case of jockey brain lock.


As for Little Mike, his form was awful since Dubai, much improved performance kinda out of left field.

Little Mike\'s jockey, Mike Smith, strike rate of 28% win in GR 1\'s impressive, but quite a few Cadillacs in there. Wide Mikey no doubt a big money rider though.

[Boscar Obarra]

People seem to get fooled a lot by the same things over and over.

 Isn\'t the stress of Dubai something that can knock a horse way off form, taking considerable time to overcome?

 That , and wasn\'t the Romans barn streaking recently?