Big Breeze from General ARod today

[richiebee]

AJ:

1) Its Baffert.
2) The factor we all seem to agree upon is that to contend in the Derby a runner
will have had to have won (or at least contended) in one of the 9 furlong preps.
Chitu won the least fashionable of these 9 furlong preps, which might create a
little value.
3) I have no problem with his sire side pedigree even though Henny Hughes never
ran a two turn race in his short career.
4) When I said I liked the way he finished, I though I qualified it sufficiently
to make clear this was a subjective observation and really had nothing to do
with finishing (or internal) fractions.

Pat Day once said \"Time only matters to someone in prison\", to which Woody
Stephens replied \"try telling that to a man who shows up at the station at
8:15 to catch the 8:00 train.\"

[covelj70]

I hear you on the figure and the spacing and I know this is a TG board and so it\'s about figures not results

that said, the horse has never won a two turn race.  I know he has run good figures going two turns but never won

as I mentioned before, I think part of the reason is that he is too close to the pace going two turns where the pace is slower.

[phil23]

Jim - any chance you\'ll be down at CD this year? Your visual impression were obviously very welcome in recent years.

Be interesting to know if Maker worked him in company today (might account for the time) - recall Maker saying after his last that he was certainly aware of his issue of not wanting to pass horses and he\'d be trying to work on it.

[covelj70]

Phil,

I am taking a break from the Derby this year.

Only missed 1 in the last 10 years but after last year, I was so tired from everything that went on that week that I was useless at work for like a month after that

That plus the fact that I am coaching my son\'s little league team again and I hate missing too many games/practices once I make the commitment

We are running Swift Warrior in the Fort Marcy at Belmont on Derby Day and I can get out there that day without eschewing my coaching duties

if anyone else on the board is going to be out at Belmont on Derby Day, would love to meet up

[covelj70]

DRF article says ARod worked by himself this morning and it was at the trackside training center so no one is typically there to see those breezes (from the media)

the good news is that Maker commented that he will give him his final work on the Monday or Tuesday before the Derby at CD so everyone will get to see how he looks and moves as all the cameras are on them at that point

Maker really spacing out the breezes here, big break between the Fla Derby and this breeze and then a bit longer than usual between this breeze and the final breeze the Monday or Tuesday before the race

the horse doesn\'t carry a ton of weight (beautifully built just a relatively lighter horse) and so the spacing between the breezes is likely to help ensure that the horse maintains his weight

[ajkreider]

Even Maker said after the FD that it looks like Arod has forgotten how to pass horses.

[jbelfior]

A-Rod reminds me a bit of another who wore blinkers and who would fight like hell and also threw in a less than stellar effort in his race prior to the Derby----1995 KY Derby winner Thunder Gulch.


Good Luck,
Joe B

[jimbo66]

Joe

I am going to have to strenuously object to that comparison

Which two turn win of general a-rods compares to the two wins thunder gulch had before the derby.

(Clue - Arod has no two turn wins and has lost ground in the stretch of almost every race.  The \"silver lining\" being that he seems to be wide every single race so he gets good TG figures)

Thunder gulch would be horrified by the comparison if he could read.....

[Holybull1]

Cairo Prince - Thunder Gulch is a much better comparison.

[big18741]

General A Rod lost ground in the stretch twice in his five starts.

The Fla Derby and the one turn mile allowance at Churchill when he was on the front getting pressured the whole way in fast fractions.

The other three races(two of which he won) he did not lose ground.The loss in the FOY was a match race with WR where they were neck and neck pretty much the entire race and he lost on a head bob at the wire.

Since the Fla Derby was his only nine furlong try and he backed up a length or so in the stretch chasing a moderate pace I can see where you wouldn\'t want him in the Derby.Other four races and his overall sheet are gonna look pretty solid though.

[jbelfior]

Jimbo: the Derby and Belmont winning Thunder Gulch for sure. We\'re still in mid-April.

Good Luck,
Joe B