Quick Comments

[richiebee]

From about 7 years or so ago, I miss Joe Hirsch\'s \"Derby Doings\" in the Racing
Form. Mr Hirsch was an old fashioned (non electronic) journalist who made the
rounds on the CD backside each morning. When he said that a horse wasn\'t
breathing hard after morning exercise, or that a horse didn\'t turn a hair after
a work, you could trust his judgment.

Now DRF wants to charge the exorbitant sum of $5 for DRF \"plus\" Derby Coverage.

Quick Comments:

Any Given: Who was the last horse to take the \"Tampa route\" to the Derby?

Cowtown: Needed urging to work an average 5/8ths in last work.

Curlin: Yes there is the no two year old race jinx. But when was the last time
a 3YO came out and ran 3 races out of the box like this one has? Agree with
Jimbo that the Apollo 1882 jinx is the most significant to overcome and will be
betting against Curlin; agree with those who think he will be second favored to
Street Sense.

Dominican: He has already outrun his pedigree to an extent; his dad, El
Corredor, never raced past one mile, but I guess that can be considered a route
of ground for a Baffert runner.

Great Hunter: Had a lot of buzz going into the BG, had trouble in an oddly run
race, now seems to be forgotten, some value here.

Hard Spun: Hope that 1:42 mile breeze was meant to tease him; expect a fast
shorter breeze prior to Derby.

Liquidity: Fast work (6f 1:11) with 2 equipment changes a) sure win bridle
added, blinkers removed.

[MO]

richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From about 7 years or so ago, I miss Joe Hirsch\'s
> \"Derby Doings\" in the Racing
> Form. Mr Hirsch was an old fashioned (non
> electronic) journalist who made the
> rounds on the CD backside each morning. When he
> said that a horse wasn\'t
> breathing hard after morning exercise, or that a
> horse didn\'t turn a hair after
> a work, you could trust his judgment.
>
> Now DRF wants to charge the exorbitant sum of $5
> for DRF \"plus\" Derby Coverage.
>
> Quick Comments:
>
> Any Given: Who was the last horse to take the
> \"Tampa route\" to the Derby?
>
> Cowtown: Needed urging to work an average 5/8ths
> in last work.
>
> Curlin: Yes there is the no two year old race
> jinx. But when was the last time
> a 3YO came out and ran 3 races out of the box like
> this one has? Agree with
> Jimbo that the Apollo 1882 jinx is the most
> significant to overcome and will be
> betting against Curlin; agree with those who think
> he will be second favored to
> Street Sense.
>
> Dominican: He has already outrun his pedigree to
> an extent; his dad, El
> Corredor, never raced past one mile, but I guess
> that can be considered a route
> of ground for a Baffert runner.
>
> Great Hunter: Had a lot of buzz going into the BG,
> had trouble in an oddly run
> race, now seems to be forgotten, some value here.
>
> Hard Spun: Hope that 1:42 mile breeze was meant to
> tease him; expect a fast
> shorter breeze prior to Derby.
>
> Liquidity: Fast work (6f 1:11) with 2 equipment
> changes a) sure win bridle
> added, blinkers removed.

Rich,

The fact that SS nearly got beat at Tampa and lost to Dominican at Kee works in our favor (those of us who like him). There are so many novice handicappers on Derby day, I mean how does SNS get favored last year? Curlin and Pletchers horses are going to be over bet. I would be surprised to see SS favored. I think he may go off co 2nd choice or even 3rd choice, around 5-1. Regardless, he will win. Good luck!

MO

[BitPlayer]

Richie -

If you\'re interested in clocker comments, you should check out Left At The Gate

http://leftatthegate.blogspot.com/

which I found courtesy of davidrex.  He provides links to sites that have comments and even video of some workouts.  One clocker he links to thought that Cowtown Cat\'s work was pretty good.  He has issues regarding Hard Spun\'s work and raves about Curlin.

Left At The Gate is also a good place to keep track of developments affecting the NY franchise.

[miff]

Mike Welch, at DRF in the Clockers Corner,also has an excellent eye for those interested in works.

Mike

[richiebee]

MO:

   Its very hard to take anything away from SS. If he wins the Derby, the BC
Juvie jinx can be put to sleep as an \"angle\" (and I am as guilty as anyone).

   To your credit, you seem to be one of the few posters who has made a firm
commitment. I\'ve narrowed it down to 6 or 7.

   Will we hear Carl Nafzger saying \"I love you Mr. Tafel!\"?

[richiebee]

Bit:

    Thanks for the info. What I had read about Cowtown was that he was under
the whip early in his work. Maybe a few taps to get him underway? I will try to
investigate.

    As to developments in NY racing, my belief is that on a year round basis it
will never be even half of what it was 15 years ago. The only question is how
badly the politicians, greeders and casino hacks can ruin the Saratoga
experience.

[NoCarolinaTony]

Richie

Saratoga Raceway already has the slots/racino going for the past two meets at the SPA. Did anyone even notice? If they did , they went, don\'t see as they add another one of those computerized poker machines....

NC Tony

[richiebee]

NCT:

   Hope all is OK w/ your dad.

   What I had in mind when speaking about \"ruining\" the Spa had more to do
with overexposing the product, continuing the reliance on NYB and NYB
maiden races to fill cards, etc. Would have nothing against bringing in
a \"hired gun\" racing secretary just for the Spa.

   Thats a conversation for another day.

   Right now am enjoying the possibility that Dreaming of Anna will appear in a
14 filly Oaks; would make the Oaks/Derby double much more interesting.

[RICH]

deja vu , all over again?...... Still playing on last bc$ early dd

[Lance]

Some of Keeneland works can be viewed here:

http://ww2.keeneland.com/racing/lists/video%20features/allitemsalt.aspx?cat=Workouts

[miff]

Richiebee,

Re the OAKS, in case you missed it:

Eclipse Award-winning filly Dreaming of Anna all but cemented her Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) credentials Saturday when she drilled a bullet five furlongs in :58 3/5, fastest of 47 workouts at the distance.


Mike

[richiebee]

Miff:

   I was pretty certain Anna was going to run, but I wasn\'t aware of that work.

   I\'ve always enjoyed the Oaks/Derby double, and this year it will be quite
enjoyable with full fields of 14 and 20 in the respective races, and the Derby
being a wide open betting race.

   Without doing too much digging or stretching my memory, at least 2 fillies
took down the BC Juvie Fillies and the Oaks-- Open Mind and Silverbulletday.
Frans Valentine crossed the wire first in both races but was DQ\'d in the BC.
There may be others but I forgot where I put my bottle of Ginkoba

[miff]

apr 29
 
 
During the crisp, clear early morning of Sunday, April 29, less than a week before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Eclipse award winning trainer Todd Pletcher watched the final workouts of three of his contenders, all of which he said he was satisfied with as they completed their respective five-furlong runs over Keeneland\'s Polytrack surface.

Pletcher commented that Any Given Saturday, who completed the distance in 1:01.2, looked relaxed during the workout.

\"I thought it was great--he looked perfect,\" he said, adding that the way the horse worked was of \"textbook\" quality leading up to the first Saturday in May.

Retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero was in the irons aboard Any Given Saturday, as well as Pletcher\'s other two Derby hopefuls that worked Sunday, Circular Quay and Scat Daddy

Pletcher worked Circular Quay in company with the favored Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) filly Rags to Riches during the second set of his worktab.  

\"He looked awesome,\" said Pletcher of Circular Quay, who was clocked in 1:00 flat. When asked if the colt was fully prepared for the Run for the Roses, he answered simply, \"He\'s ready right now. This is the best he\'s been here so far--he\'s gotten progressively better (with each work).\"
 



Pletcher called Sunday\'s workout \"a good education for Rags to Riches--she\'s used to being on the outside.\" The daughter of A.P. Indy ran along the rail next to Circular Quay.

With a pair of large binoculars under one arm and his stopwatch poised, Pletcher focused next on the workout of his strapping, dark bay Johannesburg colt Scat Daddy.

\"He has a long stride--he covers a lot of ground,\" said the trainer, who was impressed with the colt\'s final time of :59.2.

\"He was a happy horse out there today--it just shows how talented he is--he worked :59.2 so easily. I don\'t think a big field (in the Derby) will bother him at all.\"  


   

\"Scat Daddy was the most aggressive of the three,\" said Cordero of the colt\'s workout.

Of the Run for the Roses, Cordero added, \"There are so many things that can go wrong from now until the Derby. It\'s a scary process--just trying to get them there. We were very lucky that this track took all the weather and we didn\'t have to miss a day of training--they all love training on it.\"

Referring to all the contenders he is helping Pletcher prepare for the big dance, he said, \"Our dinner is almost cooked. Now we\'ve just got to keep the fire going.\"

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

Kentucky Derby Jones, I got a Kentucky Derby Jones
Got a Derby Jones, oh baby, oo-oo-oo

Yes, I am the victim of a Derby Jones
Ever since I was a little boy to Lukas, I always be dribblin\'
In fac\', I was de baddest dribbler in the whole stable
Then one day, Lukas bought me to the Kentucky Derby
And I loved that Kentucky Derby
I took that Derby with me everywhere I went
That Kentucky Derby  was like a Derby to me

I even put that Kentucky Derby underneath my pillow
Maybe that\'s why I can\'t sleep at night
I need help, ladies and gentlemens
I need someone to Help me train
I need, I need someone to set a pick for me at the finish line of life
Someone I can put up in the saddle
Someone to hit the open hole in the stretch run
And not end up going over the rail.
So cheerleaders, help me out

{cheerleaders sing repeatedly...}
(Kentucky Derby Jones, I got a Kentucky Derby Jones)
(I got a Derby Jones, oh baby, oo-oo-ooo)

{while Todd Shoelaces sings/speaks...}
Oh, that sounds so sweet
Sing it out
C\'mon Coach Lukas, Garrett Gomes, sing along with me
That be bad, Johnnie
Yeah
I want everybody in the whole grandstand to stand up and sing with us
Oh yeah, sing it out like you\'re proud
All right, everybody watchin\' coast-to-coast, sing along with us
Edgar Prado, sing along with us
Fernando Jara, sing along with us
Carl Nafzger, don\'t sing nothin\'

Oh, it feels so good
Gimme the reigns
I\'ll run a match race against the world, blindfolded
I could set a new track record galloping
I could send my fifth string out, cash and run him back tomorrow.
I could, I could Take down the Superfecta all by myself baby, I have more moves than chemistry!
I could train on poly track and run on crushed glass. My horses wouldn\'t feel a thing! Here I go down the lane, try to stop me You can\'t stop me \'cause I
got a Derby Jones! Here I come Those are my Grade I winners with real training!
I could wub this derby with a claimer! I\'m bad as King Kong, gimme the Derby I\'m hot, I\'m hot as...,
I\'m hot as..., I\'m hot as... uh Uh, uh, uh, uh

(Kentucky Derby Jones, I got a Kentucky Derby Jones, I got a Derby Jones,

miff Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> apr 29
>  
>  
> During the crisp, clear early morning of Sunday,
> April 29, less than a week before the Kentucky
> Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Eclipse
> award winning trainer Todd Pletcher watched the
> final workouts of three of his contenders, all of
> which he said he was satisfied with as they
> completed their respective five-furlong runs over
> Keeneland\'s Polytrack surface.
>
> Pletcher commented that Any Given Saturday, who
> completed the distance in 1:01.2, looked relaxed
> during the workout.
>
> \"I thought it was great--he looked perfect,\" he
> said, adding that the way the horse worked was of
> \"textbook\" quality leading up to the first
> Saturday in May.
>
> Retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero was in
> the irons aboard Any Given Saturday, as well as
> Pletcher\'s other two Derby hopefuls that worked
> Sunday, Circular Quay and Scat Daddy
>
> Pletcher worked Circular Quay in company with the
> favored Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) filly Rags to Riches
> during the second set of his worktab.  
>
> \"He looked awesome,\" said Pletcher of Circular
> Quay, who was clocked in 1:00 flat. When asked if
> the colt was fully prepared for the Run for the
> Roses, he answered simply, \"He\'s ready right now.
> This is the best he\'s been here so far--he\'s
> gotten progressively better (with each work).\"
>  
>
>
>
> Pletcher called Sunday\'s workout \"a good education
> for Rags to Riches--she\'s used to being on the
> outside.\" The daughter of A.P. Indy ran along the
> rail next to Circular Quay.
>
> With a pair of large binoculars under one arm and
> his stopwatch poised, Pletcher focused next on the
> workout of his strapping, dark bay Johannesburg
> colt Scat Daddy.
>
> \"He has a long stride--he covers a lot of ground,\"
> said the trainer, who was impressed with the
> colt\'s final time of :59.2.
>
> \"He was a happy horse out there today--it just
> shows how talented he is--he worked :59.2 so
> easily. I don\'t think a big field (in the Derby)
> will bother him at all.\"  
>
>
>    
>
> \"Scat Daddy was the most aggressive of the three,\"
> said Cordero of the colt\'s workout.
>
> Of the Run for the Roses, Cordero added, \"There
> are so many things that can go wrong from now
> until the Derby. It\'s a scary process--just trying
> to get them there. We were very lucky that this
> track took all the weather and we didn\'t have to
> miss a day of training--they all love training on
> it.\"
>
> Referring to all the contenders he is helping
> Pletcher prepare for the big dance, he said, \"Our
> dinner is almost cooked. Now we\'ve just got to
> keep the fire going.\"