Quality Road - doubtful

[richiebee]

A very good point was made by a poster on Crist\'s blog in DRF last night.

If this was any race other than the Derby or maybe the BC, we would have
already heard the announcement from Jimmy Jerkens that QR would be getting
time for his hooves to heal.

[Uncle Buck]

For goodness sake! Turn this poor horse out for 2 months and bring him back for a fall campaign. My god. Of course it\'s going to shorten the other contenders by 2 to 3 clicks on the odds board but who cares? The right thing for the animal, in light of the EB tragedy and the dignity of the sport would be to stop on this guy.

[sighthound]

Huh?

This appears to be a pretty minor thing by all accounts - one that is managed, and horses run with every day.  You guys bet on these horses all the time, you just usually don\'t know it.

[Uncle Buck]

Since you\'re the king of the board when it comes to analyzing horse flesh Sight, I bow down to your command:-) Especially inSIGHTful was the \"you bet on these kind every day and just don\'t know it\" comment. Wouldn\'t play this guy with anyone\'s money however

[Silver Charm]

\"Tomorrow will tell most of the tale,\" McKinlay said. \"If we got rid of the soreness, even if we had a tinge of blood tomorrow, I wouldn\'t be concerned.\"


You begin to get the feeling that McKinlay could say next, \"We sewed the leg back on, the scar tissue has hardened, and he should be just fine. I wouldn\'t be concerned\"

[sighthound]

Hey, Buck, you\'re the apparent quarter-crack expert:  

\"The right thing for the animal, in light of the EB tragedy and the dignity of the sport would be to stop on this guy.\"

Let me know if you get the animal abuse police to arrest Jerkins if he dares the PP draw.

[Uncle Buck]

You made your point SIGHT. Anything more is bitterness

[richiebee]

sighthound Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Huh?
>
> This appears to be a pretty minor thing by all
> accounts - one that is managed, and horses run
> with every day.  You guys bet on these horses all
> the time, you just usually don\'t know it.

Actually, Sight, with all due respect, I only bet on a 20 horse field in which none of the runners have ever proven themselves at the distance once a year.

[jimbo66]

Buck,

The Eight Belles comparison makes no sense.  EB was not lame going into the Derby.  Some thought she was \"over-raced\", but she certainly was not lame.  It was a tragedy.  And Quality Road has a quarter crack.  Not a bowed tendon, or some serious injury.  A quarter crack.  Horses don\'t die from quarter cracks.  

Jimmy Jerkens is on most experts top 3 list for NY trainers and is the son of a legend, who knew a thing or two about horses.  McKinley is the best in the business, according to what you read. If these two decided that the horse can run and he works out well tomorrow, throw him out at your own risk.  He and IWR are the fastest horses in the race period.  On anybody\'s figures.  We can decide not to bet them because they won\'t run their races in the Derby and/or won\'t get value, but if QR is in the gate, without a bar shoe on, I would expect him to run his race.

[Silver Charm]

The last two times we had a Soap Opera scenario like this was Unbridleds Song and Empire Maker.

Both were dead-on-the-board in Friday wager and took tons of money on Saturday to go off Favored. And that would be tons of money for a Derby sized Pool.

We know how those two worked out Jimbo.

[sighthound]

That\'s a far more important consideration, in my book, than the quarter crack issue.

[jimbo66]

Silver,

Empire Maker ran the best figure of any horse in the Derby.  That doesn\'t win the money, finishing first does, but it certainly means the \"injury\" wasn\'t a factor.  The fact he came back 5 weeks later and won at 1 1/2 miles further proved it wasn\'t a factor.

Unbridled Song had more problems than a quarter crack.  He had to wear a bar shoe.  Also, not a relevant comparison.  (unless we QR wearing a bar shoe, which is why I put that out there in my post).

a simple quarter crack, by itself, is not enough to throw a horse out IMO.  And it certainly isn\'t enough to start calling PETA and demanding the horse get 3 months off...

[BB]

Yes, we do. US ran in a bar shoe for an animal abuser and EM ran the best figure of anyone in the race. Your point?

[Uncle Buck]

Jimbo. I was not comparing anything. I was simply trying to state that with millions watching on TV, animal right protesters outside the gate and a tragic breakdown just 12 short months ago, it seems to me that pushing a horse who has run fast enough to have negative long term soundness effects after two giant  efforts doesn\'t seem like a wiee move to me. I fear nothing about this horse from a wagering perspective but I think if anyone other than the esteemed Jerkens camp was running this animal, say a Mike Ivarrone or Rick Porter, people would agree with me right now.

If you would like to wager $100 straight up on who finishes first undrer the wire - POTN or QR, I\'m more than game. This time of year you offer volumes of windy arguments, bordering on the side of an elitist, yet your Derby winnings don\'t match your words

[jimbo66]

Buck,

I wish you would re-read your words and take the emotion out of your response and think about it.  Do you really believe what you are writing?  You are drinking the proverbial \"sheets kool-aid\" if you believe that horses who have run fast in consecutive efforts are going to have \"long term\" soundness issues and therefore shouldn\'t run back before they take extended breaks.  

1.  Who gives a damn about the animal rights activists?  The owner and trainer should not run their horse who MAY just have a minor quarter crack, because of them?  Sorry, but that is dumb. It really is.

2.  Jerkens hasn\'t made the decision yet.  I think his credentials and reputation are such that if he makes the decision to run, the horse will run his race.  But you can disagree and throw him out.  We can all bet however we want, Some of us wil be right, some wrong.
\"\"
3.  The elitist comment makes me laugh.  Strictly \"hamburger\" kind of guy, no elitism at all.....

4.  You are correct about my derby bets in recent years.  I am no \"Chuckles the Clown\" (who apparently has hit 20 of the last 24 derbies, just ask him).  I hit 3 in a row from Editor\'s Note to Silver Charm to Real Quiet and not a sniff since.  (yes I am counting the Editor\'s Note pick as a win, since he was an entry with Grindstone)