Some thoughts on Materiality

[miff]

Dave Grening DRF

TAP:Competitive Edge \"more likely\" to skip Preakness

COMPETITIVE EDGE is more likely to run in the G1 Met Mile or G2 Woody Stephens on the Belmont Stakes  undercard than the Preakness, trainer Todd Pletcher said Thursday, \"but nothing\'s definite,\" he added.

\"We\'ve taken the patient approach with him so far,\" Pletcher said. \"It\'s a long year, a lot of big races down the road.\"

Pletcher said that Materiality and Carpe Diem galloped well Thursday morning at Belmont and no decision on their Preakness status has been made

[sekrah]

phil23 Wrote:
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> It does sort of seem like there\'s at least more of
> a possibility than normal for Pletcher that one of
> CD or MAT runs next week eh? Usually by now he\'d
> have 100% ruled them out.


I am praying Pletcher runs Carpe Diem next week.

[mjellish]

We going to see Upstart in the Preakness?

[jbelfior]

Hi Jim:
I was at the Florida Derby. Upstart was one of the first horses I tossed in the KYD. I don\'t think much of him past a mile and thought he was way over the top.

As for AP, he did beat the BC Juvenile winner by 5 lenghts so 2yo class confirmed. His resume had less to prove than Materiality.

BTW: Materiality would be one tough customer in the Met Mile. Just one man\'s opinion.


Good Luck,
Joe B.

[TGJB]

No, sent him to the farm for a couple of weeks.

My hands are tied, I\'m not going to step on toes (there\'s a couple of metaphors for you) and go into detail. But they have found zero soundness issues.

Summer campaign. I\'ll let the horse do the talking.

[jbelfior]

If I remember correctly,at this time last year the Belmont winner and runner-up had not run in the Derby and had no plans on running in Baltimore.

One race at a time.


Good Luck,
Joe B.

[Polamalu43]

Its not the norm for TAP to send horses to the Preakness.  I personally don\'t see him running any of his colts in the Preakness next Saturday.  

I would have to assume he realizes that Materiality gives him his best chance in the Belmont, so why run him back in 2 weeks, which is something else he rarely does.

[toppled]

Back in the 80s the used to run good 3yos in the Met.  Among the winners were Conquistador Cielo (who won the Belmont the same week) and Gulch. There was another whose name I forget.  At the time Gulch\'s win was a big score for me.

I\'d love to see Competitive Edge in the Met. The 3yos get a decent break in the weights & if they\'re fast enough, have an edge on older horses.

[T Severini]

I\'ve gone over Materiality\'s pedigree carefully. His pedigree is not going jump out at you, but there\'s enough there in consideration of his demonstrated stamina to believe the Belmont Stakes will suit him fine. Including his half sister last year Miss Sophia.

I like him at One and Three Sixteenths also, especially at Pimlico. If it\'s up to me, he doesn\'t miss this next one. He has Preakness \"action\".  For you history buffs, his Daddy won there nearly falling down and AP\'s Daddy went bad there as well. Those are favorable patterns.

He didn\'t get out of the gate last. Apparently pulled off his own shoe. Ran behind horses for the first time and didn\'t like it. Got shuffled to nearly last and then got a hole and was moving best with Frosted and Keen Ice. If he gets out of the 3 hole properly, he wins that race. He had the perfect near pace running style, but like his Daddy at Churchill, it wasn\'t his day.

This horse is gonna love Saratoga and the Fall Classics at Belmont. If it were my call, I\'d keep the Big Sandy in waiting.

[T Severini]

covelj70 Wrote:
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> Joe B
>
> I think you just offended all of the Upstart
> lovers on the board when you asked what Mat has
> beaten
>
> If you liked Upstart in the Derby, you have to
> love the horse than beat him in only his 3rd
> lifetime start!

Absolutely agree here. It was that Florida Derby that sold me on Materiality, but I was seriously window shopping before it. They both got \"late\" down the stretch, but Materiality gritted it out and at the end was distancing what for me was a Strong Derby horse. Upstart ran up upon Materiality\'s flank because he was so gassed from the effort. Upstart wanted to get to him, but the best he could do was run AT him.

> all that said, I do care about key races, etc but
>
> 1) what had American Pharoah beaten this year
> before the Derby?
> 2) I care about the TGs more than I do who has
> beaten whom

Pharoah is gonna get a decent number off the wide, but he was all out and under a persistent heavy whip.

You look at the relative efforts of Materiality and AP and the latter took more punishment. Coming back in two weeks, that is an intriguing variable.