Keen Ice

[big18741]

Ran really big with all of the wide.

Supers okay under the chalk/chalk but he was better than Frosted.

[sekrah]

Yea, should have had second.  Awful ride by Desormeaux.  Really misused his energy.

[Michael D.]

should not have lost 5 lengths in ground to Frosted in an 8 horse field.

KI ran a fast final 1/8 as well. probably left a bit on the track.

[MonmouthGuy]

Keen Ice couldn\'t have gotten a worse ride. 3W4W(?) in an 8 horse field and agree that he hit wire with plenty in tank. Curious to see his Trakus. Probably moved forward to a 0 that should have put him in exacta. Slumber-AP double generous at $71.20.

[JohnTChance]

KEEN ICE seems the only horse to move forward in the Belmont. Once again, just like the Preakness, none of the big boys showed up! Certainly McLaughlin couldn\'t have gone forward (reacting to the -2). Certainly the winner couldn\'t have gone forward (reacting to the -3).

Let me put it another way: If Jerry gives AP a forward move in this Belmont, I\'d consider the line \"un-theory.\" That is, I\'d think the colt was injected with something strong after the Preakness. [I remember after Baffert\'s POINT GIVEN lost the Derby and then bounced back to win the Preakness, one of Rick Dutrow\'s owners bragged as explanation that: \"My vet worked on him!\"] Reports of AP\'s terrific works came out after the Preakness. Why should he work so killer after his -3 awesome Derby and Preakness? Because he\'s a special amazing horse? Perhaps so.

By the way, speaking of Kent\'s wide ride on KEEN ICE... did Desormeaux\'s wide ride on REAL QUIET in the Belmont cost that one the Triple Crown? If memory serves, he was wide down the backstretch and if he\'d just saved a  little ground...

[FrankD.]

It\'s been awhile since I took physics and I did flirt a lot in that class with a pretty young lady so I may not have always been paying attention.

So please inform me how one loses ground running in a straight line \"down the backside\"? Figure makers since Noah tried to take a short cut with his ark have counted ground loss on turns.

I guess Ussery\'s alley defied the laws of physics.

Kent D. gets beat in a very tight photo out of a triple crown by a really good horse. If it goes the other way he is lauded for timing his move perfectly?

Frank D.

[MonmouthGuy]

Sometimes he tends to \"rush a horse\" on the backstretch, making an early move to nowhere...see Hold Me Back in the Mine that Bird Derby. Yesterday\'s ride was inexplicable. Close early which forced him to be wide, then taken back on the backstretch but still in the 4 wide path so when he reached the far turn he was wide again, and then finishing with a ton of horse in a 12F race.

[FrankD.]

No defense to yesterdays ride it was horrible. I\'m a bit confused to your reference? He rode Big Brown and won that Derby from the 20 hole, so where was the early move to nowhere?

I\'m not P-Dub defending Mike Smith here, I have always respected Kent\'s ability but he\'s not MY GUY. All I know is he has 3 eclipse awards and even more impressive he was 7 time leading rider in Cali in the late 80\'s and early 90\'s riding in without a doubt the toughest jock colony ever assembled in a one place.

He is by no stretch of the imagination the same rider he was but will flash that brilliance every now and again.

[MonmouthGuy]

Sorry, post corrected. It was the Mine that Bird Derby. Sixth furlong he made huge move on backstretch and used up the horse.

[jbelfior]

sekrah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yea, should have had second.  Awful ride by
> Desormeaux.  Really misused his energy.


Do you think Keen Ice would have finished ahead of the Dubai horse if KD doesn\'t have him up close early?

Good Luck,
Joe B

[MonmouthGuy]

He was up close early to the Mubta (1 length back at 8f) but then had dropped 3 1/2 lengths behind him at 10F. Keen Ice lost 5 lengths to Frosted in the same 2F.

[jbelfior]

The horse has no turn of foot. Loses ground on turns because he lacks the athleticism to change leads and accelerate on them. Powers on again in the straightaway. To say he ran better than Frosted and should have finished ahead of him is the head scratcher for me.

Good Luck,
Joe B.

[richiebee]

Without criticizing anyone\'s opinion, I am wondering why Keen Ice and
Marijuanatahiiiiij are getting so much ink in the post mortem. No factor
Derby, no factor Belmont.

If you cashed either the Odds on favorite/ second favorite/All tri or super,
well played I guess. Probably did not need the TGs or DRF to make this
\"trotter punch\".

Keen Ice\'s best chances of winning (my opinion) will be in an ungraded stake
race at Mth or Ellis Park (are they still open for business?), where he will
be a ridiculously short price based on his Triple Crown efforts.

As to Mangotahiiiij, the only reason I can think that he remained in America
after a \"meh\" Derby run (my opinion) is that they were looking for someone
with deep pockets to make an outlandish offer (although admittedly Arab sheiks
are more known as buyers than sellers). I will let market expert Jimmy
C tell me if this was the case. He is returning to Europe with the long term
goal being the Big Race at Meydan next March.

Again, not criticizing anyone\'s opinion or either of these two colts, but
there is only one colt who should be spoken about; I think AP was a man among
boys throughout his Triple Crown campaign, and kudos to Baffert for preparing
AP for two smashing efforts after a Derby which should have taken more out of
AP.

[miff]

Bee,

If you look beyond AP\'s performance, gotta think Keen Ice was a surprise given his trip.For a horse with a slug designation going in, he certainly ran an ok+ race imo. True,never threatened to win but none of the others did either. Watched again and he could have gotten Fraud-sted with a better trip, ran a big top.Slow pace or not, never saw Keen forwardly placed before,think he\'s getting faster.Moob also tried, and at least made a small run at AP, the field was overmatched as it turned out.

A few derby trail types to attack(Trancendure, Frammento,Verve)when they show up in races where they sport good company lines but maintain slug status until they prove otherwise.


Mike

[BitPlayer]

Maggie pointed out Keen Ice in the paddock as the one whose physique seemed most suited to the 12 furlongs.  If memory serves, she called Materiality \"short-coupled\" and noted that Frosted was on the small side.  She said AP looked great.