Dignified Rube wrote:
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
I'm not sure where you saw that Kasseopia was probable for that race but it would be pretty interesting if Motion came right back with him in seven days. He was disappointing in the Spiral as he flattened out badly in the stretch. The wind/weather was odd that day and the race was run on rubber, so those could be considerations. Maybe the owners are desperate to get him in the Derby and are going to push the horse to find the points. But I really have to doubt he is going to run again so soon.
Danzing Candy is the darling of speed figure guys. You're going to hear how he is the "fastest horse". Maybe he is. His race in the San Felipe is as impressive an effort as any horse of this generation has produced to this point. The wiseguys are gonna bum rap Nyquist because his numbers aren't eye-popping. He's like the pitcher who is 16-0 with a 4.00 ERA. I would argue that Nyquist has run every race as fast as he needed to.
One thing I know for sure. Baffert/Stevens were not trying to win with Mor Spirit in the San Felipe. They came pretty damn close anyway. That race (and the gallop out after the wire) was used to set the horse up for longer distances. He's gonna be all systems go this Saturday. I'm sending it in on Mor Spirit and an ice cold exacta Mor Spirit on top of Danzing Candy.
JORR, thanks for sharing. Your comments are insightful as always. Like your perspective on the "wise guys", though I suspect they haven't done well either in these prep races.
They were rapping Nyquist before the Florida derby for not being up to the 1 1/8 mi. distance. And look what happened, he's a three or four-length winner. Don't know what Moyhamen's problem was. Maybe he didn't like the ride having to go wide out of the gate. Or maybe the horse was hurt.
I like Danzig Candy in the San Anita, but I'm not sure of the talent he beat in the San Felipe. They weren't bums but not G1 talent either.
Hasn't Baffert cleaned up at the San Anita? He of course had California Chrome last year. I need to take a closer look at Mor Spirit.
American Pharoah was Baffert's horse. Art Sherman has California Chrome. I could never say American Pharoah is a better horse than Chrome. Baffert is lighting his horses up in a way that I'm sure an old guy like Sherman is not. I'm not saying Sherman is racing Chrome "cold", but probably as close as you get at this level in this day and age. California Chrome is one hell of a racehorse.
Like I said before the Florida Derby, I was pretty sure they weren't really going to send Mohaymen in that spot. They've got bigger fish to fry. When I say they weren't trying to win, I don't mean they didn't want to win the race, just that winning wasn't the primary objective. I would compare it to a pitcher working on his change-up in spring training where he throws no fastballs. He'd still like to win the game, but he's not doing everything he can to win it. I think they purposely wanted him four or five deep throughout the race. Yeah, he got floated out wide in the first turn but the jock never looked to get closer to the rail. Still, I don't think they were happy with the way he finished and a horse coming off a maiden win going by him like he was tied to a fence. But I wouldn't dismiss Mohaymen's Derby chances off that race. He's already shown that he's one of the stronger horses in this crop.
If Danzing Candy wins the Santa Anita Derby he should be the Kentucky Derby favorite, but it will probably be Nyquist.