I didn’t end up using Barbaro much at all; had him in the third spot in my triples, and don’t even remember now if he was on the end of my Pick 3’s that got busted up immediately when Behaving Badly couldn’t stave off her stablemate Pussycat Doll in the Humana. (The Pick 3 payoff of $266.80 had to be a disappointment to the winners. Pussycat Doll was the third choice, English Channel, the only thing I had right on the day, was 7-2; a straight parlay would have returned $319.50 for a $2 investment.) Barbaro seemed to gain more backers as the week went on, including, happily, readers Thecalicocat and Nick; and he completed the Oaks-Derby double for Byanose.
In trying to find a horse ready to improve on the first Saturday in May, I overlooked Barbaro. I grew more afraid of him as the week went on, especially after seeing what he looked like on the track; but I never came around. I have to admit that the five weeks played a factor in my thinking; not that I thought the mere fact of the layoff would preclude a horse from winning, but rather because I didn’t think he would move forward as he did. Thus, I figured he was good for a piece of the purse, but not as a win bet. (I did almost anticipate correctly that he’d be the favorite.)
Looking back at the race again, it was almost never in doubt. Barbaro's favorable post position and his tactical speed allowed him to get a virtually perfect trip, other than his brief stumble coming out of the gate. (Perhaps he was as surprised as I was at the lightning-quick start, occurring almost immediately after Flashy Bull completed the loading.) I mean, how perfect a set-up could you ask for, racing in the clear, right behind Keyed Entry and Sinister Minister? Well maybe that of his stablemate Showing Up, who saved ground just inside the winner. But Edgar Prado couldn’t have dreamed of a better scenario.
"Every step of the way he was running so easily," Prado said. "I wasn't even concerned about the horses in front. … I looked back a couple of times and didn't see anybody. It was just a matter of time when I can turn him loose, and you see what happened when I did." [Courier-Journal]But this was not just a case of a horse winning because he had a good trip. This was an awesome performance, both historically – his winning margin was the most since Assault in 1946, and his final time of 2:01.36 the 14th fastest ever – and visually. For one thing, he had the speed and athleticism to recover from the poor start, and to be able to track a pace that may not have been as intense as we expected, but was still lively at 46 seconds. It was quick enough to allow the two plodders Steppenwolfer and Jazil to get up for minor shares. Barbaro was able to stay close, and not only have enough for the stretch, but talk about a horse ‘visibly quickening!' Check out the final fractions. After the three-quarters in 1:10.88, the next quarter went in 26.14 seconds. But then, Barbaro blazed through the stretch in a final quarter of 24.34 seconds. And that was under a hand ride. You don’t often see that in American horse racing, at least not on the dirt. Turf is supposed to be Barbaro’s preferred surface. That's a scary thought.
- It wasn’t quite a Mrs. Genter moment, but the shot of the “plane crash kids” screaming for Barbaro as if he were their own, was the kind of scene that ably displays the infatuation and passion that horses racing around a track inspires in human beings. However, you’d think that NBC would be more careful in this “wardrobe malfunction era” to make sure that there’s not some guy in the shot screaming “Holy shit!”
Another dramatic TV scene was the shot of the Brother Derek group right after the race. It looked like one of those ads for the Sopranos. The only guy forcing a smile was Hendricks, and watching the race again, you can see why. Brother Derek was extremely wide, and actually acquitted himself well closing for a share of 4th, I thought, after being taken completely out of his game. "Down the backside, he got into a lot of dirt and you could see him jumping around, kind of looking for a clear spot," Hendricks told the AP.
1 Comment:
...the expression on Hendricks' face after the race really struck me...you could tell that he was devastated...not that all the losers aren't disappointed after the race, but you could tell by his expression that Hendricks thought he had a BIG chance...although the talking heads in the media had been bashing Brother Derek for weeks, he must've had the utmost confidence in in his horse...it looked like he was expecting a HUGE run...at least, that's the impression i got...
...here's something i was thinking about last night...there are some people out there who have maintained that Barbaro is better on grass than he is on dirt (at least until yesterday)...someone on here a while back (i forget who) had speculated about Barbaro winning the Derby, and then perhaps returning to grass for the Arlington Million...i've gotta think that's a real possibility now...as important as breeding considerations are for the Derby winner, i'd have to think his value would skyrocket if he were able to pull off a Derby/Million double in his 3yo season...where does the Million fall on the schedule compared to the Travers?...could he do both, or would Matz have to choose one?...it's hard to see Barbaro passing on the Travers, because it's a very prestigious Grade 1 race @ 1 1/4 miles...but then again, so is the Million...i think the key is that you only get one crack at the Travers, whereas you could run in the Million every year...plus, it'd likely be easier winning a race that's restricted to 3yo's (most of whom he just beat), as opposed to facing polished older horses, some of whom would likely be shipping in from Europe...but on the flip-side, how may non-gelded Derby winners even run as 4yo's?...like none??...Barbaro's connections (and whichever farm they're negotiating with) may figure they only get one crack at the Million as well, because he'll likely be retired after the Breeders Cup (if not sooner)...any thoughts on this subject?...
Post a Comment