tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post114020389642242242..comments2024-03-05T05:38:22.024-05:00Comments on Left at the Gate: Derby Prep Tests BeyersAlan Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1140306211546401072006-02-18T18:43:00.000-05:002006-02-18T18:43:00.000-05:00...well, i took a beating on the Mr. Sekiguchi rac......well, i took a beating on the Mr. Sekiguchi race...lost 2 units on Popsa Yankee, who DID pop the gate and assume early command, as expected...but he was passed on the turn by Mr. Sekiguchi, who made really nice move to take the lead, and appeared to have the race won in early stretch...however, he tired as well, and was run down late by his uncoupled stablemate Rising Rate...i also lost half a unit on a Rising Rate/Popsa Yankee backup exacta...ugh...<BR/><BR/>...as for today's San Carlos, wow, the race has come up exceedingly tough...i'm particularly interested in Surf Cat, who i think is a FANTASTIC sprinter, and who i gave a decent chance to last year of winning the Breeders Cup Sprint (assuming Headley would turn him back in distance, which i guess he chose not to do)...not sure if sprinting is in the plans this year either, as this 7-furlong race could very well be a prep for some subsequent two-turn efforts...but i think the horse is capable pof winning today, if he's fully cranked and ready-to-go...he certainly has no trouble firing fresh, so i don't think that's an issue...this is a VERY tough spot for him, but i'd become interested at anything above his morning line of 4/1...another with a chance in here at good odds is Imperialism, who's 3-for-3 at 7 furlongs, and won impressively in a nearly identical situation back in August at Del Mar...same jockey aboard today, btw...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1140260663410688482006-02-18T06:04:00.000-05:002006-02-18T06:04:00.000-05:00...uh oh...i just looked at the workout reports on......uh oh...i just looked at the workout reports on Mr. Sekiguchi (who happens to be the 2/1 ml favorite, btw), and well, they're not very encouraging...on the flip side, Popsa Yankee (12/1 ml), well, let's just say i expect him to finish in front of Mr. Sekiguchi...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1140259460856767542006-02-18T05:44:00.000-05:002006-02-18T05:44:00.000-05:00...a few points...first off, i missed the Point De......a few points...first off, i missed the Point Determined race, but according to the charts, he had a pretty rough time beating 4 overmatched Golden Gate horses???...looks like he broke slowly, so maybe that had something to do with it, but it certainly looks (on paper, anyway) to be a disappointing performance...<BR/><BR/>...secondly, i was in Bally's tonight, and grabbed their latest Derby sheet...in spite of the fact Your Tent Or Mine has yet to record a single workout ALL YEAR, Bally's has seen fit to DROP him down to 12/1 (he had previously been listed at 18/1)...is that incredible, or what???...incidentally, that purported March return is looking pretty dubious right now, isn't it?...i've always had the utmost respect for Drysdale, but i've come to the conclusion he's an outright liar...there's obviously something wrong with this horse, and i'm guessing it has something to do with him getting body-slammed by Brother Derek i the Futurity...<BR/><BR/>...and speaking of Dysdale, his big client Mr. Sekiguchi is unveiling his record 8 million dollar colt tomorrow in Race 3...and what did Mr. Sekiguchi name the horse?...why, Mr. Sekiguchi, of course!...let's hope Mr. Sekiguchi has more luck with this one than he did with his 4 million dollar colt, Fusaichi Samurai...that one broke his maiden at first asking for Drysdale, then dropped completely off the map, ala Your Tent Or Mine...to this day, the horse has a grand total of TWO career starts...that's 2 million dollars a start, for those keeping track... 8^PAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1140211355716092702006-02-17T16:22:00.000-05:002006-02-17T16:22:00.000-05:00...just read that Bob Lewis died this morning of h......just read that Bob Lewis died this morning of heart failure...he was 81...not that she'll read this, but thoughts and prayers go out to Beverly Lewis...it seems everyone loved the guy a lot...i'm glad Point of Impact could win for him yesterday, i'm sure he got some pleasure from that...and here's hoping Point Determined gets it done today...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1140208208817435932006-02-17T15:30:00.000-05:002006-02-17T15:30:00.000-05:00Yeah, it's right between, and connects Bradenton a...Yeah, it's right between, and connects Bradenton and Sarasota!<BR/><BR/>I'd love to see those figs on Rockport Harbor and the maiden race, if anyone has seen them.Alan Mannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1140207489201922482006-02-17T15:18:00.000-05:002006-02-17T15:18:00.000-05:00...Longboat Key?...that's Bradenton, right?...my d......Longboat Key?...that's Bradenton, right?...my dad lives there...small world...<BR/><BR/>...as for the Beyer figs, here's something you can look for in DRF Simulcast Weekly (which IS out now, but i honestly haven't seen it yet)...you mentioned last weekend that a MAIDEN had run than Rockport Harbor, over the same track/distance just a half-hour earlier...i'm guessing Rockport Harbor received a Beyer figure signifigantly higher than the maiden, for running SLOWER...incidentally, for those of you who don't know, the way you check Beyers in the Simulcast Weekly is to go to the index, where they list all horses that ran during the week...all winners are listed in bold type, with their Beyer figure listed in parentheses (non-winners' Beyer figures don't appear in print until they show up in the Form for their next race)...<BR/><BR/>...also, in regard to the Form...i was just looking at Point Determined (Golden Gate, Race 5), and Chuck Dybdal says in his race analysis that Point Determined "comes north in need of a race"...what?...he just ran two weeks ago!...he also mentions that Baffert is using this race race to "prep for the Santa Anita Derby"...what???...okay, on to the comment line in the PP's (which is usually taken straight from the charts)...it says that Point Determined "bobbled start"...that's just wrong...the horse STUMBLED pretty badly, and definitely lost early position because of it (looked to be about two lengths worth)...also, Steve Grabowski notes in the "Closer Look" section (located in the right-hand margin next to the PP's) that he "doubts the trouble at the break cost him much"...to me, that indicates that he didn't even watch the race...again, i have to wonder just how much research these DRF guys are doing...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com