tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post2956410333371303197..comments2024-03-05T05:38:22.024-05:00Comments on Left at the Gate: Seeing StarsAlan Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-34230672574557655672009-10-11T14:29:55.442-04:002009-10-11T14:29:55.442-04:00Sure as Gold ran second @ even-money.Sure as Gold ran second @ even-money.DiscreetPicksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-6995833380449213682009-10-11T09:12:55.016-04:002009-10-11T09:12:55.016-04:00Watching all those Alydar Affirmed battles on yout...Watching all those Alydar Affirmed battles on youtube made my morning, thx.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-68899747029828298312009-10-11T08:55:35.846-04:002009-10-11T08:55:35.846-04:00The demise of the Champagne as a championship even...The demise of the Champagne as a championship event can be directly traced to the formation of the Breeders Cup. In fact the entire "Belmont Championship Meet" has suffered, which is why I did not understand NYRA's reluctance to go head to head with the BC this season.<br /><br />Yesterday's Champagne would have been much better attended if the Cup did not exist at all, and better attended if the Cup were being run on dirt this year.<br /><br />Instead, there was a full field in KEE's 2yo race because they all wanted to prep over the AWT.<br /><br />I suspect the exact opposite will occur the next two years, a full fields in the Champagne and few at KEE.<br /><br />But the Belmont Fall meet will never again be a Championship Meet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-58069872986652310522009-10-11T06:31:53.859-04:002009-10-11T06:31:53.859-04:00Horse from my watch list is entered in Race 2 @ Be...Horse from my watch list is entered in Race 2 @ Belmont today (Sunday); thought you guys might be interested:<br /><br />Sure as Gold (8/27 @ SAR, Race 4)<br /><br /><br />I gave this filly out today; here's what i had to say about her on my website: <br /><br />Saratoga - Race 4<br /><br />#8 Sure as Gold (7/2 ml)<br /><br />Expensive 2yo purchase for Pletcher brought over 20 times the sire's stud fee at the April Keeneland sale after working a furlong in 10.0, one tick off the show's best. She's also coming out of a heads-up drill with Ibboyee, who won a maiden race in 110.3 back on August 3. Looks very live here, and should be a decent price thanks to the half-sister to Speightstown who's coming out of the McLaughlin barn (who btw has been terrible with 2yo firsters at the meet). <br /><br /><br />In the race today, Sure as Gold blew the start and was off several lengths last, but then showed a good burst of speed while being rushed up to join the pack. She settled near the back once that was over, and then started making another fine move while coming widest of all around the turn to mount a challenge into the lane, grinding away late to finish second by a length. Considering she lost well over a length at the break, and had to use up some early energy while being rushed back into contention after the gate incident, it's rather obvious she was best here. And that was just my initial impression; the gate incident looks even worse on the head-on replay, where you can see that she took a complete right-hand turn leaving the gate and was headed for the outer rail. She was seperated from the rest of the field by literally about half the racetrack shortly after leaving the gate. Time of the race was slow, but clearly there's more under the hood here than it will look like on paper the next time she's entered.DiscreetPicksnoreply@blogger.com