tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post113483271758909510..comments2024-03-05T05:38:22.024-05:00Comments on Left at the Gate: MeetmeatthewindowsAlan Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1135024608140828632005-12-19T15:36:00.000-05:002005-12-19T15:36:00.000-05:00...i was a tad disappointed in Meetmeinthewoods.........i was a tad disappointed in Meetmeinthewoods...i knew she was being thrown to the wolves, but i figured she was top-wolf...i don't doubt she was the best horse in the race, i still feel that she is...but i'm not sure whether the whole thing was just too much for here, or whether she just doesn't appreciate the added distance...hard to say, really...i thought she ran pretty well, and in fact i thought she was in the perfect spot down the backstretch...the main problem i saw was when Balance came up along her outside, and when Corey pushed the button on her, i think Diplomat Lady came in a bit and Meetmeinthewoods kind of lost her position, ending up behind Diplomat Lady and inside of Balance with not much room to operate...you could argue that perhaps she wasn't able to match strides with Balance at that point, and that's why she lost her position, and that might be true...bottom line, she wasn't gonna win the race regardless...you certainly can't say she was going too fast, because Diplomat Lady took them wire-to-wire...huge effort from her, btw...she was very highly regarded this summer, i even read that her trainer was making Breeders Cup plans before her DEBUT...she did win that debut, but only by a nostril, and in slow time...she subsequently lost a couple, seemingly confirming her not-so-hot debut win...then she disappeared for a while, and she's been lights-out since her return...i guess her trainer was right all along, she does have big-time talent...she obviously was having some type of problem earlier this year, and whatever it was, they certainly seem to have it straightened out...as for Balance, wow, another big effort from her...she just doesn't ever run a bad one...i'm very interested to see where Meetmeinthewoods turns up next, whether she'll turn back to seven furlongs or take another shot at a route...myself, i'd probably try an allowance route, to see whether she's got the distance in her, and hopefully get here confidence level back up...if it doesn't work out, then well, O'Neill has a helluva sprinter on his hands...we'll see...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1134893878436473652005-12-18T03:17:00.000-05:002005-12-18T03:17:00.000-05:00...great race...i thought YTOM and Brother Derek e......great race...i thought YTOM and Brother Derek each ran extremely well, i was very impressed with both of them...especially YTOM, who took all the worst of it by getting body-slammed leaving the gate, causing him to lose valuable position to a good horse in Brother Derek...not the way you want to start your two-turn debut...i'm not 100% certain it cost him the race, but it very well might have...like i said, great effort from both horses...myself, i didn't bet the race, though i did take YTOM in a head-to-head matchup laying 7-5 odds...who was he matched against?...Brother Derek, of course...man, i am ice-cold...i was a bit surprised they didn't take Brother Derek down after the inquiry, he definitely impeded YTOM leaving the gate, no question about it...i wonder if the steward's reluctance to take down Brother Derek had anything to do with P-Val, who was riding YTOM...as you guys may or may not know, P-Val and the SoCal stewards aren't exactly on friendly terms...but anyway, great race, and i'm sure these two colts will have a lot to say in the 3yo division next year...throw Stevie Wonderboy into the mix, and the SoCal contingent is looking pretty solid...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1134851881699925442005-12-17T15:38:00.000-05:002005-12-17T15:38:00.000-05:00...the problem with Meetmeinthewoods tomorrow is t......the problem with Meetmeinthewoods tomorrow is the same problem with Your Tent Or Mine today...despite a big class jump, and no two-turn experience, they have the triple-digit Beyer showing so they're gonna get pounded at the windows...just look at YTOM, he's the 2/1 ml favorite for crying out loud...now, i do believe that YTOM and Meetmeinthewoods are totally legit, and the best horses in their respective races...so for me, yeah, they probably deserve to be favored...but as for value???...well, i'm not optimistic...i sure hope i'm wrong...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com