Valuist
04-25-2006, 12:48 PM
1. Santa Anita Derby- even though it basically was a 3 horse race, all three have shots at winning at CD. The 14 length separation from 3rd to 4th shows the vast superiority of the top 3.
2. San Felipe- Had AP Warrior, Point Determined and Bob & John in this one. Bob & John comes out to win the Wood while the other two run 2-3 in the SA Derby.
3. Gotham- some might be surprised but there were 4 solid horses in here. Like Now ended up running a big race at Kee dueling all race and was narrowly beaten, Sweetnorthernsaint won the Ill. Derby by 9, and Keyed Entry was arguably the best in a fast early/slow late Wood. Achilles of Troy went in favored and was 4th but got hurt.
4. Illinois Derby- big win by Sweetnorthernsaint while El Camino Derby winner Cause to Believe was hurt by a slow pace. Racketeer, only 2 behind Point Determined (and a nose behind Bob & John) in the San Felipe made the ill-advised decision to rate off the pace.
5. Arkansas Derby- the big difference between this race and the Rebel was that Private Vow showed up this time. Lanes End and Rushaway winners came back here and got buried. Two lesser SoCal horses didnt do much here. 7 length gap from 3rd to 4th showed the class distinction here.
6. Blue Grass- on paper, there was 3 horses hoping to use the race as a springboard to CD. But in reality, all 3 were frauds. First Samurai is a miler, Strong Contender was totally unproven and Bluegrass Cat was overrated by the virtue of his slow pace win in the Remsen. Can't take anything away from the winner, who ran lights out to blow them away but a 65-1 longshot clunked up for second.
7. Florida Derby- Barbaro stayed unbeaten and Sunriver showed he may appreciate 10 furlongs w/a rough trip 3rd. The runnerup had no excuse and a mediocre SoCal ship in managed 4th despite a wide trip at 30-1. No real clear distinctions and very little in the way of gappage.
8. Wood Memorial- The horse trade was Sweetnorthernsaint, Like Now and Achilles of Troy leaving while Bob & John and Jazil came in. Both newcombers benefitted from the fast pace as the race fell apart.
9. Rebel- Most of the same cast came back for the Arky Derby but Private Vow basically didn't show up and Steppenwolfer was a disappointment here.
10. El Camino Real Derby- Cause to Believe won it w/AP Warrior and Wanna Runner off the board but both came back to win stakes in their next start.
2. San Felipe- Had AP Warrior, Point Determined and Bob & John in this one. Bob & John comes out to win the Wood while the other two run 2-3 in the SA Derby.
3. Gotham- some might be surprised but there were 4 solid horses in here. Like Now ended up running a big race at Kee dueling all race and was narrowly beaten, Sweetnorthernsaint won the Ill. Derby by 9, and Keyed Entry was arguably the best in a fast early/slow late Wood. Achilles of Troy went in favored and was 4th but got hurt.
4. Illinois Derby- big win by Sweetnorthernsaint while El Camino Derby winner Cause to Believe was hurt by a slow pace. Racketeer, only 2 behind Point Determined (and a nose behind Bob & John) in the San Felipe made the ill-advised decision to rate off the pace.
5. Arkansas Derby- the big difference between this race and the Rebel was that Private Vow showed up this time. Lanes End and Rushaway winners came back here and got buried. Two lesser SoCal horses didnt do much here. 7 length gap from 3rd to 4th showed the class distinction here.
6. Blue Grass- on paper, there was 3 horses hoping to use the race as a springboard to CD. But in reality, all 3 were frauds. First Samurai is a miler, Strong Contender was totally unproven and Bluegrass Cat was overrated by the virtue of his slow pace win in the Remsen. Can't take anything away from the winner, who ran lights out to blow them away but a 65-1 longshot clunked up for second.
7. Florida Derby- Barbaro stayed unbeaten and Sunriver showed he may appreciate 10 furlongs w/a rough trip 3rd. The runnerup had no excuse and a mediocre SoCal ship in managed 4th despite a wide trip at 30-1. No real clear distinctions and very little in the way of gappage.
8. Wood Memorial- The horse trade was Sweetnorthernsaint, Like Now and Achilles of Troy leaving while Bob & John and Jazil came in. Both newcombers benefitted from the fast pace as the race fell apart.
9. Rebel- Most of the same cast came back for the Arky Derby but Private Vow basically didn't show up and Steppenwolfer was a disappointment here.
10. El Camino Real Derby- Cause to Believe won it w/AP Warrior and Wanna Runner off the board but both came back to win stakes in their next start.