How great was Presious Passion

[Jasonm921]

I love these uncontrollable speed horses who actually have staying power. Brings me back to the 1980's with the Lukas speed balls who ran their hearts out and were always there in the end.

Another thing. I don't care how hard the turf was but to run :45 seconds for the half and to still be there in sub 2:24 time is pretty impressive.

[Bobzilla]

I thought he ran a brave race. It wasn't the first time I saw him run off then grimly try to hold on. Definitely a unique horse by today's standards.

[illinoisbred]

I like the fact the trainer is not trying to get him to rate.Before the million, Mary Hartmann said he's going to go out there and just do what he wants to do.

[Stevie Belmont]

I thought he ran one of the best races of the day by a horse that did not win. He was super and proved he has class. Yes he does belong. Good for him and his connections.

[the_fat_man]

This is, arguably, the HORSE Of the YEAR. I don't have data to back this up but I would bet that there's NEVER been a horse that was able to what PP has done on at least 3 occasions this year: set blistering fractions (at least at one call in the race) then ACCELERATE again late. This is UNPRECEDENTED. This is truly a FAST horse. A SPECIAL horse.

[gm10]

I don't like this horse. He wins his races well when he does, but he's obviously a one-trick pony.
I also thought it was a weak race, with only one class horse (Conduit), who didn't even run that well.

[Cat Thief]

He was tremendous for a horse that didn't win but there is one more "old fellow" who was also tremendous in defeat - Cloudy's Knight!

[Vinnie]

Awesome:

Cloudy's Knight was Awesome.. Man, what a nail biter of a defeat it was for me, but the old guy ran his heart out... :)

[SmartyLane]

Passion is probably my favorite horse this year. His races are incredibly exciting. To go off with fractions like he does and then it seems his legs get heavy on the home turn and he is going to just come back to the others easily. He does, but once that first horse gets past his head and he can see the other with his blinkers on........he knows it is time to go again. I was there and I was really hoping he could do it. Everybody around me said he was going to die big time, and I just kept telling them to wait and see.........he will be game regardless, and boy was he.

That horse is all heart plain and simple.

BTW Cloudy's Knight was who I picked in that race, and regardless of him getting beat he was game as any horse that day. His move on the final curve was great. That Ole' Boy can run to.

[lamboguy]

AWESOME

[OTM Al]

I don't like this horse. He wins his races well when he does, but he's obviously a one-trick pony.
I also thought it was a weak race, with only one class horse (Conduit), who didn't even run that well.

Dar Re Mi wasn't a class horse? Many European analysts were touting Spanish Moon to be the best, so he wasn't class either? PP just has a very unusual style. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but he doesn't do too badly.

[Steve R]

I love these uncontrollable speed horses who actually have staying power. Brings me back to the 1980's with the Lukas speed balls who ran their hearts out and were always there in the end.

Another thing. I don't care how hard the turf was but to run :45 seconds for the half and to still be there in sub 2:24 time is pretty impressive.
Absolutely! And for someone like myself who is as much concerned with equine physiology as the outcome of races, his was the singular most impressive effort in the entire BC.

[bisket]

I like the fact the trainer is not trying to get him to rate.Before the million, Mary Hartmann said he's going to go out there and just do what he wants to do.
i truly wish they would go back to this with quality road

[Robert Fischer]

conduit ran pretty damn well. There is a common misinterpretation that Conduit didn't run excellent in the BC and the majority of PA Members, timeform,racingpost and many players and fans apparently underrated his impressive performance in the Eclipse stakes where he seemed to outperform Rip Van Winkle, and there was inconclusive evidence to compare to Sea The Stars in that race. Conduit's Arc was again very strong. Conduit in my opinion was clearly one of the world's best horses - probably top5 - in 2009. It was a tremendous effort from Presious Passion, and he out-raced Conduit.

I certainly can't believe that running that fast early under Elvis Trujillo can be the ideal use of energy. You can swear up and down that he's more comfortable WAYYYY in front, and the poor guy absolutely must run like hell early, but I don't buy it. It's one of those "what ifs" that has to go through anyone who really watches mind about how much better this horse could run with a more efficient use of energy and an expert at front-end turf routing like Dominguez. Of course the "efficient" part of that question is all that really maters - because obviously if he gets the type of trip that is ultimately very efficient then that includes the ride as well and a near-perfectly efficient ride from elvis trujillo is the same as Ramon Dominguez is the same as Ariel Smith is the same as ...

I disagree with The Fat Man that he is a HOY candidate but the point is well taken, he has debatably had some of the most impressive "efforts" this year. I think If he received some efficient trips to harness his awesome ability, he would have had results as impressive as his raw performances.

[Robert Fischer]

i truly wish they would go back to this with quality road
great idea for 6 furlong races

[ezrabrooks]

This is, arguably, the HORSE Of the YEAR. I don't have data to back this up but I would bet that there's NEVER been a horse that was able to what PP has done on at least 3 occasions this year: set blistering fractions (at least at one call in the race) then ACCELERATE again late. This is UNPRECEDENTED. This is truly a FAST horse. A SPECIAL horse.

Dunno about HOY...but definitely Heart of the Year.

[the_fat_man]

Dunno about HOY...but definitely Heart of the Year.

I dare any figure oriented handicapper to point me to a more impressive race by any other horse on any surface. Keeping in mind that wiring on the turf is not the same as wiring on the dirt, AND, this horse does not set poodle fractions. What this horse does is akin to having a cyclist lead from start to finish on one of the (non time trial) Tour De France legs --- say, one in the mountains. It's one against the field. It can't happen.

Imagine if Hartmann trained the horse, rather than having the horse 'train itself' and she put some effort into a race strategy with Elvis.