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View Full Version : Mike Smith, did anybody else notice....


Skanoochies
03-13-2010, 10:07 PM
When Zenyatta pulled up after the race, Mike was leaning over and taking a good look at her left front leg. I thought maybe she got cut or something. Isure hope not. :confused:

Relwob Owner
03-13-2010, 10:14 PM
When Zenyatta pulled up after the race, Mike was leaning over and taking a good look at her left front leg. I thought maybe she got cut or something. Isure hope not. :confused:


I think he was staring at it, amazed how that leg helped her win again in spite of his efforts.....

lamboguy
03-13-2010, 10:31 PM
mike smith has done a superb job riding ZENYTTA. he rode a great race today as usual, and she will get better from her race. she will need to get alot better to beat rachel in arkansas though.

Relwob Owner
03-13-2010, 10:42 PM
mike smith has done a superb job riding ZENYTTA. he rode a great race today as usual, and she will get better from her race. she will need to get alot better to beat rachel in arkansas though.


Couldnt disagree more....he had 10 lengths the best horse today and tried really hard to get her beat....he even admitted himself he almost got her beat last year....he is a total liability IMO

johnhannibalsmith
03-13-2010, 11:06 PM
With regard to the original post - yeah, I wondered if she may have gotten her wheels a little tangled up with that dive towards the fence.

jldonah
03-13-2010, 11:12 PM
Just seemed to last a few seconds, after the runout and after Smith made his genuflection. I looked especially at the quick inside pass she made when blocked in the stretch and it didn't seem as precipitous as it looked when the race was live--very athletic mare. I'll also note her ears were up and she looked assertive and in control (not under stress) at the wire, so let's hope there was no substantial injury--or none at all.

Saratoga_Mike
03-13-2010, 11:18 PM
mike smith has done a superb job riding ZENYTTA. he rode a great race today as usual, and she will get better from her race. she will need to get alot better to beat rachel in arkansas though.

No, he really didn't, but it didn't matter.

Stillriledup
03-14-2010, 04:10 AM
I'd love to see an elite rider on Z. Ya know, the best. The guy who makes the most speed. Mikey Smith is good, but he's not great anymore. Mikey makes it interesting. If Z gets beat, its going to be rider error that does it most likely.

Pace Cap'n
03-14-2010, 08:25 AM
Mike Smith had one of the all-time great post-race comments:

"Chantal moved over and I just followed her through the hole..."

Like, who wouldn't?:)

lamboguy
03-14-2010, 10:00 AM
mike smith had the confidence to shoot to the inside and knew if she was going to do the sweep the field deal on the outside, she would have come up short. sure the ride didn't look pretty, but she got it done. she is one great racehorse who seems to get better with every race, and she is smart.

lamboguy
03-14-2010, 10:07 AM
Couldnt disagree more....he had 10 lengths the best horse today and tried really hard to get her beat....he even admitted himself he almost got her beat last year....he is a total liability IMOfirst of all you alway's find a way to disagree with me, or find fault in what i say. that's ok, it don't bother me because i know that all i am is a human being no better than anyone else.

as far as being "ten lenghs better", last i saw the game of horseracing doesn't pay one penny more if you win by an inch or 10 yards. on top of that ZENYATTA has only won one of her 15 by more than 2 lengths, the apple blossom where she won by 5. you are dealing with a horses that doesn't want to win by large margins. when mike smith rides this horse, he is basically a passenger and occasionally has to steer her. yesterday he steered her to victory. again not pretty, because of the circumstances, but still a big win.

Rookies
03-14-2010, 11:36 AM
Mike Smith had one of the all-time great post-race comments:

"Chantal moved over and I just followed her through the hole..."

Like, who wouldn't?:)

Except, HE gapped HER... doofus... :rolleyes:

Marshall Bennett
03-14-2010, 12:11 PM
mike smith had the confidence to shoot to the inside and knew if she was going to do the sweep the field deal on the outside, she would have come up short. sure the ride didn't look pretty, but she got it done. she is one great racehorse who seems to get better with every race, and she is smart.
I'm often critical of Mike and his riding habits . His move inside was out of character for him . I was impressed .

Greyfox
03-14-2010, 12:28 PM
Couldnt disagree more....he had 10 lengths the best horse today and tried really hard to get her beat....he even admitted himself he almost got her beat last year....he is a total liability IMO

I agree. I'm not sure what Smith was doing coming down the stretch, but I can
assure you had that not been Zenyatta that he was on there would have been an inquiry. I don't know if he'd be taken down, but something funny happened.

46zilzal
03-14-2010, 12:45 PM
I'm often critical of Mike and his riding habits . His move inside was out of character for him . I was impressed .
classic for the come from behinder................you take what you get.

Space Monkey
03-14-2010, 07:09 PM
he had 10 lengths the best horse today and tried really hard to get her beat.

Huh?? Here's a horse that walks out of the gate and doesn't lift a hoof for half a mile and Mike still manages to get her home every time. How can she be 10 lengths the best with that running style against quality horses? Mike did a great job on Z yesterday.

Space Monkey
03-14-2010, 07:11 PM
he will need to get alot better to beat rachel in arkansas though.

Never mind that I think that Z is the better horse, but you posted this AFTER RA's race. What were you thinking? I can't believe the s... I'm reading on this board today.

Relwob Owner
03-14-2010, 07:22 PM
first of all you alway's find a way to disagree with me, or find fault in what i say. that's ok, it don't bother me because i know that all i am is a human being no better than anyone else.

as far as being "ten lenghs better", last i saw the game of horseracing doesn't pay one penny more if you win by an inch or 10 yards. on top of that ZENYATTA has only won one of her 15 by more than 2 lengths, the apple blossom where she won by 5. you are dealing with a horses that doesn't want to win by large margins. when mike smith rides this horse, he is basically a passenger and occasionally has to steer her. yesterday he steered her to victory. again not pretty, because of the circumstances, but still a big win.


If you notice I always find a way to disagree with you, it probably does bother you...yes, 10 lengths was an exagerration. I will admit that....

Relwob Owner
03-14-2010, 07:23 PM
h

Huh?? Here's a horse that walks out of the gate and doesn't lift a hoof for half a mile and Mike still manages to get her home every time. How can she be 10 lengths the best with that running style against quality horses? Mike did a great job on Z yesterday.


10 lengths was an exaggeration....I will admit that. If you think the ride yesterday was a "great job", you must have some really low standards for jocks....

delayjf
03-15-2010, 09:46 AM
Smith is the "current" all time leading jockey in terms of Breeders Cup wins, so he must be doing something right. Getting blocked is par for the course for closers like Z which makes her winning streak all the more impressive. In Saturdays race, if Smith doesn't guide her to that hole she would have lost. But he did and she won, how does that add up to a bad ride?

46zilzal
03-15-2010, 09:58 AM
The fact that this one remains undefeated with that risky running style is marvelous in and of itself.

castaway01
03-15-2010, 01:35 PM
Smith is the "current" all time leading jockey in terms of Breeders Cup wins, so he must be doing something right. Getting blocked is par for the course for closers like Z which makes her winning streak all the more impressive. In Saturdays race, if Smith doesn't guide her to that hole she would have lost. But he did and she won, how does that add up to a bad ride?

Losing gamblers like to bitch about riders, and Smith in particular...that's the only explanation. The guy wins a million in a row on the horse, with the same style every race, and people still moan and act shocked that Zenyatta was far back early. If you're a jockey, you just can't win---except the race, which Smith did yet again.

OTM Al
03-15-2010, 02:40 PM
It looked a little funny, but I think the angle made it look odder than it was. He made the only move possible. I wonder if the others instinctively backed off when he popped her over as she is much bigger and fillies will shy from contact. Had she been boxed like that by a group of males, that may not have happened. Hard to tell though, but given the circumstance he put himself in, it was a fine job to get through and wasn't close to a foul. Prime example why I don't like deep closers. Too often they find that sort of trouble.

PaceAdvantage
03-16-2010, 12:38 AM
The fact that this one remains undefeated with that risky running style is marvelous in and of itself."Risky Running Style Over DIRT...not a Risky Running Style Over synthetics."

There...I fixed it for you...

46zilzal
03-16-2010, 01:38 PM
"Risky Running Style Over DIRT...not a Risky Running Style Over synthetics."

There...I fixed it for you...
risky, timing, traffic etc on grass, dirt, loam, etc etc

just ask Dr. William Quirin as he repeats this in all of his early work

Show Me the Wire
03-16-2010, 01:38 PM
"Risky Running Style Over DIRT...not a Risky Running Style Over synthetics."

There...I fixed it for you...


A little off topic, but is FIFU defined on this board as meaning Fixed it for you?

Space Monkey
03-16-2010, 03:11 PM
Had she been boxed like that by a group of males, that may not have happened

Good point

Bettowin
03-16-2010, 03:14 PM
When Zenyatta pulled up after the race, Mike was leaning over and taking a good look at her left front leg. I thought maybe she got cut or something. Isure hope not. :confused:


He wasn't looking at her leg, he was looking at the ground because he dropped his buzzer past the finish line:)

delayjf
03-16-2010, 03:29 PM
Had she been boxed like that by a group of males, that may not have happened

According to Smith, she gets real aggressive when moving between horses, which is why he prefers to keep her outside. Being a mare, she might not intemidate colts so easily, on the other hand, being bigger than the colts, she might muscle them out of the way.

PaceAdvantage
03-16-2010, 10:26 PM
A little off topic, but is FIFU defined on this board as meaning Fixed it for you?I suppose, although I'm not as familiar with that abbrev. as I am with some others....

cj
03-16-2010, 10:38 PM
risky, timing, traffic etc on grass, dirt, loam, etc etc

just ask Dr. William Quirin as he repeats this in all of his early work

Did Dr. William Quirin have a lot of data on synthetic surfaces?

Robert Fischer
03-17-2010, 01:16 AM
It was risky as hell in the santa margarita, Garcia and Berrio just ran with no style.

Zenyatta can be beat by a mediocre field like that if they slow the pace way down.

Right now Smith is not going to give Zenyatta the reigns and move to a more forward position should the competition rightly identify Zenyatta as the "target" and conspire to slow the pace down to 1:15+ for 3/4ths.
Until they beat him the first time he's not going to adjust - he will just be a sitting duck back there.

They(the field) had Zenyatta at her most vulnerable in a long long time in the Santa Margarita, because A- none of those horses were good enough to have any reason to run selfishly, and B-the track was not playing to the severe bias against forwardly placed runners that it had in the past and was alluded to by PA.

sometimes you can't expect jockeys and trainers to get together and execute a strategy. It's a disappointing feeling if you appreciate the sport and they don't incorporate the proper strategy.

In the breeders cup classic Zenyatta's style was not a risk what so ever. Not only was the track strongly biased against the forwardly placed, the other rivals were also too good to conspire against her and slow the pace. All she had to worry about was ability. Because of the closer-friendly track, Zenyatta's running style in the Classic was actually an advantage.

delayjf
03-18-2010, 10:02 AM
Robert,

Can't totally disagree with you and your right, Z lack of early foot may just get her beat one day. But I would point out that Z stepped up her game and improved her SF to win the BCC. More than any horse I can recall, she seems to run to her competition.

46zilzal
03-18-2010, 10:14 AM
Did Dr. William Quirin have a lot of data on synthetic surfaces?
PACE dynamics are what they are no matter the surface

cj
03-18-2010, 12:58 PM
PACE dynamics are what they are no matter the surface

We'll have to disagree on that one.

Greyfox
03-18-2010, 01:06 PM
Traffic problems are traffic problems no matter what the surface.

46zilzal
03-18-2010, 01:13 PM
Traffic problems are traffic problems no matter what the surface.
Also, the deep closer has no direct effect on the pace, has to take whatever part of the track is left to him amidst pacesetters backing up and other closers moving late.....and the rider, has to make a best guess when to ask his mount,


NONE of these effect a pace horse, no matter the surface.

Having overcome these problems now 15 times makes Zenyatta all the more impressive.

Greyfox
03-18-2010, 01:15 PM
Having overcome these problems now 15 times makes Zenyatta all the more impressive.

Yes and not to forget Santa Anita's stretch is a "short" run compared to some other tracks.

Tom
03-18-2010, 01:33 PM
I thought the jockey was just a passenger?

johnhannibalsmith
03-18-2010, 01:59 PM
I thought the jockey was just a passenger?

It depends on the context of the conversation, like most certainties. :rolleyes:

Robert Fischer
03-19-2010, 05:07 PM
Robert,

Can't totally disagree with you and your right, Z lack of early foot may just get her beat one day. But I would point out that Z stepped up her game and improved her SF to win the BCC. More than any horse I can recall, she seems to run to her competition.

I agree with you here. I didn't mean to say that she isn't a "big game" mare. Horse and Trainer have been at a peak on the big days.