If Eskendereya is in the gate, be forewarned

[Fager Fan]

From Privman

Eskendereya had a workout planned for Saturday postponed because of wet weather, and while Eskendereya did have a routine gallop, there is at least circumstantial evidence that Pletcher is trying to nurse Eskendereya through some issues. After training hours on Saturday, every horse at Pletcher's barn who was walking the shed row had their training bandages removed except for Eskendereya. This follows a postponed final prep, from the Florida Derby to the Wood Memorial two weeks later, and the addition of front bandages for the Wood Memorial.

I've known since the Wood that the rumor is that he has a suspensory. I've debated a couple people in private that bettors deserve to know this and all information about a horse's health. The press surely knows this rumor, and while I give Privman a little credit for what he has written, I'd like to see someone actually ask the connections and report their answer, even if it's a denial or no comment. I do believe that is the racing press's job.

[joanied]

From Privman

Eskendereya had a workout planned for Saturday postponed because of wet weather, and while Eskendereya did have a routine gallop, there is at least circumstantial evidence that Pletcher is trying to nurse Eskendereya through some issues. After training hours on Saturday, every horse at Pletcher's barn who was walking the shed row had their training bandages removed except for Eskendereya. This follows a postponed final prep, from the Florida Derby to the Wood Memorial two weeks later, and the addition of front bandages for the Wood Memorial.

I've known since the Wood that the rumor is that he has a suspensory. I've debated a couple people in private that bettors deserve to know this and all information about a horse's health. The press surely knows this rumor, and while I give Privman a little credit for what he has written, I'd like to see someone actually ask the connections and report their answer, even if it's a denial or no comment. I do believe that is the racing press's job.

Looks like Privman let the cat out of the bag...almost...I had mentioned to someone recently that if Esky was having an 'issue', that I thought Pletcher would try holding him together until after the Derby...
a few folks here hinted at this also...then everyone started to speculate...and now...we know.
Indeed...someone needs to flat out ask Pletcher what is going on...a 'no comment' is as good as saying yes...a 'no', well, we'll have to see...I would hope Pletcher won't tell a fib!! He'll say something like...well, we are just taking every precaution...

[miesque]

To me it was a big red flag that Pletcher worked his other Derby contenders but but not Eskendereya and commenting that he could wait until Monday/Tuesday if need be. When you couple that with the front wraps in the Wood and the way this horse has been managed (such as Pletcher wanting the six weeks layoff the Florida Derby gave before being overriden by Zayat), and the fact that Devil May Care has entered the Derby picture despite Pletcher having such a strong hand including the heavy Derby fav, its all rather interesting.

[bisket]

i don't think i've ever watched a pletcher trained horse win 3 major stakes in a row. if its happened the fact has eluded me. its not very often you see a pletcher horse win two major races in a row. pletcher trains his horses like a claiming trainer. he runs them to set them up for a sure win. lots of times this isn't the "big race". watching esky run two tops in a row has lead me away from playing him. for reasons i've posted on other threads, but pletcher's history has told me this may be the case also. regardless of all this going on.

[joanied]

All this don't bother me at all...for a variety of reasons, I just couldn't pick him for my Derby horse...I only hope the horse comes out of the race OK...something very fishy is goin' on in the Pletcher barn.

[michiken]

The PLETCHER CURSE LIVES!

[Swale]

i don't think i've ever watched a pletcher trained horse win 3 major stakes in a row. if its happened the fact has eluded me.

Rags To Riches won the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, Kentucky Oaks, and Belmont consecutively.

[Market Mover]

Rags To Riches won the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, Kentucky Oaks, and Belmont consecutively.


Rags to Riches was a special filly. Esky is no Rags to Riches..

[Dahoss9698]

Rags To Riches won the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, Kentucky Oaks, and Belmont consecutively.

Facts elude Bisket a lot.

[jbrown007]

I don't buy any of this. The horse gets front bandages in the wood and people assume he is injured? Pletcher was already quoted saying,
"Eskendereya wore front bandages for the first time as a precaution. One of his horses earlier on the card burned his heels in the race, so he put front bandages on all his stakes horses Saturday, including Nite Light and Munnings, who both lost. "
-Suspensory?? How in the hell could this horse have a suspensory and still be A) racing and running the way he did in the wood.
B) come back two weeks after the wood and put in a 5 furlong work.
Suspensory injuries need time to heal and you can not race at a high level. The horse has been out on the track everyday jogging around. He didn't work today because it was a sloppy mess. Say what you want about all his other horses working but I truly believe Pletcher has the derby in the grasp of his hands and he is very scared it may slip out. Esky is his winner and he is not taking a chance working him out on a sloppy track. As far as bandages go it is another precautionary step to keep him safe and healthy. For example
Big Brown
"The first time we ran him he burned a little bit on his right heel, just a little bit," Dutrow said, referring to a March 5 allowance win at Gulfstream. "Ever since then I breezed him with bandages. Actually, I should have put bandages on him in his last race because he did burn a little bit again. It's not anything for anyone to worry about, but I am going to put bandages on when he runs.
"I don't like doing it because it'll bring up a lot of questions, but it's only because he burned a little bit on his right front heel."

Ya Dutrow is a scum bag but you can find multiple sources/vets that suggest front bandages can be used for prophylaxis.

The only post i find relevant in this thread is the fact that Pletcher does have a very hard time getting multiple wins in a row from the same horse. I think Esky is an exception because the horse is improving on his own. Pletcher has a tendency to have his horses juiced up for their return race off layoffs and I believe horses have to go through there natural progression of improving each race. Exactly what ESKY is doing but not the norm for pletcher horses(usually top beyer first time out).

-The only way to handicap the derby is to eliminate horses. I am personally tossing sydney's candy(out of the top 3). I think it would be a monster mistake to toss ESKY.

[jbrown007]

ok i feel dumb/wrong

[lamboguy]

From Privman

Eskendereya had a workout planned for Saturday postponed because of wet weather, and while Eskendereya did have a routine gallop, there is at least circumstantial evidence that Pletcher is trying to nurse Eskendereya through some issues. After training hours on Saturday, every horse at Pletcher's barn who was walking the shed row had their training bandages removed except for Eskendereya. This follows a postponed final prep, from the Florida Derby to the Wood Memorial two weeks later, and the addition of front bandages for the Wood Memorial.

I've known since the Wood that the rumor is that he has a suspensory. I've debated a couple people in private that bettors deserve to know this and all information about a horse's health. The press surely knows this rumor, and while I give Privman a little credit for what he has written, I'd like to see someone actually ask the connections and report their answer, even if it's a denial or no comment. I do believe that is the racing press's job.
all true, last year i posted here that the 2 favorites in the race were both no good to run, and they both ran and the public blew up alot of money on them. the kentucky derby is not the brian the parasite and palmeadow club game. the public bets money into these races and should not be misled by trainers and the suckup press who know if the horses are good or bad.

[bisket]

a good pctg. of pletchers clients are commercial breeders and many of their runners are investments. pletcher of course gets his cut of the sindication deal. so he points his runners to grade 1&2 races that come up light or that his horses will have a competitive advantage of some sort, and has the horse in best condition to win that. then they have value for breeding. i look at him like a good claiminmg trainer. runs their horses over there head at the wrong distance until the horse is ready to freak, and then runs him where the horse belongs to collect. pletcher picks spots that give the horse a name recognition in big races, and then runs in a grade1 or 2 prep for big races and has the horse ready to freak. the horse wins, and is a fav for the big race and loses. happens all the time, but everyone is always talking about his runners all the time. so they will be popular in the breeding shead also. the big races are for publicity, and the preps give the horse the resume. esky has an attractive resume...... and has a breeding career and all he's done is win some preps that had little pace and he looked like a million bucks doing it. pletcher has already accomplished what he intended.

[PhantomOnTour]

People truly are sharp these days. Talk of Esky having problems has been going on for awhile now, and low and behold he is out. Just wish we had this type of communication and information back in the day, because I wanna know what REALLY happened to The 'Bid on the morning of the Belmont... that bobby-pin story is weak, ya know?

[joanied]

People truly are sharp these days. Talk of Esky having problems has been going on for awhile now, and low and behold he is out. Just wish we had this type of communication and information back in the day, because I wanna know what REALLY happened to The 'Bid on the morning of the Belmont... that bobby-pin story is weak, ya know?

The bobby pin was on his back.

[Market Mover]

The bobby pin was on his back.


That bobby pin's name was Ron Franklin. You would think Stewie Elliott would have gone back to watch what happens when you go too fast too early at Belmont..

[joanied]

That bobby pin's name was Ron Franklin. You would think Stewie Elliott would have gone back to watch what happens when you go too fast too early at Belmont..

I figured everyone knew what the 'bobby pin's' name was...

[ClassTrumpsSpeed]

That bobby pin's name was Ron Franklin. You would think Stewie Elliott would have gone back to watch what happens when you go too fast too early at Belmont..


Like when Sham buried Secretariat with a 1:09.4 split in the 1973 Belmont?

[JustRalph]

ok i feel dumb/wrong

stick around.......every once in a while some good info comes out around this board........

[Market Mover]

Like when Sham buried Secretariat with a 1:09.4 split in the 1973 Belmont?


Well we found out Smarty Jones was no Secretariat...

[bisket]

People truly are sharp these days. Talk of Esky having problems has been going on for awhile now, and low and behold he is out. Just wish we had this type of communication and information back in the day, because I wanna know what REALLY happened to The 'Bid on the morning of the Belmont... that bobby-pin story is weak, ya know?
a former assistant to frank whitely told me that the pin in the hoof story was a joke that frank whitely played on buddy delp. from what i understand delp was using one of whitely's barn's, and whitely put the story in a reporters ear. when delp was asked about the pin he was caught off guard. apparently delp didn't know what to say (probably one of the few times in his life delp was speechless) when the reporter questioned him about it, and it became excepted as it actually happened. really it never did. although it did give delp an out as far as ronnie franklin was concerned, and it took the heat off the young kid. delp had pretty much raised franklin himself, and felt really bad for the boy. as joanied has posted bid's main problem in the belmont was the fact that ronnie franklin moved way to early, just like i've watched many other jocks do over the years in the race.