Whitney

[joanied]

Oh...first...good news...Bill Mott just got winner # 4,000 :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

I see MTB's "Little Brother' won today at Spa...yes, that's his name!! Cool:cool:

Whitney...no thread for this race:confused: ...it's QR's to loose, but cannot see him blowing this one...if he don't win, the stands are going to go silent...unless the popular and beloved MTB makes the upset:eek:
I think MTB will move way up now that he's back on dirt...I think Musket Man will be his usual hard trying self and be right there...IMO, Haynesfield will be a little outclassed today and Blame will be the one to give QR some grief...anyway ya look at it, this is going to be a fantastic race.:jump:

QR
Blame
Musket Man
MTB

and...
QR
Musket Man
Blame
MTB

[FenceBored]

Well, I did start a thread, but it got closed.

I like Blame, but QR will be pretty hard to catch.

[joanied]

Well, I did start a thread, but it got closed.

I like Blame, but QR will be pretty hard to catch.

Closed:confused: why in hell:confused: ...well, we got one going now:)

[joanied]

If the Test fractions are any indication of what we'll see in the Whitney...QR may set a record today:eek:

[Shelby]

:) Thanks for starting a new thread.


I have

:2:
:1: :3: :4: :6:

[joanied]

Don't know why there wasn't one for this race. Oh...10 mins to post for the Whitney...
later ! :jump: :jump: :jump:

[Tee]

Just look at that show pool!!!

[cpitt84]

zenyatta will have her hands full with blame and QR..blame looks a tad better

[only11]

no excuse....

[andymays]

I have to tell you in my opinion Velasquez should be taken off Quality Road. Why in the hell does he need to look back 5 or 6 times? I can't stand it when they do that shit. Just win the friggin race. When they do that they shift their weight ever so slightly and I think it affects the horse.

I used both horses but I honestly can't stand the looking back crap. I would take him off for sure. He set soft fractions and he still should have won but I don't get the looking back stuff.

Good for Blame but I would blame the rider of Quality Road a little.

[only11]

I have to tell you in my opinion Velasquez should be taken off Quality Road. Why in the hell does he need to look back 5 or 6 times? I can't stand it when they do that shit. Just win the friggin race.

I used both horses but I honestly can't stand the looking back crap. I would take him off for sure. He set soft fractions and he still should have won but I don't get the looking back stuff.

Good for Blame but I would blame the rider of Quality Road a little.
Andy he walked around the track Velasquez imo did nothing wrong,and when set down Blame was the better horse today..

[andymays]

Andy he walked around the track Velasquez imo did nothing wrong,and when set down Blame was the better horse today..

Yes given the fractions he should have won anyway. The looking back stuff is inexcuseable though. I'm sure we'll read about it in the next day or so. Blame is no slouch and he ran great.

Looking back and looking under his arm shifts the weight a little. Horses feel that in my opinion.

[bisket]

like i've been telling you guys since february. Zenyatta is gonna breeze right past this crowd..... :lol:

[Robert Goren]

Blame has turned into a nice horse. As for QR, he found another way to get beat when he should have won by 4 or 5. I take full credit for getting him beat. I bet him.

[only11]

Yes given the fractions he should have won anyway. The looking back stuff is inexcuseable though. I'm sure we'll read about it in the next day or so. Blame is no slouch and he ran great.

Looking back and looking under his arm shifts the weight a little. Horses feel that in my opinion.
Andy we are not giving Blame enough credit ,Blame was the better horse,and maybe he might be the better horse..

[depalma113]

Andy we are not giving Blame enough credit ,Blame was the better horse,and maybe he might be the better horse..

Quality Road was never the horse so many on this board so wanted him to be.

[Tom]

Better map out a plan through GP for QR. :rolleyes:

Not at all impressive today - not at all.
But - I'll wait for the pacefigures.

[bisket]

Andy we are not giving Blame enough credit ,Blame was the better horse,and maybe he might be the better horse..
did they geld quality road after the fla derby last year? whenever challenged by another horse with some class he just lets the horse right on by without a fight.

[GregReinhart]

That's the second straight G1 race where Blame has been up against it from a pace standpoint against a good Pletcher horse and he's found a way to win both times. He seems to love a fight and is rounding into form nicely.

[andymays]

That's the second straight G1 race where Blame has been up against it from a pace standpoint against a good Pletcher horse and he's found a way to win both times. He seems to love a fight and is rounding into form nicely.

I agree. He is a very tough customer.

A friend of mine is going to have to wear a bunny suite to Del Mar on Pacific Classic day because of Blame. I hope it's real hot that day. :D

[joanied]

I hate that looking back stuff too...it does hinder a horses balance & stride...ride the damned horse and forget about who might be coming...IMO, many horses have been beaten a nose because of the rider looking back...if you were running for your life, would you take a chance of slowing down just a tiny bit by looking back...I don't think so:bang: but...Blame is some kinda horse...that's 5 grades stakes in a row...IMO, QR should have won today...maybe the fractions were too slow for him, even if he did set them...he needed to smoke that track today and get a good jump on the rest of the field coming into the stretch...what a bummer.
I didn't see the final order of finish...how'd Musket Man & MTB finish?

[tbwinner]

I hate that looking back stuff too...it does hinder a horses balance & stride...ride the damned horse and forget about who might be coming...IMO, many horses have been beaten a nose because of the rider looking back...if you were running for your life, would you take a chance of slowing down just a tiny bit by looking back...I don't think so:bang: but...Blame is some kinda horse...that's 5 grades stakes in a row...IMO, QR should have won today...maybe the fractions were too slow for him, even if he did set them...he needed to smoke that track today and get a good jump on the rest of the field coming into the stretch...what a bummer.
I didn't see the final order of finish...how'd Musket Man & MTB finish?

Musket 3rd, MTB 5th.

[born2ride]

MM, what a scrappy horse. I absolutely love this guy!

[Dahoss9698]

did they geld quality road after the fla derby last year? whenever challenged by another horse with some class he just lets the horse right on by without a fight.

Did you watch the Met Mile?

Here we have a great race with the 2 best older dirt horses. This dipshit is talking about Zenyatta (who is running in a glorified claimer today) running them down instead of the race in question. Blame is a very nice horse, so is Quality Road.

[Tom]

BTW.....Mr. DURKIN.

Fio Rito won the 1981 Whitney.....NOT 40 years ago!


Sheeeeze! Make me older than I am! :lol:

[PaceAdvantage]

Did you watch the Met Mile?

Here we have a great race with the 2 best older dirt horses. This dipshit is talking about Zenyatta (who is running in a glorified claimer today) running them down instead of the race in question. Blame is a very nice horse, so is Quality Road.I would have to agree. da Bizkit acts like QR was up the track.

[bisket]

the damater can of month?....... blame

[Hedevar]

Did you watch the Met Mile?

Here we have a great race with the 2 best older dirt horses. This dipshit is talking about Zenyatta (who is running in a glorified claimer today) running them down instead of the race in question. Blame is a very nice horse, so is Quality Road.

It's about time someone said what needed to be said.

[cj]

Better map out a plan through GP for QR. :rolleyes:

Not at all impressive today - not at all.
But - I'll wait for the pacefigures.

Blame will be more impressive I would think considering the pace looked moderate. If so, that is two times in a row he has overcome a moderate pace on dirt to run down a good horse. That is pretty darn rare.

[joanied]

Musket 3rd, MTB 5th.

Thanks:) ...appreciate it (I coulda looked it up...lazy me)...you just gotta love that Musket Man...all heart...and good to see MTB move up now...I see him winning again sometime down the road...
in fact, Musket Man is the only thing I got right in my picks:faint: I really thought it'd be QR & Blame at the wire...just the other way 'round :bang:

[cj]

I would have to agree. da Bizkit acts like QR was up the track.

I had him on ignore for a few months, but to be fair I missed the comic relief of his serious posts.

[bisket]

I had him on ignore for a few months, but to be fair I missed the comic relief of his serious posts.
so looking at your pace/speed figures. how much stamina does quality road have? :lol:

[TheBid9]

I truly thought QR was going to win today. I thought the two 5 furlong works at 58 and change had him cranked. Quite possibly he was too cranked. Maybe they were just quick enough to take a bit too much edge off him. Whatever, Blame just turned the Classic into a rodeo! This horse impresses me more every time I see him. He's a push button horse, you can place in a lot of different spots and he's going to deliver. Let the word go forth...there's a new sheriff in town!

[cj]

so looking at your pace/speed figures. how much stamina does quality road have? :lol:

If you knew anything or at least paid attention, you would know I have said his Donn Beyer figure was much too high, at least by 3 or 4 lengths. Since this was his 5th time to run 9f or longer, I really wouldn't use figures to try to assess his stamina. I already know.

[Bullet Plane]

I don't make speed figures, but looking at the final time- I don't think this was the fastest Whitney by a long shot.

Quality Road didn't run his race for whatever reason. Blame is a very nice horse, but I don't think he cranked a big speed figure for this one.

With the splits QR had, he should have had much more in the tank. He is capable of putting up some huge speed figures as well.

Gary Stevens on HRTV said Johnny V was looking back because he was worried - he was going all out on QR and QR wasn't giving him that extra gear that he has. Hope he didn't get injured in this race.

[cj]

I don't make speed figures, but looking at the final time- I don't think this was the fastest Whitney by a long shot.

Quality Road didn't run his race for whatever reason. Blame is a very nice horse, but I don't think he cranked a big speed figure for this one.

With the splits QR had, he should have had much more in the tank. He is capable of putting up some huge speed figures as well.

Gary Stevens on HRTV said Johnny V was looking back because he was worried - he was going all out on QR and QR wasn't giving him that extra gear that he has. Hope he didn't get injured in this race.

It was the only route so whatever figure is assigned it will be largely a projection. The pace was on the moderate side, about 8 Beyer points slower to 6f than to the finish, so that probably held the final time of the winner back at least a few ticks.

[Java Gold@TFT]

Thanks:) ...appreciate it (I coulda looked it up...lazy me)...you just gotta love that Musket Man...all heart...and good to see MTB move up now...I see him winning again sometime down the road...
in fact, Musket Man is the only thing I got right in my picks:faint: I really thought it'd be QR & Blame at the wire...just the other way 'round :bang:
You really didn't say that did you? Did you watch the same race as me? DWL said that he was training more speed into this plodder and he was still a plodder today. What indication in finishing 5th out of 6 horses gives you the hope that he will beat anything above $20K claimers?

On the other hand Blame seems to be an Al Davis horse - "Just win baby".

[andymays]

Whitney Quotes.

http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/blame-edges-past-quality-road-in-narrow-whitney-win/

Excerpt:

Garrett Gomez, winning jockey aboard Blame (No. 2): “We were super confident. It’s just one of those things you don’t want to say too much so you can let the horse do the talking. He’s been trained magnificently for this race and every other race I’ve ridden him in. He’s a magnificent older horse and I can’t wait until we go farther. If you watched me ride him, I never hit him. I actually moved up at about the three-eighths pole and I felt pretty confident then. I was just biding my time until we turned for home. I just didn’t want to sit too long because he’s got a long consistent run and just keeps coming. I just wanted to make sure that when we turned for home I did have him in a good place. He kept staying on and in that last eighth of a mile, when I finally got right to [Quality Road], I said ‘I got him’.”


Todd Pletcher, trainer of favored runner-up Quality Road (No. 3): “We had a comfortable trip, set reasonable fractions, and just got run down at the wire. He ran a big race.”

[B]John Velazquez, rider of favored runner-up Quality Road (No. 3): “I tried to put him into the bridle, but he was just going through the motions, which is strange for him. I was hoping there’d be nobody there, so I got to drifting. I was trying to make it more difficult for the horse on the outside.”

[rgustafson]

Quality Road was never the horse so many on this board so wanted him to be.

The most sensible post of this whole thread.:)

[PaceAdvantage]

The most sensible post of this whole thread.:)So many on this board had QR retired and sent to a padded room in a mental ward, never to be heard from again after his gate scratch in the 2009 BC Classic.

Then look what happened...

[precocity]

mine that bird need to run in a 30k optional claiming race... :lol: he sux...

[Robert Goren]

mine that bird need to run in a 30k optional claiming race... :lol: he sux...I would not go that far quite yet. If they could find an ungraded stakes at a mile and quarter, I think he might show some run.

[Valuist]

Blame is the real deal. Despite the small margin of victory, I don't think Gomez ever actually struck him with the whip. He shook the reins a few times. Talk about confidence......Pat Day used to win races by a head with the horse ridden out.

[FenceBored]

Blame is the real deal. Despite the small margin of victory, I don't think Gomez ever actually struck him with the whip. He shook the reins a few times. Talk about confidence......Pat Day used to win races by a head with the horse ridden out.

Gomez did not use the whip. His right hand never left the reins.

[joanied]

You really didn't say that did you? Did you watch the same race as me? DWL said that he was training more speed into this plodder and he was still a plodder today. What indication in finishing 5th out of 6 horses gives you the hope that he will beat anything above $20K claimers?

On the other hand Blame seems to be an Al Davis horse - "Just win baby".

I don't know...did I ;) ...Java, although he only beat one horse, he still 'moved' up from his last race...any bit of improovment is good...MTB had no shot in this race, but looking at it, he did do better than before...they do need to drop him down and go in some Grade III's...at least he'll earn his keep that way. I hope his owners realize now that taking him from Woolley did no good...Lukas isn't doing him better than Woolley did or would. I feel sad for the little horse, I just hope they take care of him and run him next where he can win.
:)

[joanied]

I would not go that far quite yet. If they could find an ungraded stakes at a mile and quarter, I think he might show some run.

I agree...but the Lukas ego probably won't allow that...next race should be a nice Grade III at the longer distance...IMO, the little horse tries, but he just isn't Grade I material...anymore, anyway.

[CincyHorseplayer]

Worked yesterday so I just sat down and got done watching this race.I thought with those fractions it was a no brainer for QR.Blame though,wow,he had so much momentum he couldn't run a straight line.If he had he would have won by 5.

Honestly I don't like how QR was handled this year.Was Commentator the envisioned career path??Layed off after the Donn for the 1 turn Met Mile,then layed off and coming back to a 2 turn race.With the "Going through the motions" comments by his rider,it doesn't sound to me like the horse knows what to expect or had much interest in the race.He is a very good horse and I think would thrive on a busier schedule.

I look forward to see what Blame does after this though.

[Sericm]

The Whitney proved three things:

Quality Road at 10 furlongs would be eaten alive by Zenyatta.
Blame is a serious horse that could possibly give Zenyatta a run for her money.

Mine that Bird never was or never will be a Grade 1 horse.
His Kentucky Derby was a complete FLUKE!!!! I don't know why the so called horse experts on this forum can't understand that. The Horse should be retired before the luster on that Kentucky Derby win is gone forever. When was the last time DWL ever had a serious horse. He made a complete mess of Dublin!

Retire Mine That Bird, PLEASE.

[chickenhead]

why retire him. He's a gelding, if he likes running, run him, just find him some reasonable spots. He could be competitive in low level stakes and probably be a perfectly happy, profitable, useful horse. He doesn't know he won the Kentucky Derby.

[FenceBored]

The Whitney Beyer is 111.

[cj]

The Whitney Beyer is 111.

The Cupcake...errr... Clement Hirsch Beyer is 94.

[Dahoss9698]

why retire him. He's a gelding, if he likes running, run him, just find him some reasonable spots. He could be competitive in low level stakes and probably be a perfectly happy, profitable, useful horse. He doesn't know he won the Kentucky Derby.

Exactly. Everyone complains about small fields, yet the same people are the first to call for retirement of seemingly healthy horses. Can't have it both ways.

[Bullet Plane]

The Whitney Beyer is 111.

Par for the Whitney is 115. There hasn't been a Beyer that low since Wills Way in 1997- a 110.

As has been stated, the slow pace probably contributed to the low figure.

[JustRalph]

Par for the Whitney is 115. There hasn't been a Beyer that low since Wills Way in 1997- a 110.

As has been stated, the slow pace probably contributed to the low figure.

Yep, and the rider thought he was getting away with something.......... :bang:

[1GCFAN]

RE: "Let the word go forth...there's a new sheriff in town!" Blame shows one Post Time favorite mark on the DRF PP lines.

It's been a nice ride starting last year taking the non-believers to task!;)