Hawthorne Gold Cup

[Tom]

Alternation off the board?
Pool Play wins it.
16-1

Hey Ralph, you have him again?

[Robert Fischer]

haven't seen the replay again, but it looked like Eldaafer pressed Alternation early on.

[Valuist]

Memo to the connections of Pool Play: how much more evidence do you need to figure out this is a DIRT horse and stop wasting your time on Poly and turf?

[Striker]

Memo to the connections of Pool Play: how much more evidence do you need to figure out this is a DIRT horse and stop wasting your time on Poly and turf?
I'd give him a shot in the BC Marathon

[menifee]

Memo to the connections of Pool Play: how much more evidence do you need to figure out this is a DIRT horse and stop wasting your time on Poly and turf?

Exactly. Unreal that as a 7 year old they might just be figuring this out. The horse has run two triple digit beyers both on dirt. He won a Grade I and a Grade II. In 29 races, on poly, his best performance is one G3 win with a 98 beyer. Other than that, he doesn't have any other graded wins.

[Tom]

Memo to the connections of Pool Play: how much more evidence do you need to figure out this is a DIRT horse and stop wasting your time on Poly and turf?

Here's a trade that makes sense.....Pool Play for Dullahan.

[Robert Fischer]

Here's a trade that makes sense.....Pool Play for Dullahan.

:)

That's pretty good. Have there been any semi-high profile horse trades between owners? It sounds like cool idea.

[CincyHorseplayer]

I watched Hawthorne's last 2 races.Didn't bet either but they provided some real comedy.There were jockeys with front end advantages waitng to get beat in both.ie,"I can close in 25 seconds but the horse in the rear can close in 23.4,I'll just wait til it's within a length of me and make my move".It was a pathetic display and might take me off Hawthorne for the rest of the year and I love betting their races.

[PhantomOnTour]

Early in the year it appeared that Alternation would be among the leaders in the older Hcp division.
Won his first four starts (two Gr3 and one Gr2), then ran decent in the Gr1 Foster, and went right back to the midwest circuit (RP and now Haw).
That's not the ideal BrCup prep route imo.
He'll most likely pass it altogether now.

[Ca9]

The winner of Pool's Play last race Middie came back and won @ Keenland yesterday and paid $5.80.

[Striker]

I watched Hawthorne's last 2 races.Didn't bet either but they provided some real comedy.There were jockeys with front end advantages waitng to get beat in both.ie,"I can close in 25 seconds but the horse in the rear can close in 23.4,I'll just wait til it's within a length of me and make my move".It was a pathetic display and might take me off Hawthorne for the rest of the year and I love betting their races.
There was a huge headwind in the stretch today. You had to be up front or just off the pace today to have a chance.

[CincyHorseplayer]

There was a huge headwind in the stretch today. You had to be up front or just off the pace today to have a chance.

If a track comes up muddy.Race shapes don't shape up.And jockeys look like victims=I avoid it like the plague.If it's mildly weird in any way,shape,or form.Don't bet.

[Capper Al]

I watched Hawthorne's last 2 races.Didn't bet either but they provided some real comedy.There were jockeys with front end advantages waitng to get beat in both.ie,"I can close in 25 seconds but the horse in the rear can close in 23.4,I'll just wait til it's within a length of me and make my move".It was a pathetic display and might take me off Hawthorne for the rest of the year and I love betting their races.

I wasn't as smart. Here's a race where the numbers were looking good, but the horse sense wasn't there in hindsight.

[illinoisbred]

There was a huge headwind in the stretch today. You had to be up front or just off the pace today to have a chance.
The dirt track also played very slow the 1st 3 days(approx. 2 seconds in sprints,3 +1/2 seconds in routes). A friend of mine was allowed to walk across the dirt track to take photos during the running of the Carey Memorial and he told me the surface was very soft and deep. The Brueggemann 1ster that won yesterday may prove out to be special.

[Valuist]

Speed not particularly good on Saturday. Extremely deep and tiring. A mile and sixteenth race for non restricted 5k going in nearly 1:51? I don't ever recall the Gold Cup going in 2:06 and change. 5 sprint races run and only one was wire to wire.

People often think of Hawthorne as an inside speed biased track. In reality, speed and the rail tend to be much better in the spring meet. And once the cold weather kicks in, and to some extent it has, look for the outside paths to be superior.

[Striker]

The Brueggemann 1ster that won yesterday may prove out to be special.
Roger B had that one(B Two Special) work the best of 13 unraced horses all from the gate on 9/4, a horse that worked with him in 47bg was Mr. Mostly who raced once in open MSW and finished 5th. Another horse to look for is Chongo who has worked heads up with B Two Special on 9/19, 9/26. Beauty of Scarlet, an IL bred filly, worked heads up from the gate with B Two Special on 9/11 in 1:00 and 3/5.