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Originally Posted by Spalding No!
None of that means that the horses that run in those non-approved Grade 1s aren't quality horses.
You keep saying that, but the best horse in there besides Zandon (Smile Happy) only made 1 start post-Blue Grass and if he comes back could prove to be a quality horse.
That aside, the also-rans out of the Blue Grass came back to account for 6 stakes wins and 2 stakes-placings the rest of the year.
You're proving my point here. You just admitted Zandon was competitive with 3 of the top 3yos of the crop. Ergo, he's a quality horse. I never said he beat those horses in every start. But my guess is that if Mo Donegal, Cyberknife, and/or Taiba had shown up for the Cigar Mile their wouldn't be a debate here.
There are 2 points.
(1) The fact that the much-maligned Cigar Mile starters all were running in graded stakes races long before Cody's Wish or Elite Power came on the scene and are still competitive in top races afterwards is a testament to their consistent quality.
(2) Hold Cody's Wish and Elite Power to your same 'who did they beat' standards and they, too, have not done much more than the Cigar Mile horses. Both defeated a beat-up Jackie's Warrior who failed as heavy favorite in 3 straight BCs to trump both Groovy and Housebuster as their main claim to fame. Otherwise, Cody's Wish just edged Cyberknife and some of the same 3yos Zandon and White Abbario were beating (Slow Down Andy, Simplification). Beyond Jackie's Warrior, Elite Power beat up on the same horses Get Her Number was competing with all year in CA.
And while we are discussing those 2 BC wins, how about paying some lip-service to the dilution that occurs when the BC Dirt Mile and BC Sprint are run on the same card? Talk about watered-down races...
Then I guess the 2022 Cigar Mile was in some good company?
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I never said Zandon wasn't a quality horse I just don't think he's grade 1 caliber. I would agree with you that had those other 3 run it would have been a quality field. Mo Donegal won the Belmont, Cyberknife won the Haskell and Taiba won the Penn Derby. Zandon hasn't won anything since the Bluegrass. Winning is important when talking about how good a horse is, isn't it? I would say Jackie's Warrior is or was a high quality horse. He had 4 Grade 1 wins so to to degrade Cody's Wish and Elite Power for beating him is pretty ridiculous. Cody's Wish also beat Gunite a Grade 1 Winner and Elite Power also beat Grade 1 winners Kimari, America Theorem and Aloha West and CZ Rocket who finished 2nd twice in the BC sprint . I would say the BC sprint had a better field than the Cigar Mile The Dirt Mile usually has one standout . Point being Zandon doesn't win. Elite Power and Cody's Wish do. Winners of restricted 3 year old Grade 1 races don't mean the horse is of Grade 1 quality like Mine that Bird, Rich Strike, Da'Tara, Sarava and Sir Winston just to name a few
