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[jay68802]

Originally Posted by jay68802

So far all the talk has been about the "other" Pletcher horse. The one horse I see no reason for being in the race happens to be the "other" Baffert horse. Maybe Restoring Hope is in here to counter Noble Indy. Their pace ratings are very close. He is drawn inside of NI, so he just goes out and stays inside of NI, maybe even keeping him wide through the first turn.

Originally Posted by VigorsTheGrey

Shortly before the Belmont Stakes was run...my track buddies and I discussed what pace roles Restoring Hope and Noble Indy would play out...I suggested that Restoring Hope would be used tactically to block other horses trying to challenge the lead of Justify, by gatekeeping the 2,3, and 4 path near the front, and that Noble Indy would not likely challenge Justify up front...
...My friends scoffed, and asked me if Baffert really needs such tactics in order for a Justify victory?

Still I wondered why Restoring Hope was in the race...as it turned out, Restoring Hope did exactly that, weaving out and in, before just plain dropping out of it like an impediment anchor in the way of other horses coming on late...if you read the race charts, that’s just how it played out...while Noble Indy ran a hugely uninteresting tactical race and finished dismally, last in fact...from my point of view, it appears these horses were never intended to disrupt the making of history by Justify...any thoughts?