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Originally Posted by azeri98
I didn't say that all 3 year old races don't count. I don't think the preps should be Grade 1's There are too many of them in a short period of time that they are watered down.
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None of that means that the horses that run in those non-approved Grade 1s aren't quality horses.
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Zandon didn't beat anybody in the Bluegrass.
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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.
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You also said he beat Mo Donegal, Cyberknife and Taiba but he also lost to them and they actually won races in better fields than Zandon's maiden win or Bluegrass win. Same goes for White Abbario.
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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.
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Not sure what your point is about Cody's Wish and Elite Power are. Cody's Wish went 6 for 7 this year with 2 Grade 1's and a Grade 3 and broke his maiden last year. Elite Power went 5 for 6 and won a Grade 2 and Grade 1.
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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...
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The Pacific Classic had 3 Grade 1 winners Maker's Mark Mile had 4 Grade 1 winners. The Met Mile had 4 Grade 1 winners. There could be more
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Then I guess the 2022 Cigar Mile was in some good company?
