Dubai World Cup G1 $12,000,000

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Mulerider

All 4 Japanese winners descended from Sunday Silence.

I'm beginning to think our domestic breeders made a mistake...

Lol.

He was a great horse and a generational sire.

[Spalding No!]

North American older horse division heating up.

Country Grammer, Express Train, Mystic Guide, maybe Life is Good will continue to target the Classic?

Actually, reading that list, the question should be: Which one will retire first?

Midnight Bourbon may actually win a race of consequence this summer, unless Speaker's Corner can stretch out.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

He was a great horse and a generational sire.

There's a great irony in this because it's the exact same musjudgment that a lot of handicappers and racing poo bahs made in his racing career, assuming he couldn't have been as good as Easy Goer because he wasn't as blue blooded and didn't look as good.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Tom

Baffert shows 'em how it's done.

LIG forget to bring his speed today? Looked very ordinary in the stretch. Field close enogh to eat him up.

Not at all impressive today.

Couldn't get the 2000 meters. He looked fine for the first 1 1/16.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Couldn't get the 2000 meters. He looked fine for the first 1 1/16.

Lots of front runners can get 10F, but not many with his kind of extreme speed also have a lot of stamina. Most very good horses are blessed with extreme speed, extreme stamina, or more likely some balance. Not many have the extremes of both. Had he wired in this spot easily again, I'd personally probably start throwing the word "great" around. He can still be a great miler. He's lightly raced enough to continue improving.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

There's a great irony in this because it's the exact same musjudgment that a lot of handicappers and racing poo bahs made in his racing career, assuming he couldn't have been as good as Easy Goer because he wasn't as blue blooded and didn't look as good.

There's a lot of mythology surrounding Sunday Silence courtesy of Arthur Hancock who seems to enjoy romanticizing about himself and his horses. He made a big deal about a bald eagle landing on the fence where Strodes Creek was playing as a yearling and said it was an omen that told him to send the colt to Charlie Whittingham...as if Whittingham's work 5 years earlier with Sunday Silence wasn't enough of a reason.

Turns out the Japanese breeder Zenya Yoshida was aggressively pursuing Sunday Silence at the end of his 3yo campaign. Yoshida offered $8 million which was turned down. Later in early 1990, the offer jumped to $11 million but Hancock refused because he wanted to stand the horse in Kentucky. So he sold a 25% interest to Yoshida instead. All that was out in the press well before Sunday Silence's racing career was over. Anyone reading it at the time, including other breeders would have been right to think that in all likelihood the horse was going to ultimately end up in Japan. There was even talk of him running in the Japan Cup at the end of the year. When he was retired in the summer with an injury, Hancock was hard up for money (which seemed to be a common theme with him) and the other 2 American owners were in their 70s. The remaining interest in the horse was sold only a couple of months after his retirement, well before the 1991 stud season was to begin. When it was announced he was heading to Japan (September 1990) one turf writer noted:

"Sunday Silence's value as a stud will not be determined for several years, but his exportation must be seen as a blow to the American breeding industry nevertheless."

As far as misjudging him during his racing career, considering the contemporary race records, who could blame handicappers?

The unbeaten Seattle Slew colt Houston (who beat Sunday Silence as a 2yo) had all the attention (odds-on) in the Santa Anita Derby, and perhaps the bigger story out of the race was of that horse being exposed rather than Sunday Silence's open lengths win beating up on whipping boys Flying Continental and Hawkster (both of whom got good later on). Meanwhile Easy Goer was smashing a track record for a mile, besting Secretariat's stakes mark, and shading Dr. Fager's world record. One can probably forgive those who made the colt favorite in the Derby despite the muddy racetrack (where Easy Goer had floundered as a 2yo).

The lack of a muddy track at Pimlico propelled a vicious cycle that led handicappers to make Easy Goer the favorite once again. And in the end, considering Pat Day's questionable ride, it's not entirely certain they were wrong.

Ironically, probably where handicappers misjudged Sunday Silence the most was when they finally made him favorite in the Belmont, with his questionable stamina, his documented soundness problems ahead of the Preakness, and Easy Goer's return to his home field. Then again, how does the Derby-Preakness winner pursuing a Triple Crown not go off favored?

It's a no brainer that Easy Goer should have been favored in the BC Classic. He had one of the greatest second-half campaigns in history (Whitney, Travers, Woodward, JC Gold Cup). Meanwhile Sunday Silence was again displaying stamina concerns when swallowed up despite a clear lead into the stretch in the 10f Swaps which was squashed later by his romp in the Super Derby, albeit against second tier colts. For good measure, Easy Goer smashed Sunday Silence's conqueror Prized (who validated his Swaps with a follow up win in the Molson Million) to the tune of some 20 lengths in the JC Gold Cup.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

Had he wired in this spot easily again, I'd personally probably start throwing the word "great" around.

If Life is Good had wired the field in this race easily (by the way, the 2020 Peter Pan--a Grade 3--has produced the last 2 winners of this "important" race) I would have said he probably fit somewhere between Hard Spun and Bertrando (though certainly not Bertrando in the slop).

But nowhere near real horses like Precisionist and Holy Bull.

I guess who could still reach Quality Road or Vekoma status by winning the Met Mile. The former if he can beat Flightline, the latter if Flightline doesn't show up.

[classhandicapper]

I got involved in the Sunday Silence vs Easy Goer battles twice. Once in the Derby because I thought the speed figure most people assigned to Easy Goer's Wood Memorial was too fast (and his performance overrated) and I made Sunday Silence's performance in CA very good and at least close. The other time was the Classic because I still thought they were very close, but SS was more nimble, better on turns, and would get the jump on him at GP.

In hindsight, the Belmont was the one Easy Goer figured to get the best him because his home course of Belmont has those the wide sweeping turns and the track was kind to outside closers that day and favored him (ahem).

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

If Life is Good had wired the field in this race easily (by the way, the 2020 Peter Pan--a Grade 3--has produced the last 2 winners of this "important" race) I would have said he probably fit somewhere between Hard Spun and Bertrando (though certainly not Bertrando in the slop).

But nowhere near real horses like Precisionist and Holy Bull.

I guess who could still reach Quality Road or Vekoma status by winning the Met Mile. The former if he can beat Flightline, the latter if Flightline doesn't show up.

He's still lightly raced. IMO, with that extreme stakes caliber sprint speed, had he gotten 10F and beat this group easily (which imo was not a weak one for this race) he was likely to accomplish a lot more if given the chance. But he didn't stay the 10f and we don't know if he would have been given the chance to continue developing and piling up victories anyway. It didn't shock me he didn't stay the 10F. Like I said, it's rare to be this extremely fast and stay that far. I played against him. (Holy Bull was one of those rarities)

[topgun]

Hey,

Drug test the horse. You know what Bob Baffert can do!

[PalaceOfFortLarned]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

He's still lightly raced. IMO, with that extreme stakes caliber sprint speed, had he gotten 10F and beat this group easily (which imo was not a weak one for this race) he was likely to accomplish a lot more if given the chance. But he didn't stay the 10f and we don't know if he would have been given the chance to continue developing and piling up victories anyway. It didn't shock me he didn't stay the 10F. Like I said, it's rare to be this extremely fast and stay that far. I played against him. (Holy Bull was one of those rarities)

That wasn't the same Life Is Good we've seen in the BC Dirt Mile and Pegasus. He breaks, gets to the lead, and then just buries you on the front.

He didn't have that brilliant front-runner speed that puts an enormous amount of pressure on his opponents today.

10F was a serious question, but he didn't get 9F today. His chasers weren't struggling to keep up with him today.

Still an amazing horse and talent.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

He's still lightly raced. IMO, with that extreme stakes caliber sprint speed, had he gotten 10F and beat this group easily (which imo was not a weak one for this race) he was likely to accomplish a lot more if given the chance. But he didn't stay the 10f and we don't know if he would have been given the chance to continue developing and piling up victories anyway. It didn't shock me he didn't stay the 10F. Like I said, it's rare to be this extremely fast and stay that far. I played against him. (Holy Bull was one of those rarities)

I suppose it was a decent field considering previous editions and the horses available from the older male division, but that doesn't mean it was a strong race.

On strict form there is little separating Country Grammer, Express Train, Hot Rod Charlie, Mystic Guide, and Chuwa Wizard. I have no idea why Midnight Bourbon continues to get press coverage (maybe Tacitus withdrawals?), he clearly made the trip banking on a huge check for an unplaced finish.

At least we have Olympiad emerging after being allowed to progress in a logical fashion. It's too bad there are these silly Middle East vanity races that siphon some decent horses away from formerly prestigious early season back home.

How great would it have been to see Mandaloun, Midnight Bourbon, Hot Rod Charlie, and Proxy renew there 3yo rivalries in a series of stakes at Fair Grounds this winter? Instead we have to wonder if some of those will even be running anytime soon.

Looks like Royal Ship is close to coming back, too. Hopefully with a new rider after Mike Smith gave him one of the worst rides this century in last year's Gold Cup.

[PalaceOfFortLarned]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

I suppose it was a decent field considering previous editions and the horses available from the older male division, but that doesn't mean it was a strong race.

On strict form there is little separating Country Grammer, Express Train, Hot Rod Charlie, Mystic Guide, and Chuwa Wizard. I have no idea why Midnight Bourbon continues to get press coverage (maybe Tacitus withdrawals?), he clearly made the trip banking on a huge check for an unplaced finish.

At least we have Olympiad emerging after being allowed to progress in a logical fashion. It's too bad there are these silly Middle East vanity races that siphon some decent horses away from formerly prestigious early season back home.

How great would it have been to see Mandaloun, Midnight Bourbon, Hot Rod Charlie, and Proxy renew there 3yo rivalries in a series of stakes at Fair Grounds this winter? Instead we have to wonder if some of those will even be running anytime soon.

Looks like Royal Ship is close to coming back, too. Hopefully with a new rider after Mike Smith gave him one of the worst rides this century in last year's Gold Cup.

They ran for $12M today. That is twice as much as our Breeder's Cup Classic.

Saudi Cup runs for $20M.

I don't blame anybody for shipping there.

[burnsy]

Originally Posted by PalaceOfFortLarned

They ran for $12M today. That is twice as much as our Breeder's Cup Classic.

Saudi Cup runs for $20M.

I don't blame anybody for shipping there.

Exactly. And if you liked the “Americans “ in the Big Race. That was easy pickings. Spaulding No! Is right though , it was a major portion of the division and Midnight Bourbon is the odd man out. It was the best possible finish at square odds.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Couldn't get the 2000 meters. He looked fine for the first 1 1/16.

Really? Looked a lot less brilliant early to me.

Twitter

Normally his style is to create some separation on the back stretch.

I guess it's possible that they feared the distance for some reason and thus didn't want to separate from the field.

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