Gio Ponti hangs again!

[Robert Goren]

Originally Posted by Dahoss9698

Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

The new leader for post of the year.

[gm10]

Originally Posted by CincyHorseplayer

GM, you know we love your horses coming over on turf.You are missing it!!!This is a lightly race 4yo.Those type of horses are capable of multitudinal improvement!!

Seriously though he ran a big race.I was astonished with the ride he had.This guy might dominate American Turf from here on out if he stays in the country.

He really is an in-and-out type, but I also made the serious mistake of assuming that the turf was firm.
The jockey is very good, he's going to be big.

[gm10]

Originally Posted by Dahoss9698

Put him away for awhile? Brilliant...He's lost a step obviously (running in challenging spots will do that) but he has been beat a total of 1 length in his 3 losses on turf this year. As a 5 year old, what would they be putting him away for? A rainy day?

He's had a pretty much non-stop campaign for more than a year. He's entitled to a bit of a lie down. You don't have to squeeze the lemon, you know. Plenty of horses run fine as 5-6-7 yo. Didn't John Henry have to wait 4 years between Million wins? I think the horse is going to sour on his racing before soon this way. Maybe this way they'll get a third place or something out of him in the BC Turf. Is that maximizing his potential? I doubt it.

[only11]

Originally Posted by Robert Goren

The new leader for post of the year.

It must suck living in NEBRASKA..

[Dahoss9698]

Originally Posted by gm10

He's had a pretty much non-stop campaign for more than a year. He's entitled to a bit of a lie down. You don't have to squeeze the lemon, you know. Plenty of horses run fine as 5-6-7 yo. Didn't John Henry have to wait 4 years between Million wins? I think the horse is going to sour on his racing before soon this way. Maybe this way they'll get a third place or something out of him in the BC Turf. Is that maximizing his potential? I doubt it.

John Henry was a gelding. How many races could Gio Ponti possibly have before he hits the breeding shed?

[toetoe]

Originally Posted by only11

months ago i have been saying GIO PONTI hangs like a cheap suit..i got killed for that insane statement!
NOW WHATS HIS EXCUSE?

1) only11 hates him

2) Debussy ran a monstrous final furlong; kinda like a real nice horse might run

[Steve R]

Originally Posted by CincyHorseplayer

GM, you know we love your horses coming over on turf.You are missing it!!!This is a lightly race 4yo.Those type of horses are capable of multitudinal improvement!!

Seriously though he ran a big race.I was astonished with the ride he had.This guy might dominate American Turf from here on out if he stays in the country.

I don't follow your logic. Debussy now has had 14 lifetime starts and has been racing since November of his 2yo season. Except for the standard European winter breaks he has raced an average of every 5 or so weeks. He was demolished in both previous attempts against G1 horses and his Racing Post Ratings have been generally in the 110 to 115 range for two years. At what point is a horse with consistent, well-established form no longer lightly raced? Also, he earned a Beyer 101 which my studies indicate is about equivalent to a RPR 115. That 101 is easily the lowest Beyer figure for the Million in at least 20 years. Visual impressions aside, I'd say this was a typical winning effort by the winner in a very poor edition of the race.

[gm10]

Originally Posted by Dahoss9698

John Henry was a gelding. How many races could Gio Ponti possibly have before he hits the breeding shed?

That's not the point. I'm only giving my opinion that he looks like a horse who could do well with a 6 month break, and gave you an example that this doesn't have to affect his future in a negative way.

[Cardus]

Gio Ponti will have six weeks into the Turf Classic and another four into the Breeders' Cup.

That seems sufficient.

[Dahoss9698]

Originally Posted by gm10

That's not the point. I'm only giving my opinion that he looks like a horse who could do well with a 6 month break, and gave you an example that this doesn't have to affect his future in a negative way.

And I'm giving the opinion that you (as usual) are out of your element. You're comparing what a gelding did to a horse probably running his last few races before he hits the shed. It's a stupid comparison.

[gm10]

Originally Posted by Steve R

I don't follow your logic. Debussy now has had 14 lifetime starts and has been racing since November of his 2yo season. Except for the standard European winter breaks he has raced an average of every 5 or so weeks. He was demolished in both previous attempts against G1 horses and his Racing Post Ratings have been generally in the 110 to 115 range for two years. At what point is a horse with consistent, well-established form no longer lightly raced? Also, he earned a Beyer 101 which my studies indicate is about equivalent to a RPR 115. That 101 is easily the lowest Beyer figure for the Million in at least 20 years. Visual impressions aside, I'd say this was a typical winning effort by the winner in a very poor edition of the race.

I think it's the Lasix. One of the properties of Lasix is that it makes the animals more consistent, which is something that has been distinctly lacking in his efforts so far. Also note that he seems to run better on good and soft turf.
And Gio Ponti probably is only running at 90% at the moment, which indeed made this a weak edition.

[Fingal]

Originally Posted by firstoffclaim

Gio ran 2nd in a million dollar race, no shame there. He does have a habit though of being lazy when he hits the front.

He's the type of horse I'd love to own, can't dispute that bankroll. But to put a win bet on ? Never. He can't be counted on.

[gm10]

Originally Posted by Dahoss9698

And I'm giving the opinion that you (as usual) are out of your element. You're comparing what a gelding did to a horse probably running his last few races before he hits the shed. It's a stupid comparison.

It wasn't even a comparison. The fact that JH was a gelding has zero to do with it. I was merely making a case that older horses can still be very competitive, and illustrating by a horse who won this very race 4 years apart.
If the owners are a bit more open-minded than you, they might well consider the option. I would. He looks like a sound horse who is still very fast but with less fire in his belly.

[only11]

Originally Posted by toetoe

1) only11 hates him

2) Debussy ran a monstrous final furlong; kinda like a real nice horse might run

i dont hate horses,i love the way when the great INTERPATION looked GP in the eye and he hung like the tin can that he is,face reality folks!

[Dahoss9698]

Originally Posted by gm10

It wasn't even a comparison. The fact that JH was a gelding has zero to do with it. I was merely making a case that older horses can still be very competitive, and illustrating by a horse who won this very race 4 years apart.
If the owners are a bit more open-minded than you, they might well consider the option. I would. He looks like a sound horse who is still very fast but with less fire in his belly.

My point, which you seem to be missing was there was a reason John Henry was still running in the race as a 9 year old. He was a gelding. Had he still been intact, he would have been retired years earlier.

Of course older horses can still be competitive. No one is saying they can't. But to give a healthy 5 year old who is probably nearing the end of his career 6 months off to see if he comes back with more fire in his belly at 6 is not very logical. But hey, no surprise there.