The Malibu

[zico20]

Originally Posted by Half Smoke

...................

Nashville is the only one among all them with no graded stakes experience
all of the others have been in G1 races

that might help his odds for anybody who likes him
ML 6/5 - I would guess he won't be odds on


*

Does anyone really believe Nashville is going to go off the favorite? Well, the guy doing the morning line thinks so, but not me. I see Charlatan close to even money and winning the race!

[Secondbest]

In a race like this I generally look for a closer. But in this race Nashville and Charlartan are too fast.
Nashville ran. 43/4 107/ 4. Twice. Once an internal split. He does that here I think he wins even if it’s 7.
Either way I’m taking him and Charlatan over Express Train and Thousand words 3,4 / 2,5. Hoping one of them runs out

[zico20]

Many say "Christmas came early" for me it came late. I am absolutely stunned Nashville was the favorite. Charlatan was 2-1 when they went in the gate. Oh well, I was praying for even money, figuring 4-5 would be the final odds.

[sammy the sage]

Good job...

[Secondbest]

Originally Posted by Secondbest

In a race like this I generally look for a closer. But in this race Nashville and Charlartan are too fast.
Nashville ran. 43/4 107/ 4. Twice. Once an internal split. He does that here I think he wins even if it’s 7.
Either way I’m taking him and Charlatan over Express Train and Thousand words 3,4 / 2,5. Hoping one of them runs out

Finally did something right. $42 exacta.

[dilanesp]

Big day for Santa Anita:

Twitter

[classhandicapper]

I'd like to see Gamine vs. Charlatan at 7F.

[Andy Asaro]

Nashville didn't handle the surface at all. Going from rock hard tight and fast at Keeneland to looser and slower surface at Santa Anita

[Robert Fischer]

Charlatan ran really well for a racehorse.

It was sporting to ship Nashville in and take a chance. I don't think he ran poorly, necessarily. You had the main rival coming off a layup after some ,'clean-up' type of surgery, and some damage control low-time (so it was a decent spot to try a G1 and learn more about an exciting prospect), but Charlatan did not diminish in form significantly. Any 'questions' on the layoff are probably answered by some minor health tune-ups and an overloaded barn coming into the BC.

Who knows, maybe if the Cox trained Knicks Go and the Baffert trained Charlatan had faced off in the "Ass Fans" , the track would have reached some sort of 'critical mass', 'tipping point'? ...

I can't really say whether Charlatan improved, or simply ran about to form.

I took a small 'flyer' against Nashville in his Saratoga debut, but with this race being only six deep, I stayed out.

Nice call by Zico

One of the recent works on xbtv was pretty impressive for Charlatan. IIRC there were a couple horses finishing their work, at the point of the far turn where BB gallops-out his aces. So Charlatan had to go wider, and he appeared to be flashing some G1 stuff as the video ended. If you're a Charlatan super-fan; dig it up.

[zico20]

Originally Posted by Andy Asaro

Nashville didn't handle the surface at all. Going from rock hard tight and fast at Keeneland to looser and slower surface at Santa Anita

How is going 43 and 4 to the half equate to not handling the surface. He handled it just fine, he simply isn't that good of a horse.

[zico20]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

Charlatan ran really well for a racehorse.

It was sporting to ship Nashville in and take a chance. I don't think he ran poorly, necessarily. You had the main rival coming off a layup after some ,'clean-up' type of surgery, and some damage control low-time, but Charlatan did not diminish in form significantly. Any 'questions' on the layoff are probably answered by some minor health tune-ups and an overloaded barn coming into the BC.

Who knows, maybe if the Cox trained Knicks Go and the Baffert trained Charlatan had faced off in the "Ass Fans" , the track would have reached some sort of 'critical mass', 'tipping point'? ...

I can't really say whether Charlatan improved, or simply ran about to form.

I took a small 'flyer' against Nashville in his Saratoga debut, but with this race being only six deep, I stayed out.

Nice call by Zico

One of the recent works on xbtv was pretty impressive for Charlatan. IIRC there were a couple horses finishing their work, at the point of the far turn where BB gallops-out his aces. So Charlatan had to go wider, and he appeared to be flashing some G1 stuff as the video ended. If you're a Charlatan super-fan; dig it up.

Thank you Robert! Baffert said he didn't have Charlatan at 100% for the race. People forget that Charlatan would have gone off the favorite in the Belmont Stakes had he run. It is quite possible that had Charlatan not gotten injured he would have won the Belmont, Haskell, Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and the Breeders Cup. He would be retired right now and Authentic, who wouldn't have won a race since the early spring, would be the one running in the Malibu and at four. We will never know of course. I always thought Charlatan was better than Nadal and Authentic.

[dilanesp]

Here's the Spanish language announcer Santa Anita hired. This guy is fun to listen to:

YouTube

[GMB@BP]

I listened to the guy from NYRA from time to time, I know some Spanish, he was fun to listen to.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by GMB@BP

I listened to the guy from NYRA from time to time, I know some Spanish, he was fun to listen to.

These guys are obviously influenced by Spanish language soccer announcing. The style is very dramatic.

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by zico20

Thank you Robert! Baffert said he didn't have Charlatan at 100% for the race. People forget that Charlatan would have gone off the favorite in the Belmont Stakes had he run. It is quite possible that had Charlatan not gotten injured he would have won the Belmont, Haskell, Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and the Breeders Cup. He would be retired right now and Authentic, who wouldn't have won a race since the early spring, would be the one running in the Malibu and at four. We will never know of course. I always thought Charlatan was better than Nadal and Authentic.

...and then Santa came ho-ho-hoing down the chimney!