Enable vs Magical yet again on Thu 8/22

[spiketoo]

Nice to see they don't shy away from each other.

Thu 8/22 0735 PDT

https://www.attheraces.com/racecard/...gust-2019/1535

[cj]

Interesting they call a race for 3 and up an "Oaks", never noticed that before. I see it was originally for 3yo only and the name was left when that changed in 1991.

[spiketoo]

Forgot that Crystal Ocean is running Wed Aug 21 0735 PDT

https://www.attheraces.com/racecard/...gust-2019/1535

[georgetkingiv]

https://www.attheraces.com/news/2019...yorkshire-oaks

[snappit]

Enable wins easily on what is likely to have been her last race on British soil and the perfect prep for the Arc.

What a mare.

[spiketoo]

You could tell this was special to Frankie. He was choked up and rather subdued.

[spiketoo]

And the hits just keep on coming....

Stradivarius runs Fri 0625 PDT. That's early for us LeftCoasters.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by cj

Interesting they call a race for 3 and up an "Oaks", never noticed that before. I see it was originally for 3yo only and the name was left when that changed in 1991.

That's OK. Yorkshire Pudding isn't really pudding either.

[dilanesp]

Magical has become something of an Alydar figure here. She'd be hIled in any other era. But she can't best Enable.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Magical has become something of an Alydar figure here. She'd be hIled in any other era. But she can't best Enable.

Agreed.

She tried really hard today.

[clicknow]

Quite the collection of truly good horses in this topic, for sure.
Love Stradivarius and all these for-real stayers.

[KaiserSoze]

As a matter of interest have North American turf tracks ever deviated significantly away from the standard left handed oval configuration?

Santa Anita's 6f and Woodbine are the only two that come to mind. The oval obviously gives the race goer full view of the race, which I presume is the reason for choosing the layout... but maybe don't ask as many questions of the horse as the flip side

[Lemon Drop Husker]

Originally Posted by KaiserSoze

As a matter of interest have North American turf tracks ever deviated significantly away from the standard left handed oval configuration?

Santa Anita's 6f and Woodbine are the only two that come to mind. The oval obviously gives the race goer full view of the race, which I presume is the reason for choosing the layout... but maybe don't ask as many questions of the horse as the flip side

Kentucky Downs.

They run a rich purse meet that begins next Saturday. Really fun racing that you can drive your car nearly up to the starting gate.

Hard to even explain the layout of that track.

http://kentuckydowns.com/content/1-r...operty-map.jpg


It is a really fun meet that I'm sure we'll be talking about and 'capping come Saturday.

[KaiserSoze]

Kentucky is a pretty unique course, had a look on youtube and its almost like a typical European course with the sweeping bend into the straight

The variation in topography in the top UK courses is, for want of a better term, only casually considered in a descriptive format in any publicly/commercially available form figures.
Until you visit some of the tracks in person its difficult to appreciate the opportunity a horse has to unbalance itself due to a mental or physical immaturity from video / sectional analysis.

The English Oaks Enable won is probably as good an example as any in a horse having multiple questions to answer in a race and working through them

YouTube (Short URL)

[Lemon Drop Husker]

Originally Posted by KaiserSoze

Kentucky is a pretty unique course, had a look on youtube and its almost like a typical European course with the sweeping bend into the straight

The variation in topography in the top UK courses is, for want of a better term, only casually considered in a descriptive format in any publicly/commercially available form figures.
Until you visit some of the tracks in person its difficult to appreciate the opportunity a horse has to unbalance itself due to a mental or physical immaturity from video / sectional analysis.

The English Oaks Enable won is probably as good an example as any in a horse having multiple questions to answer in a race and working through them

https://youtu.be/4Bd80m01fDg

Kentucky Downs isn't on flat ground by any measure.


It is basically some guys pasture that they built a race course for horses to run and compete, and it grew bigger over the years.



It is pure Euro racing in 'Merica.