i am sick of Tacitus

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

it's not set in stone that there will be a very strong, contentious pace. I haven't really followed the form closely but it seems Global Campaign, By My Standards, Maximum Security and Art Collector aren't necessarily committed front runners and even Authentic was able to settle off another horse in the Preakness.

Some of it may depend on the field size. When a field is large, even if you don't have many pure front runners, if there are a lot of horses that like to be forwardly placed, they can sometimes make for a faster than average pace because they are all trying to secure a position in the top 3-4 instead of mid pack or worse.

[1GCFAN]

What we did see is a three old with a lot of upside, Happy Saver continues to improve his beyers and received 100 in the Jockey Club.

[Spalding No!]

Jinxed that:

Code of Honor bypassing the BC in favor of the Clark or Cigar Mile.

(of course, it's not like the BC conflicts with either race; I won't second guess McGaughey--maybe he thinks the horse is not up to snuff--I just hope it's not some directive from the people in control of the horse's stallion career).

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

Jinxed that:

Code of Honor bypassing the BC in favor of the Clark or Cigar Mile.

(of course, it's not like the BC conflicts with either race; I won't second guess McGaughey--maybe he thinks the horse is not up to snuff--I just hope it's not some directive from the people in control of the horse's stallion career).

Going to be a record breaking bc in terms of talent I predict.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by GMB@BP

Going to be a record breaking bc in terms of talent I predict.

BC Marathon won't look so out of place this year.

[cj]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

Jinxed that:

Code of Honor bypassing the BC in favor of the Clark or Cigar Mile.

(of course, it's not like the BC conflicts with either race; I won't second guess McGaughey--maybe he thinks the horse is not up to snuff--I just hope it's not some directive from the people in control of the horse's stallion career).

This game is getting tougher and tougher to love. Few want to actually race horses any more.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

Jinxed that:

Code of Honor bypassing the BC in favor of the Clark or Cigar Mile.

Unless they know something I don't know, this is at least a debatable move. Maybe they are taking his races this year at face value and think he's not good enough, but I think he didn't get ideal setups in a few races and would be a threat to get a major piece with a decent setup.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

Unless they know something I don't know, this is at least a debatable move. Maybe they are taking his races this year at face value and think he's not good enough, but I think he didn't get ideal setups in a few races and would be a threat to get a major piece with a decent setup.

I wouldn't be shocked if this was a Lane's End Farm (the owner) move. They just dumped the horse's young sire Noble Mission--a full brother to Frankel no less--presumably because Code of Honor has been his only "name" horse (never mind that he only has 2 crops currently racing and is meant to be a turf sire).

My guess is they are trying to soldify and preserve Code of Honor's reputation with those Travers and JCGC wins and the precocious effort in the Champagne at 2. The gravy would be if he actually wins the Clark or Cigar he adds another feather in his cap.

On the other hand, two unplaced finishes in back-to-back BC Classic's would (rightfully) expose him, and we can't have that...

[1GCFAN]

Yes, I too was looking forward to code in the BCC. It will be wide open.

[Someday Silent]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

The horse is utterly useless with blinkers. Tacitus is meant to come off the place and Mott jumped the gun adding them for the Suburban after Jose Lezcano and John Velasquez got the horse to settle and finish in his first 2 starts of the year. This coming after all the damage done during Blinker Fiasco Part 1 in 2019 (see Travers + JCGC).

Even when Mott added them back, John Velasquez was smart enough not to follow the trainer's lead and wisely put a vice grip on the horse out of the gate in the Suburban, who in turn settled and responded with a classic "third-off-the-layoff" peak performance. The same can't be said for Jose Ortiz as he and Mott have been caught up worried about other people's horses in the small, paceless fields he's met in his last pair.

Since Mott is still at the helm, and inexplicably still thinks the blinkers are a good idea, I'm not going to hold my breath that he will take them off again. And he won't get John Velasquez back with Authentic in line for the Classic.

That said, plenty of bridesmaid types and Grade 2-types have won the BC Classic. Wild Again, Skywalker, Arcangues, Alphabet Soup, Cat Thief, Volponi, Pleasantly Perfect, Drosselmeyer, and Vino Rosso all fit that bill. Had Ferdinand not had a well orchestrated build-up to the 1987 BC in well-spaced, sub-tier races (Cabrillo, Goodwood), I'm sure we could get a few on this board to call him a bridesmaid, too.

It's quite inaccurate to describe Pleasantly Perfect and Vino Rosso as "bridesmaids".

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by Someday Silent

It's quite inaccurate to describe Pleasantly Perfect and Vino Rosso as "bridesmaids".

Maybe so. The point was they were not at the top of their division during the lead up to the BC Classic.

Pleasantly Perfect hadn't won a Grade 1 and couldn't get within 3 lengths of either Milwaukee Brew or Congaree before the Classic that year.

Vino Rosso was 1 for 7 in Grade 1 starts and had 3 or 4 lengths to find on McKinzie leading up to the Classic.

[clicknow]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

On the other hand, two unplaced finishes in back-to-back BC Classic's would (rightfully) expose him, and we can't have that...

Not sure what you mean by expose; I say this because I love his breeding, very much. Specatular.

Problem is there's not a lot of the right type of races for a horse like him here in the U.S. I get tired of watching the stamina horses run out of track and then everybody calls them a tomato can.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by clicknow

Not sure what you mean by expose; I say this because I love his breeding, very much. Specatular.

Exposed as in proven (through racing) to be inferior to the top of his division. Code of Honor has some excuses this year that might explain away his lack of success in his Grade 1 starts, but a poor effort under the right conditions (full field, solid pace, classic distance) in the BC Classic would have cemented the possibility that he simply isn't good enough.

Problem is there's not a lot of the right type of races for a horse like him here in the U.S. I get tired of watching the stamina horses run out of track and then everybody calls them a tomato can.

No doubt, which makes the decision to pass on one of the few opportunities to get the ideal race conditions Code of Honor needs all the more perplexing.

However, some have suggested that the connections think Code of Honor is more of a middle distance/miler type horse. The bottom side of the pedigree is certainly geared towards speed with Dixie Union, Capote, Mt. Livermore, Blushing Groom, and Bold Forbes present.

[Someday Silent]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

Vino Rosso was 1 for 7 in Grade 1 starts and had 3 or 4 lengths to find on McKinzie leading up to the Classic.

Ahh, yes... *Officially* Vino Rosso was 1 for 7 in G1 races, but he still crossed the wire first in the JCGC. I won't go down the rabbit hole of his disqualification, but that race showed he was a Classic contender. As for McKinzie, he had his moments but never demonstrated a true ability to get 10 furlongs.

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by Someday Silent

Ahh, yes... *Officially* Vino Rosso was 1 for 7 in G1 races, but he still crossed the wire first in the JCGC. I won't go down the rabbit hole of his disqualification, but that race showed he was a Classic contender. As for McKinzie, he had his moments but never demonstrated a true ability to get 10 furlongs.

We're basically arguing for the same side.

I don't disagree that Vino Rosso was a BC Classic contender. He simply wasn't a win machine. But given the weak field for the 2019 Classic and McKinzie's distance limitations, his profile got a boost. Overall, his race record won't stir memories of greatness just like many other BC Classic winners.

IMO, given the way the race is shaping up (weak field w/ declining form, decent pace scenario) things can still fall into place for a whipping boy like Tacitus (...if they take the blinkers off).