I took a quick glance at the second post, and I have to admit, I do not speculate about which trainers are going about winning by illegal means. I have worked around horses to know the difference one single person can make in a horse, whether it be good or bad, and how some days, the horse can just be exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. Most people don't like to believe it, but horses really do have their own personalities and also have their good days and bad. Besides, I thought in this country we're "innocent until proven guilty."
And in the case of Affirmed Success .. how long is this old guy supposed to keep hammering out top efforts? From the very beginning when he debuted at age 3 he showed he was special. After winning his first three starts, he then ran third in the Jim Dandy before trying the Travers. That was five years ago. He is now an 8-year-old. I don't think many would disagree that he's lost a step from his best racing days, but he was good enough to turn the tables on Wrangler to win the Toboggan in his last start.
These connections deserve a lot of credit for being so open minded with this horse to allow him to try different things .. at which he has succeeded. Not only is he a nice sprinter, but he is also a good miler, AND a good turf runner. Currently, according to BRIS, his record stands at 35-14-9-5 with earnings of $1,886,014. Maybe Affirmed Success will perk back up to peak form with the warmer weather, but if he doesn't I'll lean more to it being his age rather than sheer speculation about some "funny" stuff.
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