Thoughts on the Woodward - Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com

Jasonm921 · 09-05-2010, 10:10 AM

I'm as big a supporter of Quality Road as one can be. Gotta say however...was not that impressed. This was not the best competition and he (I feel) was all out. His last eighth was in 13.34 which is slow, is now the trend up up at the SPA for two turn races so don't know what to make of that but Johnny was rolling on his neck pretty hard in the final 1/4. I hope they dont stick with this dopey 8 weeks off idea for the BC Classic.

PhantomOnTour · 09-05-2010, 10:23 AM

I don't see him holding off the best the world has to offer at 1m1/4 in the BC Classic. Blame is about 2 lengths better at that distance imo.....also think Zenyatta would catch him too.

joanied · 09-05-2010, 10:26 AM

From what I read, they are going to do just that, jason...gonna do the dopey 8 weeks thing...Pletcher said QR will train up to the BC Classic...IMO, a mistake. IMO, training up to a race like the Classic isn't going to get the job done...I think QR really wants no part of the distance, and the Classic won't be run in fractions like the Woodward had...he's going to come up short in the Classic...which is kinda OK by me...he sure won't be my pick to win thar race

Bobzilla · 09-05-2010, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joanied

From what I read, they are going to do just that, jason...gonna do the dopey 8 weeks thing...Pletcher said QR will train up to the BC Classic...IMO, a mistake. IMO, training up to a race like the Classic isn't going to get the job done...

For the most part I agree about the 8 weeks thing. I don't think it's unprecedented however. If I remember correctly I believe Invasor had something around that prior to his 2006 Classic win. If anyone has the pps for that race handy I'd be interested to know how much time he had trained leading to the race. Invasor was quite a nice animal and might prove more the exception than the rule in regard to months of training leading to a major race.

FenceBored · 09-05-2010, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobzilla

For the most part I agree about the 8 weeks thing. I don't think it's unprecedented however. If I remember correctly I believe Invasor had something around that prior to his 2006 Classic win. If anyone has the pps for that race handy I'd be interested to know how much time he had trained leading to the race. Invasor was quite a nice animal and might prove more the exception than the rule in regard to months of training leading to a major race.

Don't have the pps as handy as the chart. Invasor's last race before the Classic was August 5th. Weren't no 8 weeks, was 13 weeks.

Dahoss9698 · 09-05-2010, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobzilla

For the most part I agree about the 8 weeks thing. I don't think it's unprecedented however. If I remember correctly I believe Invasor had something around that prior to his 2006 Classic win. If anyone has the pps for that race handy I'd be interested to know how much time he had trained leading to the race. Invasor was quite a nice animal and might prove more the exception than the rule in regard to months of training leading to a major race.

Invasor won the Classic off of a 90 day layoff. I believe he was supposed to run in the JCGC as a prep but was withdrawn because of a minor ailment.

Bobzilla · 09-05-2010, 10:59 AM

Thanks FenceBored and DaHoss9698 for the info. That was more time between races than I had thought.

thespaah · 09-05-2010, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasonm921

I'm as big a supporter of Quality Road as one can be. Gotta say however...was not that impressed. This was not the best competition and he (I feel) was all out. His last eighth was in 13.34 which is slow, is now the trend up up at the SPA for two turn races so don't know what to make of that but Johnny was rolling on his neck pretty hard in the final 1/4. I hope they dont stick with this dopey 8 weeks off idea for the BC Classic.

I am not betting QR in the BC Classic. That's for sure.
I saw a horse who had a middling field covered but had ot be kept very busy in the last 300 yards.
Watched the HRTV telecast of the race. Gary Stevens said "the horse is bored. He needs to be challenged otherwise he stops trying"....
Well, that's possibly true. There was a horse in the late 80's ,Broad Brush....This horse chucked races because he would get the lead and literally stop running.
So it is possible Stevens is correct.
However the time of the 9f was an unimpressive 1:50.00.

classhandicapper · 09-05-2010, 11:08 AM

I have several thoughts. IMO....

1. QR is a solid Grade 1 horse, but he's nothing special.

2. Like Rachel Alexandra, he can get 10F, but it's not an optimal distance for him. I'm not a fan of his in the Classic unless circumstances are very favorable.

3. That 121 Beyer figure (TG also had it as a minus 7) that CJ said was probably wrong looks more wrong every day based on his subsequent performances and the performances of the other horses out of the race.

4. If Zenyatta goes to the Classic, they can get her to fire her "A" race on dirt that day, and Smith can save some ground, she has a chance to beat Quality Road. Running down Blame still looks like an impossible task to me. Blame finishes exceptionally well and is also game as hell. I don't see her getting past Blame who will almost certainly have the jump on her.

PhantomOnTour · 09-05-2010, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thespaah

I am not betting QR in the BC Classic. That's for sure.
I saw a horse who had a middling field covered but had ot be kept very busy in the last 300 yards.
Watched the HRTV telecast of the race. Gary Stevens said "the horse is bored. He needs to be challenged otherwise he stops trying"....
Well, that's possibly true. There was a horse in the late 80's ,Broad Brush....This horse chucked races because he would get the lead and literally stop running.
So it is possible Stevens is correct.
However the time of the 9f was an unimpressive 1:50.00.

Problem is that when he does get challenged (looked in the eye in the stretch) he doesn't always step up. Summer Bird and Blame both got to him in the lane.

Robert Goren · 09-05-2010, 11:16 AM

In this day and age, 8 weeks is nothing. The question is the distance. There is not a lot of options if they want to run in the cup. I suppose the dirt mile could be one.

Some_One · 09-05-2010, 11:51 AM

I know I saw some moments of rain while watching the feed, and 2 of QR's losses were on wet tracks, anyone think he just didn't like the track yesterday?

ArlJim78 · 09-05-2010, 12:15 PM

I hope he goes in the classic, he'll take a lot of dead money.

Wickel · 09-05-2010, 12:44 PM

This is an odd observation on the race, but did you notice how Johnny V. kept his focus all the way to the wire, despite a huge lead. This was unlike the Jim Dandy when he must have peeked back about 10 times. Think he received a little criticism over that ride.

DeanT · 09-05-2010, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wickel

This is an odd observation on the race, but did you notice how Johnny V. kept his focus all the way to the wire, despite a huge lead. This was unlike the Jim Dandy when he must have peeked back about 10 times. Think he received a little criticism over that ride.

He certainly did get criticism, but it looks like yesterday's result shows how that criticism was misplaced. Peeking or no peeking, Blame beats him both races.