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Originally Posted by SecretAgentMan
Big Browns was :45, definitely faster paces up front than Chromes 1st q mile but the final time of Chrome was better. IMO, if Espinoza doesn't slow Chrome down in the stretch, the final time IMO is 1:45.......
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Aside from going quick early, Brown had that outside post in his final prep which for that track is usually a significant stressor in and of itself. Barbaro and, to a greater degree Big Brown ran into the teeth of that bias showing that they could not only run fast enough, but do it while experiencing adversity.
California Chrome's San Felipe win would be a contrast to that. He used his superior tactical speed to decisively grab a dream trip early and Grade3 horses like Midnight Hawk and Kristo were running for minor awards before the first quarter mile was in the books.
In California Chrome's Santa Anita Derby he was a little tight early, but it materialized into a very good trip.
We have to go back to his losses to find more adversity. In the Del Mar Futurity 9/04/13 - He got pretty good setup for a belated rally. Unfortunately he was blocked late while making a move, so it was difficult to tell where he would have finished.
In the Golden State Juv. 11/01/13 - California Chrome was off a bit slow and used a ton of energy making headway early on the backstretch. He was then shuffled back again. It was a game effort. Had he been able to break better, or even settle and not waste energy, rather than climbing through the field prematurely like he did, he could have won that race.
