Travers

[pele polo]

2 opinions I want to share:

- Saratoga's main track has played pretty fair so I dont see a son of Oflee Wild (Bayern) getting the distance. I think he hits an absolute brick wall inside the 1/8th pole and may not hit the board. Will not use in the top 3 spots.

- Mr Speaker is very intriguing and I'm willing to use him extensively with Tonalist and Wicked Strong. These three together are the clear standouts for me.


Also want to add that the meet has been JimmyJerkins' coming out party. He's been tearing it up and having two in the Travers is a great accomplishment. A very good trainer that Im happy to see find this type of success.

[jk3521]

Originally Posted by pele polo

2 opinions I want to share:



Also want to add that the meet has been JimmyJerkins' coming out party. He's been tearing it up and having two in the Travers is a great accomplishment. A very good trainer that Im happy to see find this type of success.

It's in the blood!

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by pele polo

2 opinions I want to share:

- Saratoga's main track has played pretty fair so I dont see a son of Oflee Wild (Bayern) getting the distance. I think he hits an absolute brick wall inside the 1/8th pole and may not hit the board. Will not use in the top 3 spots.

- Mr Speaker is very intriguing and I'm willing to use him extensively with Tonalist and Wicked Strong. These three together are the clear standouts for me.


Also want to add that the meet has been JimmyJerkins' coming out party. He's been tearing it up and having two in the Travers is a great accomplishment. A very good trainer that Im happy to see find this type of success.

Jimmy Jerkens is having a phenomenal year, but he has won a BC Mile, a Fla Derby, a Travers, a BC Dirt Mile, a Met Mile and the Wood Memorial in recent memory. Hard to call this his "coming out party."

[letswastemoney]

I don't get why no one thinks Offlee Wild can sire 10 F winners. Did he not win the 10 F 2005 Suburban?

[Thebigguy]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

I don't get why no one thinks Offlee Wild can sire 10 F winners. Did he not win the 10 F 2005 Suburban?

Agree. I think Bayern is clearly the most likely winner and if the track plays like it did today he will break this race open turning for home and win huge. Wicked Strong has a big chance. He is my main backup and a horse Im covering in all multis. Thats it. I was going to cover Mr. Speaker... Not anymore. I think he is very talented and could be Shugs next Point Of Entry, but I dont think he is ready for this race over this surface. I could see him running a solid 3rd though.

[Racey]

concerning Tonalist not sure why he clearly has been pointed here. Last race was a tune up.

[pele polo]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

Jimmy Jerkens is having a phenomenal year, but he has won a BC Mile, a Fla Derby, a Travers, a BC Dirt Mile, a Met Mile and the Wood Memorial in recent memory. Hard to call this his "coming out party."

Solid point but i believe well be seeing him at this level more consistently moving forward.

[pele polo]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

I don't get why no one thinks Offlee Wild can sire 10 F winners. Did he not win the 10 F 2005 Suburban?

I wouldn't be surprised if he won. It is Baffert. In fact if he wins impressively and does well in the fall he'll be knocking on the door of star status and everyone likes to cheer on a star. I won't hate on the horse.

However, I'll be expressing my opinion in how I construct my wagers. He's going to be heavily bet while in among other proven G1 horses. A vulnerable favorite.

I think he's shown he's a miler. The way in which he handled those horses in the Woody Stephens was spectacular. But not often do we see horse with that type of performance come back and win G1 at the classic distance two races later. If he does it, he's special but hell have to prove it before I bet him.

[zico20]

Originally Posted by pele polo

2 opinions I want to share:

- Saratoga's main track has played pretty fair so I dont see a son of Oflee Wild (Bayern) getting the distance. I think he hits an absolute brick wall inside the 1/8th pole and may not hit the board. Will not use in the top 3 spots.

- Mr Speaker is very intriguing and I'm willing to use him extensively with Tonalist and Wicked Strong. These three together are the clear standouts for me.


Also want to add that the meet has been JimmyJerkins' coming out party. He's been tearing it up and having two in the Travers is a great accomplishment. A very good trainer that Im happy to see find this type of success.

Just out of curiosity, would Bayern have hit a wall in the Haskell and finished off the board had they gone another quarter mile. To me, it didn't look like he would have stopped on a dime.

[ArlJim78]

More likely to hit the wall, whoever tries to run with Bayern or push him. for example what happened to Social Inclusion, WildCat Red, Untapable.
I'm not seeing who in this race is going to keep Bayern honest while not compromising their chances of winning. There are no hopeless speed horses to do the dirty work. The blinkered Wicked Strong seems like the one most likely to stalk, but Bayern is not going to be as easy to reel in as Legend.
Bayern/Mr. Speaker/Tonalist, Kid Cruz, Charge Now, Wicked Strong

[Matt Bryan]

Originally Posted by zico20

Just out of curiosity, would Bayern have hit a wall in the Haskell and finished off the board had they gone another quarter mile. To me, it didn't look like he would have stopped on a dime.

But, of course, that was a different race and different track. Further, Bayern is the only horse in the field not to have run at Saratoga. He's not even training there. The Haskell was impressive, and I'm still kicking myself for not backing him in the Woody...but, still not sure how I feel about him here.

[pele polo]

Bayern ran them off their feet but caught an easy lead in the Haskell. But who exactly did he beat?

- Albano- 2nd, may not even be considered a top 20 three year old at years end.
- Wildcat Red- 3rd, has proven he's a second tier three year old.
- Social Inclusion- horrendous start, rushed up.
- Untapable- wide, never looked comfortable, never fired.

None of which would have been competitive in Travers.

[Matt Bryan]

Originally Posted by pele polo

Bayern ran them off their feet but caught an easy lead in the Haskell. But who exactly did he beat?

- Albano- 2nd, may not even be considered a top 20 three year old at years end.
- Wildcat Red- 3rd, has proven he's a second tier three year old.
- Social Inclusion- horrendous start, rushed up.
- Untapable- wide, never looked comfortable, never fired.

None of which would have been competitive in Travers.

Wildcat Red stumbled at the start as well.

[zico20]

Originally Posted by pele polo

Bayern ran them off their feet but caught an easy lead in the Haskell. But who exactly did he beat?

- Albano- 2nd, may not even be considered a top 20 three year old at years end.
- Wildcat Red- 3rd, has proven he's a second tier three year old.
- Social Inclusion- horrendous start, rushed up.
- Untapable- wide, never looked comfortable, never fired.

None of which would have been competitive in Travers.

He will catch an easy lead again. If your super fast, it does not matter who else is in the race. If Bayern doesn't tire in the final quarter, he wins by daylight. If Bayern runs another 107 Beyer, its all over no matter who else is in the race. The rest simply can't run fast enough.

[zico20]

Originally Posted by Matt Bryan

But, of course, that was a different race and different track. Further, Bayern is the only horse in the field not to have run at Saratoga. He's not even training there. The Haskell was impressive, and I'm still kicking myself for not backing him in the Woody...but, still not sure how I feel about him here.

Great horses can run at any track. That is of no concern, whatsoever. Baffert is still the best around, IMO. I know many people don't like him, but I do. Baffert won't send him all the way across the country if he didn't think he would get the distance.