American Pharoah splashes home first in Preakness

[pandy]

With the off track, it's tougher to evaluate his performance. It looked good, especially after that strong first quarter, but many horses run superior efforts on off tracks. When you look at the field, Firing Line got out of the gate awkwardly then got caught very wide. That left one good horse, Dortmund. Dortmund just didn't have anything left but how much was the off track a factor? It will be up to the trainers. If A.P. scared off enough owners and trainers and the field is weak, that will help his chances. I hope we get a decent field so he can earn it.

[minethatbird08]

Originally Posted by pandy

With the off track, it's tougher to evaluate his performance. It looked good, especially after that strong first quarter, but many horses run superior efforts on off tracks. When you look at the field, Firing Line got out of the gate awkwardly then got caught very wide. That left one good horse, Dortmund. Dortmund just didn't have anything left but how much was the off track a factor? It will be up to the trainers. If A.P. scared off enough owners and trainers and the field is weak, that will help his chances. I hope we get a decent field so he can earn it.

Belmont will have a good field. You will add a rested Frosted and Materiality.

I think the Preakness field was light because you had the Derby Top 3 who ran a carousel around the CD track.

[RXB]

Originally Posted by depalma113

He's not running against history, he's running against the other horses he's already trounced.

The same could be said about just about all of the Derby-Preakness winners. Just because they beat the other horses in the past didn't mean that they were sure things to beat them again, especially at 12f. Spectacular Bid lost, which translates to: Any horse can lose.

[magwell]

Originally Posted by minethatbird08

Belmont will have a good field. You will add a rested Frosted and Materiality.

I think the Preakness field was light because you had the Derby Top 3 who ran a carousel around the CD track.

I agree, but believe he's a super great 3 yr old. Only the added distance makes him suspect in the Belmont, It's a absolute pleasure to watch him run, his action is smooth as silk, what a a nice horse, a dream to own one like that.....

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by RXB

The same could be said about just about all of the Derby-Preakness winners. Just because they beat the other horses in the past didn't mean that they were sure things to beat them again, especially at 12f. Spectacular Bid lost, which translates to: Any horse can lose.

Exactly. And as a handicapper, you should definitely bet against AP to win in the Belmont and make him beat you and make history.

[nijinski]

Originally Posted by RXB

The same could be said about just about all of the Derby-Preakness winners. Just because they beat the other horses in the past didn't mean that they were sure things to beat them again, especially at 12f. Spectacular Bid lost, which translates to: Any horse can lose.

One positive thing re AP , vs the Bid loss . AP's jockey towers over
the young inexperienced , cocky Franklin .

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Exactly. And as a handicapper, you should definitely bet against AP to win in the Belmont and make him beat you and make history.

These are independent trials.

[Fager Fan]

Originally Posted by nijinski

One positive thing re AP , vs the Bid loss . AP's jockey towers over
the young inexperienced , cocky Franklin .

That may be true, but inspires me to note that the Bid towered over AP.

[depalma113]

Originally Posted by RXB

The same could be said about just about all of the Derby-Preakness winners. Just because they beat the other horses in the past didn't mean that they were sure things to beat them again, especially at 12f. Spectacular Bid lost, which translates to: Any horse can lose.

Funny thing about gamblers. They rarely see greatness when they are staring it in the face. This horse is not just a little better than anything he is facing, he is vastly superior.

[f2tornado]

Originally Posted by depalma113

Funny thing about gamblers. They rarely see greatness when they are staring it in the face. This horse is not just a little better than anything he is facing, he is vastly superior.

This. I should have simply pulled the 1/ALL/ALL trifecta lever twice yesterday and been done. Some here will disagree but this is the most pathetic looking Triple Crown competition I have ever seen. It's AP then a handful of horses who struggle to land a 100 BSF.

[reckless]

Originally Posted by nijinski

One positive thing re AP , vs the Bid loss . AP's jockey towers over the young inexperienced , cocky Franklin .

Nijinski, there was an even bigger reason than Franklin in Spectacular Bid's losing bid for the Triple Crown and his name was Coastal.

Coastal's victory in the Peter Pan was one of the most brilliant and fastest races of any Triple Crown race prep of all time! I was there that day and at the Belmont when he toppled The Bid.

Coastal went 1:47 in the Peter Pan over a dull Belmont track unlike the paster board surface Firing Line skipped over in the Sunland Derby.

[pandy]

Originally Posted by depalma113

Funny thing about gamblers. They rarely see greatness when they are staring it in the face. This horse is not just a little better than anything he is facing, he is vastly superior.

He only won the Derby by a length and was all out. Yesterday he beat a much weaker field that had only two legit rivals, one of whom got a terrible wide trip in the slop, and the winner obviously loves the slop, and he ran a slow race. He may be superior, not sure about vastly superior, not sure about greatness. Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Affirmed would have also won the first two legs against these horses, but they would have won in much faster times and they would have won the Derby by wide margins.

[f2tornado]

Originally Posted by pandy

..., and he ran a slow race.

If I'm reading it right, slowest Preakness since 1950 (Hill Prince in 1:59.2) This would be just another excellent but not crown contending horse most years. I'll be rooting against in June.

[depalma113]

Originally Posted by pandy

He only won the Derby by a length and was all out. Yesterday he beat a much weaker field that had only two legit rivals, one of whom got a terrible wide trip in the slop, and the winner obviously loves the slop, and he ran a slow race. He may be superior, not sure about vastly superior, not sure about greatness. Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Affirmed would have also won the first two legs against these horses, but they would have won in much faster times and they would have won the Derby by wide margins.

Not sure about greatness, well let me put it to you a different way. There have been four horses that have entered the Belmont having won at least 5 Grade Ones.

Secretariat (7), Seattle Slew (5), Affirmed (5), Spectacular Bid (8)

American Pharoah (5) is now the 5th.

The company he is keeping is the Mt. Rushmore of horse racing over that last four decades.

[depalma113]

Originally Posted by f2tornado

If I'm reading it right, slowest Preakness since 1950 (Hill Prince in 1:59.2) This would be just another excellent but not crown contending horse most years. I'll be rooting against in June.

The race was run in a bog and had one of the fastest half miles in Preakness history.

I really don't get this obsession with final times without perspective.