Travers Stakes

[curtis]

I believe Moose Skowron belongs in that group too.

Lots of systems have worked very well over the years.....wife liked the greys in the mud but had no idea who Relaunch was!

Moose Skowran was a Yankee although I think he had a cup of coffee with the 1960's post Koufax Dodgers.  He is in my stable mail though.  All those baseball themed named horses are bred by Nick Alexander.  We've got one named Archie Graham--of Field of Dreams fame--running up here currently at EMD. 

Not that she would have caught much of a payoff but I hope your wife was with you whenever Stardust Mel ran.  He was actually registered as brown.  Not sure what they were looking at, must of typed the B instead of the G.  The best payoff I ever had with a gray in the mud was on a horse named Sassoon at Santa Anita.  The horse won about once every Ice Age but he loved mud and caught a ridiculously sloppy track one opening day in the late '70's with Shoemaker up.  Didn't matter that he was gray, by the end of the race Sassoon and Shoe were mud colored. 

[Man o Taz]

Arrogate reminds me of Bellamy Road in the 2005 Wood Memorial. And he never won a race after that one. We shall see.

A nice analogy. And an impressive win.

I told people this horse has no chance. A lot I knew. LOL

We shall see how he does. How do folks feel about the idea of his training up to the big race? I always like a prep race within 4-6 weeks of the BC, especially for a lightly raced 3 year old, but Bob Baffert knows his stuff. Only 3 horses have won off a longer than 3 week layoff...American Pharoah, Invasor and I forget who the third was that I read somewhere.

[curtis]

A nice analogy. And an impressive win.

I told people this horse has no chance. A lot I knew. LOL

We shall see how he does. How do folks feel about the idea of his training up to the big race? I always like a prep race within 4-6 weeks of the BC, especially for a lightly raced 3 year old, but Bob Baffert knows his stuff. Only 3 horses have won off a longer than 3 week layoff...American Pharoah, Invasor and I forget who the third was that I read somewhere.

It may have been Sunday Silence.

Invasor was actually 4 on both calendars by the time of the BC as he was foaled in August of 2002.  He was allowed to run in the UAE Derby that year because by Southern Hemisphere standards--their birthday is July 1--he was still 3 and in Dubai they allow that. In essence, he was approximately 4-6 months or more older than most of his competition in that race.  So even if he had won by the length of the stretch, Invasor was ineligible for the 2006 TC races or any race restricted to 3 year-olds in this country.  In North America, it doesn't matter when during the year the horse is born, it will still become a yearling the next January 1st.  So when he won the BC Classic he was 4--a young 4, but 4 nonetheless.

[Man o Taz]

Thanks.

Sunday Silence won the Super Derby as a BC prep. I am wrong. There were only 2 - Invasor and American Pharoah. Which means only 1 real 3 year old won the BC without a prep within 6 weeks of the race.

Is Arrogate that quality horse? I guess we will find out.

[curtis]

Thanks.

Sunday Silence won the Super Derby as a BC prep. I am wrong. There were only 2 - Invasor and American Pharoah. Which means only 1 real 3 year old won the BC without a prep within 6 weeks of the race.

Is Arrogate that quality horse? I guess we will find out.

I remember that now, Whittingham gave Sunday Silence only a 1:33 and change afternoon mile workout, in lieu of a race, between the Swaps and the Super Derby and then he went on to the Classic.

Arrogate is a quality horse.  The pp's didn't do him justice, I think you needed to watch a replay of his races to appreciate him.  I was getting on a plane on Travers Day to come home from Del Mar.  My wife asked who I liked in the Travers, I sighed and replied Arrogate and put just a nominal online bet on him.  I told her it was probably a dumb bet because I thought he needed to be 5-1 or more to be playable and I thought that he would probably go off at about 7-2.  When the plane landed and I turned on my phone a message congratulating Arrogate for his record breaking win in the Travers was the first thing to appear.  That didn't shock me, what shocked me was that he went off at 11-1.  Now I have no clue how long he's going to last because Unbridled Song's always seem to be on borrowed time.  If Baffert can keep him going through next year though, I think you'll see some special things.

[Man o Taz]

I hope so. Unbridled Song has had so many promising sons that had their racing careers end too early, it would be really nice to see him get a horse that can show brilliance for a full year or more.

I just hope he races out East next year a couple of times. :-)

It would be nice to see he and Songbird meet in the Woodward or BC Classic.

[stark]

All those baseball themed named horses are bred by Nick Alexander.  We've got one named Archie Graham--of Field of Dreams fame--running up here currently at EMD. 

Not sure if Nick Alexander Imports runs any in the Bay Area where it could be fully appreciated, but I'm thinking DON'T LOOK AT ME would be a good name for a horse, Giants fan or not

[curtis]

Not sure if Nick Alexander Imports runs any in the Bay Area where it could be fully appreciated, but I'm thinking DON'T LOOK AT ME would be a good name for a horse, Giants fan or not

Alexander has had horses with Steve Miyadi in the Bay Area. I think Miyadi said that, or something similar to Alex Solis. Although it might have been Don't Ride For Me....I forget.😉  There is a horse in so. CA named Mad Bum. I don't think he's one of Alexander's though. I go to AZ for a few days of Spring Training every March. I'm hoping that Mad Bum and the Evil Ones come to play the Dodgers while I'm there. I plan on imploring that red a$$ to not Look At Me at every opportunity.

[stark]