Pennsylvania Derby Could Be The Best Ever

[Man o Taz]

And I do think it was one of the best ever - if not the best ever.

Top competition.

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winner
4 horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby
2 horses that ran in the Preakness Stakes
1 that ran in the Belmont Stakes
1 that ran in the Travers Stakes
2 Grade 1 winning horses
2 multiple graded stakes winning horses
4 graded stakes winning horses
5 stakes winning horses

That said the attendance came in by estimates I saw at only just above 16,000 people which was a disappointment for me since earlier estimates pegged it at 20-30,000.

It still was far more than I had ever seen at the race and the paddock was packed.

[Man o Taz]

Here's Haskin's write up on Chrome in the Pennsylvania Derby...

Can California Chrome rebound off his performance in the Pennsylvania Derby to the extent of knocking off Shared Belief and the other 3-year-olds in the Classic? It must be noted that the five times in his career he has been stuck on the inside or between horses he has finished out of the money, unable to kick in even when there was room turning for home. When he's been on the outside and in the clear, he has been unbeatable. But beating (Derby runner-up) Commanding Curve and (Preakness runner-up) Ride On Curlin is not exactly the same as meeting this new group of potential stars.

So, it will be all guesswork when it comes to evaluating his chances in the Classic. It sure would make for a great story if he could rebound, especially with the large fan base he has amassed through his Triple Crown heroics. But races are marketed and sold before the race, and we'll have to see how far his star appeal has dropped after his lackluster performance at Parx.

Chromies, as his fans are often known, had to feel frustrated watching Victor Espinoza try desperately to get out off the rail and into a clear path. After breaking sharply, he was confronted by C J's Awesome charging up from the outside, thwarting his first escape attempt. But that was to be expected considering C J's Awesome's early lick. It was the second attempt that did him in when Javier Castellano, on Protonico, asked his horse going into the first turn, and it was obvious that Castellano was intent on keeping California Chrome boxed in, no matter how hard Espinoza tried to get out, even attempting for a second to bull his way out. But Castellano had him locked in and had thrown away the key. He wasn't about to leave the door open even a crack. That's when Espinoza resigned himself to his fate and just tried to follow Bayern, hoping something would open up. When it finally did it was too late. California Chrome seemed spent by then, offering little in the stretch.

By the way, Protonico finished over four lengths behind California Chrome in seventh, which often happens to horses when they are preoccupied for so long with going after targeted favorites. That is two races in a row now that a Todd Pletcher horse has compromised California Chrome – first it was longshot Matterhorn stepping on the back of his ankle at the start of the Belmont in a freak occurrence and now with Protonico, who was coming off an impressive victory in the Smarty Jones Stakes over the Parx Racing surface.

With all that said, the outcome of the Pennsylvania Derby, as far as the winner goes, might not have been altered even if California Chrome had gotten out. Perhaps even more damaging to him than his entrapment was the :47 4/5 half-mile fraction glaring ominously from the tote board. That pretty much sealed the fate of not only California Chrome, but every other horse in the race.

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2014/09/22/shared-belief-needs-to-be-awesome-again.aspx#ixzz3ELlyOqLF

My issue continues to be that California Chrome was at a minimum the second fastest horse in the race...

Knowing that he does not like the inside and usually finishes out of the money when placed there why not use more horse early. It may have compromised him to the extent that he did not have enough gas for the stretch run - I understand that - but with the alternative being a definite loss why not take the chance? I know - hindsight is 20/20 but if I can scream this during the race I'm certain the Mr. Espinosa had to be thinking it as well. That said, the goal was a tune up - I hope Chrome got a nice full blowout. He has 6 weeks to regroup - a week off and then 5 weeks to build him for the  BC Classic. And I think the horse to fear there is Bayern more than Shared Belief. I think Shared Belief is going to have a tough time of it with three in a row against older horses. In addition, Chrome and Shared Belief both come off the pace with Shared Belief a deeper closer.

[Man o Taz]

A combination of fitness, the trip and Bayern's easy lead according to Maggie Wolfendale's analysis of the Pennsylvania Derby.

http://www.hrtv.com/videos/maggie-wolfendale-on-belmonts-stakes-races-92514/?VideoCategoryId=0