Forever Together

[DaTruth]

On paper, Forever Together obviously rates strong consideration.. But her stretch run in the First Lady has raised some issues for me about her current form. Diamondrella is a tough mare, the distance was too short for FT, and it was only a prep for the big dance, but certainly FT should have rolled right past second place Tizaqueena, especially considering that Tizaqueena was a lot closer early to the free running Hotlantic.

That wasn't the only time this year that FT looked set to turn on the afterburners and the old finishing power turned out to be lacking. In the Canadian Hcp at Woodbine, she ended up dueling to the wire with Princess Haya and Much Obliged. Granted she clunked up for 3rd in that race last year, but this year's effort is more troubling because she was in a fight with those two horses unlike last year when she had the excuse of having too much ground to make up late . Even when FT won the Diana this year, it looked like she was going to blow past Caribbean Sunset inside the 1/16th pole, yet at the end it looked more like she was just holding that rival safe.

Perhaps it is simply a matter of FT being a year older and now wanting to do just enough to win her races. Jonathan Sheppard is reportedly very high on her chances. But to me the 2009 version of Forever Together does not look nearly as imposing as the 2008 version coming into the F&M Turf.

[brianwspencer]

In her defense, I thought the First Lady was a strange race to begin with.

It just looked funny, and the fact that Cure For Sale actually looked like she was going to win the damn thing for a few jumps pretty much validates it as an odd race, since she's not really that good, as much as I like her.

Visually, it was just strange, and I think she's better than that.

I like her enough on Friday.

[philcski]

She's probably my favorite horse in training- and I agree with you. However, the KEE race was an absolute bog, a mile is a bit short for her, and Diamondrella is really, really good (in fact if she wins the Turf Sprint and someone off the wall wins the F&M Turf I think she deserves to be Champion turf mare.) I still think she rates as the favorite but unlike last year, where I basically pushed all in on her at 5-1, I won't be singling.

[cakes44]

I was basically all in on her last year as well. I'm going with Midday this year. No reason she shouldn't get a great trip.

[MISTERGEE]

her chances do seem compromised by the possible lack of pace battle up front to soften things up, can only see Midday or Dynaforce with the pace advantage

[Travis Stone]

her chances do seem compromised by the possible lack of pace battle up front to soften things up, can only see Midday or Dynaforce with the pace advantage

She's won w/no pace in the past though.

I'm going to remain torn on her until they move into the gate, and likely, for better or worse, after the race is over.