I didnt have any $$$ on CQ.... only AGS did put in my exacta's... but I do thank Todd for BlueGrass Cat last year and collected the $ 594.00 exacta with barbarbo.... He can win races, but I only wonder when these barns get sooooooo large, does the ""hands on "' training suffer ?

Phil, he's the one that trained Pie O My...Go get your shine box

I have a question for you guys. If Pletcher trained his Derby horses differently this year, which Pletcher horse would have beaten Street Sense in the Derby? I don't think any of them. Street Sense ran huge in the Derby. I don't think any of Pletcher's horses could have beaten him, no matter what Pletcher would have done.

NONE OF THEM. He didn't have the horse to beat SS. I think he did well to keep as many of them healthy enough to get in the race.

But they at least could have beaten Imawildncrazyguy and Sedgefield, no?

That would of put me in to some winning super's

and Peyton Manning could not lead a team to a ................................

:D :D :D

well, since the derby is a done deal, any talk of what if's would be pure speculation.

BUT street sense certainly has not proven to be unbeatable.

nafzger, jones and asmussen did right by their horses, all three (not so much curlin imo) ran very well, and evidently their trainers knew what they were doing. of course asmussen got curlin late in the game, so having what he had to work with, all things considered curlin did well.

but for a guy to have 5 of the 20 starters, and fail so dismally.....something just isn't right there.

Yes, that's true.

Carl Nafzger has only taken three horses to the derby in his entire career, and has two wins to show for it.

As a Colts fan, I'm glad you didn't say Peyton Manning, although until this February you would have been tempted. Look, no one knows more than Pletcher that 5 off the board and 0-19 is more than disappointing. One thing gets overlooked is that he was ableto get five to the race. Sometimes you need the horse. When you look at his clients, Winstar, Scatourcio, Padua, Tabor, they are not people who take kindly to sitting out the big ones. Just my two cents.

There is no question that there is something to be said about concentrating on one or two horses. It had to be mayhem for him in the weeks leading up to and Derby Day. If I'm Tabor I want him to give all his attention to my horse, but the reality of the situation is NOBODY....was beating Street Sense.
Also Tabor has been trusting Pletcher with his horses for many years. Pletcher just has not had a horse good enough to win this yet. This does not diminish his skills as a trainer. Look at Saratoga. It's the Premier racing meet in the country. He has blown away the competition. He will win the Derby several times before it's over. I'm saying all of this and I'm not even a big Pletcher fan, I just have a major respect for his training abilities.

I think that's a very good point.

no

I could be completely wrong here BUT, It is such an accomplishment to get to the TC races that undue pressure is put on these trainers....its not like Florida was just glad to get to BCS title game/or NCAA finals(you can thank me later,Cajun)...horses are different...not machines. 20 horse fields don't help either. IMO..if you want an honest race and conditions...you gotta trim the field to the one starting gate. Any trainer in the World would trade places with TP for the success he's garnered in the past years!

There's no doubt that Pletcher has been the dominant trainer in America in the past few years. But you're wrong. This is just like any other sport in that it's not enough to just get to a big day like the Derby or BC. You've got to show something on those days, especially if you're setting training records left and right, and this was as good a day as any for Pletcher to show something, and he didn't. He came up empty for whatever reason. Period.

The difference,my friend,is exactly what you wrote...it's about the horses...you can do everything possible to see them into the race and ...then they don't fire! I'd just as soon say that his horses weren't as advertized than hammer Pletcher. Frankel,Zito,Mandella have all had those stretches. You just shake your head and hit the next race!;)

He will get one sooner than later. He has the edge, class wise.