ArlJim he wouldn't commit but he said if he bounced out ok he would see. Johnny raved about him after the race and I'm sure if this horse comes out of the race ok that he will go. One thing about the three weeks rest I will say, bounces seem to affect horses off a top coming back in less than a month more severely when they are lightly raced and do not have a solid foundation. Cat has danced a lot of dances and I truly don't think he would bounce to the moon, especially since Todd's smart enough to train him lightly and just gallop him into the race. A repeat of that effort yesterday may not beat Bernadini but it will make Bernadini give his all.

A heads up to those that saw Bluegrass Cat washed out. no need to worry about that hindering his performance (stating the obvious b/c he won so impressively) he was washed up in the derby and even acted up on the track too, its just that storm cat coming out in him.

Bernandini was friggin awesome last week, but BGC certainly appears to be a top notch 3yo as well. Pletcher has been a little warm this year as well.

If the Cat passes on the Travers, where would he prep? I would think Pletcher would use a race at CD if it fite the time limitations. Also another race over the BC surface. I dont think Pletcher would avoid Bernardini but he is generaly 2 or 3 moves ahead of everyone else and is thinking about what is best for his horse. Does anyone have a picture of BGC before the derby and a current one> I ay be wrong but to me physicaly he looks so much more developed, biger, and more mature. I would like to see a comparison.

You know something, I thought how great his race was would be lost by many but it appears that many of you appreciated just how great it was. I thought I would be fighting an uphill battle on here trying to extoll the virtues of that awesome performance but you guys are already starting threads or replying with questions about him in the BCC!! WHich means I have missed something as well. That race he ran was so good that he may not care if he wins the Travers, he may try to plot a course to honestly have a shot in the BCC. One things for sure, if hes not ready to run in the Travers he won't be in there.

Oracle, I was extremely impressed by his demeanor during the race. He just seemed to be out there toying around. My question is, and yes its VERY hypothetical, but if he were to skip the Travers and win the BCC, does that put him in the dog fight for champion 3 yo with Bernardini (assuming Bernardini wins the Travers)? It seems like it could go either way at that point. Again, very hypothetical, but hey, im caught in the moment!

I dont know, im a fan of Barbaro. He had talent, no doubt. But he won two G1's in the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby, and then a listed and two G3's. I just couldnt imagine the voting not going to Bernardini or Bluegrass Cat if they beat older horses in the Classic. But I can see the argument... Barbaro was impressive in the biggest 3yo race of the year and has kept his name in the news...

Funny that you use the words toying around and I used the words having a ball out there. I just really didn't expect that kind of an effort and it really blew me away, especially the way that he did it. I had always thought of BC as a workmanlike horse who I had labeled in my own mind as a "grinder" type without the tactical speed or burst of speed necessary to be top caliber. He also always needed to be ridden to give his all in his prior starts and didn't strike me as a particularly "happy horse" out there.
They opened the gates and I had very low expectations for the race, I thought it would be a rather boring affair. I lost my mind as they entered the far turn and the horse was obviously having a blast and Johnny had a hammerlock. He just looked like a completely different animal. Johnny V kind of confirmed what I thought I had just seen when he stood up before the line and vigorously pumped his fist. He wins huge races all the time and doesnt always react like that. I told the guy next to me that it must have felt as good to Johnny as it looked to me because his reaction was definitely the reaction of a guy who has just discovered that he has a very good horse to ride.
I love the sport and really was upset that the Travers had appeared until yesterday to be on the verge of becoming an anticlimactic formality for Bernadini. The Travers should always be much more than that. If Pletcher decides to run the horse in the Travers, it should be a nice show.

In my opinion Bluegrass Cat would not have a shot at 3 year old champion unless he won the Travers & BC Classic. If he skips the Travers and Berardini wins the Travers, then it would be unlikely Bluegrass Cat would have any shot at it. Unless of course Bluegrass Cat won both the Jockey Club and the BC Classic, which is a longshot he'd even run in both races.

I completely agree. We, as fans, needed this showing from another 3yo. Even if we're building up this battle of two titans that never materializes, its still exciting as hell.

I always thought of him as a grinder as well. I look at everything from a pedigree/breeding prospect, and he finally showed the turn of foot that I look for in a good stallion prospect... although I dont exactly own a mare. lol

To be honest these connections care less than most would about being champion. They themselves are in the breeding game and they now have an impressive grade one winning son of Storm Cat with a strong bottom line on the female side. He is now officially an ATM machine. What they want are more impressive races from him to strengthen his stud value. I don't think they particularly care about being champion and realize that it is a very long shot that they get the championship.

So that pretty much answers my question. Winstar is going to have a FIELD DAY with this colt when he retires. From arguably the most stallion-proven and most classy line of La Troienne on the bottom and by Storm Cat... the only problem I see is he's a Storm Cat-Indy-Mr. P-Northern Dancer... there's going to be some interesting inbreeding going on.

Sure will be!! A little West Virginia lovin going on.

Where the men are men, so are the women and the sheep are scared... yee haw!:eek:

make that eastern Kentucky lovin...

I can't wait to see what Bernardini can do if he actually gets a challenge, that will be the exciting thing, I think Deputy Glitters ran about as well as Flower Alley. :D

Does anyone know where I can find a free video of the race? I forgot to set my DVR (stupid GR) and missed it and stupid ESPN is only showing the stretch run for some reason.

I should note I'm a mac user-- calracing.com doesn't work on macs.

NTRA.com -- go under "races" and look it up under August...they had it earlier today, anyway.

Yeah I know, you just keep bashing Todd!! The guy has by all accounts(I'm sure even his own) a bad weekend yet manages a 3rd in the Whitney, a win in the Matchmaker stakes yesterday, a win in the million dollar Haskell, and an allowance win at the Spa yesterday. I guess he should be looking for some rope to hang himself with. His stable banked a million bucks this past week.:)

Thanks, Irish! That did the trick... :)

I think BGC could still have a chance at HOY without racing in the Travers. If neither BGC n'or Bright One race in the Travers, who will Bernardini beat if he wins? BGC won a GI impressively, while the Jim Dandy was only a GII. If those two don't meet until the BC and continue to win until then, I think that race could determine 3 yo of the year. If either one of them wins or runs very well, they'll get it. If not, give it to Barbaro. . .

bluegrass still has a shot...he ran in two classic vs bernardinis single--yeah, that was a win, but bgc has two seconds....and his million dollar win yesterday has to put him on par w/ bernardini at THIS point.
i think it all comes down to whether one of them beats the older horses.


i hope he comes out well, and todd elects to run in the travers. this guy knows how to run 10f, we can only assume that bernardini can. and bright one to lead the way to the far turn. i can't remember the last time i felt so excited about the travers!

Ya, but the Preakness had a weak field. BGC got second in the Derby and Belmont- both of which had much better fields than the Preakness. Especially when you take Barbaro out of the equation at Pimlico.

I'll admit that I'm a little anti-Bernardini though because of my allegiance to Barbaro. The only bet I made in the Preakness was an exacta with Barbaro over Bernardini, and I've seen Bernardini in person so I know how impressive he looks. As stupid as it may sound, I think I'll always resent him for what happened to Barbaro-even though he had nothing to do with it. It's a shame that Bernardini will always sort of have that over his head. It could've been Affirmed/Alydar all over again.

Looks like Danzig kind of beat me to my point

Your high if you think the Belmont had a better field than the Preakness. That couldnt be further from the truth. The Preakness had Barbaro, Bernardini and the Sweetsaint, all of which are better than Jazil.

Bluegrass Cat ran a wow yesterday. He is legit if Pletcher keeps him going in the rght direction.

But the rest of that Belmont field was not anything to write home about.

High Finance, LOL. Had to be the stupidest bet I have ever made.

i think the preakness was the better field, BUT...the champ got knocked out, and pretty much took bro derek off his game, and out of contention when he stopped in front of him. as for SNS, it was one too many at that point. i'll be surprised if he makes it back before years end.
the belmont was definitely the weakest field this year.

i just can't seem to quite wrap my mind around them skipping the third jewel with bernardini. wasn't like he was put thru a grinder this spring, he took it pretty easy. i really think they aimed specifically for the preakness to pull a 'red bullet', and play spoiler. i could be wrong....but it's what i think.

I would call that Belmont anything but a jewel. Sorry, it was the worst triple crown race I can ever remember.

Thank god Saratoga here and Belmont fall meet follows. No grade one stinkers. Every Saturday here is good. Even in fields like the Jim Dandy your treated to a stunning performance which kind of makes up for the lack of competition.

no, there have been others that were bad. commendables for example. yikes.
hell, they even sent the horse out of the country!!

Not knocking him at all, but you seem to take pleasure in bashing all others, they don't have the numbers Todd does ( and the vet). The bottom line is you delight in taking cheap shots at Albertrani and say nothing when Pletchers short priced horses are dismal and up the track, he's always given an out in your eyes, the bottom line is Flower Alley stank just as much as Deputy Glitters and he was a far shorter price.

i'm looking forward to them meeting..but at this point, a win against older is what they need to get an eclipse.

Jazil is better than SNS- I wasn't counting Barbaro and I wasn't counting Bernardini because I was discussing who Bernardini beat. . .

yes, i said the field was the weakest of the three--doesn't translate as being a weak field necessarily. one of them had to be the weakest, right?

i just tend to have more respect for those that do, not those that skip..

if bernardini wins the travers, but fails to beat older, than i feel barbaro will get the votes. because everyone will say well barbaro would have beaten them as well. plus barbaro won the derby...and there will be much speculation that barbaro would have been the tc winner had he stayed healthy. bernardini should have gone to the belmont, then they could argue that he had two classic wins had he won in ny.