IMO, a "good ride" is when a jockey simply makes an effort to put his horse in a position to be successful. After he does that, the rest is up to the horse.

There are times when jockeys will end up in can't win type situations...they might have a need-the-lead type, in a race with four other speeds. They might be breaking from an inside post on a dead-rail track, and end up finding themselves unable to reasonably work their way outside. They might be on a deep closer in a race void of speed. When off the pace, and unable to get out into the clear---they might choose to follow a well-bet rival who appears to have horse..and if it turns out that rival doesn't have horse, they might find themselves in a bad situation.

However, in most cases, a rider should be able to put his horse in a spot that fairly suits him....especially if he's riding a tactically gifted horse.

IMO,a "great ride" is when a jockey steals a race---or does something either tactically brilliant....or works out a perfect trip in a situation where the likelyhood of having a perfect trip is slim.

Don't we agree? I'm saying he gave a crappy ride. I think the 11 had a good shot to win also...I had the 13 to win though, and that was a sickening feeling watching the replay & knowing he was coming down.

I think this notion that going faster up front is going to allow a horse to beat better, or even equal, horses that are running behind him is just silly.

Andy, you are probably right on all counts, and after having a day to think about this, I would have to say... Garrett Gomez SUCKS!
He rode Hard Spun like he was pissed he wasn't on the Filly. Followed directions to a T, but do you really think 3-4 wide, while being choked on a 50 second first half mile is what Larry Jones had in mind? That said, I do totally agree he was not winning that race under any scenario. He did nothing to injure the horse, but he never should have been allowed to ride under those circumstances to begin with.
My opinion of GG is not based on just yesterday, but on a big pile of discarded tickets over the years (or at least my perception of such).

And yet you apparently continue to bet his horses?

IMO, he cannot be too bad if he is on top of the earnings list. Not to say that some individual rides may be less than stellar, but overall, he has the skills and uses them.

--Dunbar

I didn't say he was a bad rider, I just said he SUCKS:)
You do realize this has become light-hearted, nonsense, for me, anyway. I am far more dissapointed with yesterday as a whole, than I am angry at Garrett Gomez.

I think you're absolutely dead wrong.

dream rush yes wait awile for sure...waitawile was a joke he was over confedent thet when they turned for home he would blow by,,imo.....and joey.....you betta talk now mon

http://www.newsday.com/search/ny-spb...,6977749.story

According to post-race comments Gomez made the decision.

Not that it would've mattered anyways.

......you could run him at 2 furlongs and he isnt beating curlin........he is just a cut below.

I ... hate ... that ... horse.

Let's say that John Velaquez would have ridden all 3 of those horses yesterday. Which of those horses would have won?

Dream Rush and possibly Wait a While.

i think gomez thought wait a while was much better than she was, and that my typhoon was much worse than she turned out to be yesterday, that he could gun to the lead when he wanted.

ooops.

Use Prado and not Johnny V- even though he won the big one yesterday, he's been less than stellar lately. . .

Dream Rush wins
Wait a While might win
Hard Spun loses no matter what

He obviously had to go to the lead on Dream Rush from the rail. Once he got on the lead, he tried to rate her the best he could. It wasn't as if he asked her and she opened up 5 lengths and got run down. He slowed her down as much as he could. He couldn't have been any stiller in the saddle. I think the filly was just a little too head-strong for GG to slow her down any more than he did. He had a very tight hold of her. I agree with you that you don't want to go :45 1/5 in a mile race. That is definitely too fast. I don't think he wanted to go that fast, but once she was rolling on the lead it didn't look like he could get her to settle much more than she did.

Honestly, you all are giving WAY too much credit to riders for having an effect on the outcome of races. I suggest spending time handicapping intelligently and forgetting about jockeys and the net results will be much better for you at the windows.

Hard Spun was never going to be able to go the mile and a half.....End of story.

I just find it interesting how everyone piles on guys like Johnny McKee (Lawyer Ron) and Mario Pino (Hard Spun) when they go too fast or too early on big-time horses, but Gomez gets a pass because there was "nothing he could do."