I couldnt agree more. No way should he go in the BCC.

When does Santa Anita have to switch to a different surface?

I thought they were making the move after Oak Tree.

begin 2008

Thanks. Then he wont have to worry about it. I thought they were going to do it after Oak Tree this year.

im guessing it would only make sense after santa anitas winter/spring meet in the summer before next years oak tree

Looks like after the winter meet

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ory?id=2603831

Good!

The horse ran a great Derby and was beat to sh it. Good Lord was he in the 19 or 20 hole... Jeez louise. And he should not have run in the Preakness. This guy is gonna come back and bite you if he is handled right and stays sound.

Yeah, I've changed my tune. I'm still a huge fan of the horse, and think that he is a solid Grade II animal, but I know that he can't go with the big boys. I've changed my mind because I'm learning. Remember, I'm fairly new at this game:)

That race took alot out of him and i'm not sure he'll ever be back to the form he was during his derby prep campaign.
He's not going to bite me if the connections keep putting him in races that our over his head. The logical thing to do is keep him at Santa Anita where he seems to run quite well.

The reality is (and it's a pretty sad reality) that Brother Derek is probably one of the top 10 Classic contenders at this point. But he's very far behind the top 2-3 contenders. After u get past Bernardini, Lava Man, and Invasor (if he runs), can u honestly say that Brother Derek is outclassed by any of the rest of the Classic contenders? He ran as well against Lava Man as Perfect Drift did. Strong Contender, Ball Four, It's No Joke? None of them outclass him. Bright One? Sun King? I don't see them as outclassing him either. I'm not saying he's better than them but I think he fits. If he's able to get fourth, or third if Invasor is not there, it's worth it to go. Usually, I say that if u aren't entering to win a race or using a race as a prep for a bigger one that u shouldn't go. But the purses of the BC make it different. I don't think Brother Derek has a shot in hell to win the race. But outside of Bernardini and Lava Man, I don't think anyone else does either.

Sheesh. What's gotten into you?

No, he doesn't have to be big to be good. I am judging his ability on his performances and my ability to pick out horses that are going to stay at the same level and those that are going to improve. I have watched tons of horses mature and develop over the years. You are talking down to the wrong person if you think that I don't know a little bit about muscular development.

It doesn't mean that BD can't win a G1 out west here and there. It just means that he can't go with horses such as Bernardini, Sun King, Lava Man, and Invasor.

And for the record, Seabiscuit wasn't the prettiest horse, but I liked the way that he was built. He was all racehorse.

Also, I never said that Smarty was a dud. Smarty was awesome. I just said that he wasn't as good as Bernardini, and IMO, he isn't.

And I think that you were referring to someone else when you were talking about bloodlines. I'm a performance person, not a bloodline person, although I do like a good performance horse with a nice pedigree.

Agree completely, King G. Brother Derek is not outclassed by any horse in the race except the top 3, which may well become the top 2, and the unproven-on-dirt Europeans. For that matter, I actually think the 75-1 future odds on him are attractive.

--Dunbar

It doesn't surprise me that he started working great,and running great at where???????? Santa Anita. He is a known commodity at this track. Why keep forcing him to run at tracks he obviously doesn't like nearly as much.

I think it's far too early to call Brother Derek a lesser animal. He had a horrendous experience in the Triple Crown, he is a very efficient mover and has nice tactical speed. If he could learn to relax and rate a little better he could be a very nice horse. I loved the way he looked on track Saturday, he has matured nicely and muscled out well. I could see him developing a running style like one of my all time favorites, Medaglia d' Oro.

Hes much better than most people think. Hell have a good showing in the BCC. Rounding back into form. I was very impressed with his last race, he had a bad trip and still finished running.