Serena's Songs 3rd in the 96 Islen to Smart Strike under Donna Barton. That might have been a better effort than her 2nd by a neck in the Whitney.

You mention Congrats but not Southern Image?

How objective.

I'm sure Island Fashion was in the same multiple grade 1 winning form in '05 as she was at the beginning of '04.

Huh? Southern Image wasn't in the 2005 Big Cap.

I know. He won the '04 Big Cap with Island Fashion hounding him all the way to the wire.

I just found it interesting that you said the '04 edition was weak without mentioning him, yet saw fit to cite Congrats as a means of bolstering the quality of the '05 version.

She ran great in the Whitney from an outside post, but nobody's going to confuse that edition, won by Mahogany Hall (in which Peaks and Valleys and L'Carriere were the two favorites), as one of the better Whitneys of recent times.

I didn't list the runners of the 2004 Big Cap (Southern Image, Buddy Gil, Saint Buddy, Olmodavor, etc.) because the absentees were far better than who was there. She ran well, but I think it's a big stretch to suggest that Island Fashion's effort against that field was superior to Zenyatta's BC Classic.

LOL. True!

The thing is that the last few years the older horse division in this country has been so weak that fillies should take shots. Just as Lukas took shots with SS in relatively weak editions of the whitney and Islin. I couldn't blame trainers for passing up races against Cigar, Holy Bull. Skip Away, Formal Gold, etc.

she sure franked that form the next season when she kept running into a great horse in Flawlessly.

What do you mean by 'franked'?

Isn't comparing turf races and dirt races like comparing apples to oranges?

The consistency on this thread is pathetic.

It's debatable whether or not Southern Image was inferior talent-wise than Pleasantly Perfect. Certainly less accomplished and short-lived, but much more versatile and probably faster if speed figures are any measure.

I think her suck up third was mostly likely a total illusion, certainly I thought Pleasant Tap was running a very weak second to a dominant winner that day.

I think Jolypha was better on turf but if you think its dirt thats fine, I have no way to say it was not.

The thing about Zenyatta is that so much of her body of work is against weak competition and this year in cases in less than impressive fashion. I keep hearing she is the best filly since (fill in the blank)....but IMO she isn't as good as Inside Information and probably would have lost many races to Azeri had they run against each other. Serena's Song's best beats Zenyatta's as well. Jewel Princess beat SS twice and needed 114 and 116 beyers to do so. Bayakoa's best was certainly good enough to beat Zenyatta's.

hater

I'm am in good company at least

What do you mean by "suck up"?

A rapid early pace that led to a meltdown with a bunch of closers coming to pick up all the pieces?

Actually, Jolypha was positioned in front of both AP Indy and Pleasant Tap early in the race--only 3 lengths off a :45+ half, but had to alter course to the inside of Sultry Song at the 3/8s, allowing the other two to move past her approaching the stretch, yet she had enough turn of foot to split horses and get back in front of Pleasant Tap midstretch, only to hang late.

Partly.

He is also a coward... He continues to say he is voting for her, but he is betting with a friend that she wont win. Way to stand behind your opinion.

Are you talking about the caller who actually seemed angry and said he would give the game up if Zenyatta got it?

That's the very definition for the term "suck up third"

It's easy to dismiss Southern Image because of his frailty, but when that horse was good, he was pretty good. No shame in finishing second to him.

Really? Even with her momentum being stopped at a critical moment?

Would Indian Charlie's 3rd in the Kentucky Derby be considered a "suck up"?

people are so prone to hyperbole, if there really was a caller that said that...the game doesnt need an idiot like him.

there have been far less deserving year-end award winners in sports.

I was being facetious.

A man towards the end of the show called and really did sound angry... He went on and on about Blame should get it, then said If she wins it I am done with this sport. Kling had no real reasson to why he is voting her, just that he is, but he will bet against her winning it.

Track Facts salute

HOY, do we even really care?
 

I dont care who gets it. If I had a vote, I would vote Zenyatta, but I would not argue Blame getting it.
Im more concerned with who wins the Remsen and Cigar Mile next weekend.
I would rather follow how the 2yr olds run at the Big A and Churchill the next couple weeks.
I dont really care about HOY, how does everyone else feel?

your best post ever!

and I agree, its the equine equivalent of the Pro Bowl.

I thought you might have been, but a "suck up" effort seems to have a million different meanings, so I wasn't sure.

I thought I was sharper than that, but I guess I need emoticons to help me discern the tone of certain posts.

i think its great people are so passionate for either, but really, people take it too far. if zenyatta wins it, the racing "purists" feel is disrespectful to the game....if blame prevails, then the writers are disrespecting her accomplishments. HOY 2010 will not be the downfall of the game that has been around since the 1600's.

that's just my opinion. all i know is that real supporters stick around no matter what. i have just as much fun at evangeline downs as i did at the bc (albeit, the class of horses was much diff)

hopefully, derbytrail.com will be able to move on from this topic pretty soon!

We didn't make you stupid

you showed up that way

I think post 1 in this thread is my best post ever.

http://www.derbytrail.com/forums/sho...c+handicappers

I also think Serling not being #1 is the reasson why I was snubbed in the Breeders Cup Live Chat, and the reasson Im ignored on DT. He holds a grudge.

no, I am busy trying to pick winners.

Amen!

Who was NFL MVP last year? better yet, who cares!

Poor andy. First he is called an idiot on the air and then he is ranked low on the RHT1985 public handicapper rankings