Bailey vs. Azeri
 

Below, I have included links to videos of the 2004 Go For Wand and the 2004 Personal Ensign from Saratoga.

I think Azeri was the best mare I ever saw race, and these races illustrate why. In her entire career, Azeri never lost a two-turn race in which she was sent to the lead. Her only vulnerability was when another horses set fast fractions ahead of her, and she was forced to chase. So yes, she did need the lead. But it was not as if she needed to slow things down. She went the opening 3/4 in under 1:10 in the 2002 BC Distaff, for example.

If I was the owner of Roar Emotion, I would have never allowed Jerry Bailey to ride another of my horses after what he did in the 2004 Personal Ensign. Bailey, without a doubt, rode that race NOT to give Roar Emotion a chance to win, but to prevent Azeri from winning. Bailey went the opening 3/4, at Saratoga, in a 10 furling race, in 1:09.1. Insanely fast, and incredibly stupid. Why did Bailey do that? Because by the time that race was run, he had seen way too much of Azeri's rear end throughout his career. He lost to her aboard Imperial Gesture in the BC Distaff. He lost to her aboard a Frankel filly (Wild Spirit?) in the Apple Blossom. He lost to her aboard Sightseek in the Go For Wand. And he decided he had had enough. So he made sure Azeri would have nothing left for the stretch of the Personal Ensign. Yet she still lost by only a mere length. Roar Emotion was last by about 20 lengths, if I remember correctly.

Again, I think Azeri was a great one. I saw her last win in the Spinster at Keeneland, and it is one of my favorite racing moments.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnw4NfZ8d3s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUOVm...elated&search=

AZERI,she's certainly been one of my favorite mare's in the game along with Megahertz & Ouija Board til' SWLY Roared onto the racing scene.:D

Roar Emotion was a one way speed horse. If anyone deserves criticism it was Pat Day who sent Azeri into the duel with the hopeless Roar Emotion. Blaming Bailey borders on insane. What was he supposed to do....take a speed horse back to concede the race to Azeri?

That was a terrific performance by Azeri.

Agreed. That was one of the few true butcher jobs that Day gave on a speed horse, but it was an all-timer.

So you think Bailey sending Roar Emotion through 3/4 in 1:09 and change at 10 furlongs was smart? I'm not saying he should have conceded the race to Azeri, but what he did gave Roar Emotion ZERO chance of winning. It reminds me of how he rode Smarty Jones in the Belmont, even though he wasn't on Smarty Jones.

Day didn't ride Azeri well that day. That's true.

Bailey rode Roar Emotion exactly as she figured to be ridden. It was Day's job to deal with it, and Lukas's, and they failed to do so.

Smarty Jones lost the Belmont because eventually Stewart Elliot was forced to make actual riding decisions on that horse. Not surprisingly he failed miserably.

Bailey's decision to go that fast was insane, and he did it because he was more concerned with Azeri than his own horse. Period. If he was trying to ensure the best possible finish for Roar Emotion, the last thing he would have done was run a hole in the wind.

Sightseek, Wild Spirit, Imperial Gesture....all horses that lost to Azeri with Bailey aboard.

Call me back when you find JFK's real assassin.

maybe this isnt the real and authentic justindew posting?

Oh no. Not again.

After watching the race, I agree completely with what Andy wrote. It was a great effort by Azeri, and completely Pat Day's fault for moving so early into those "insane" fractions.

And I pretty much know who killed Kennedy;) I'll give you a hint: it wasn't Lee Harvey Oswald.

Who knows what kind of instructions Lukas gave Day before the race. But based on the video, it does not look like Day did a very good job.

HOWEVER, that does NOT mean Bailey didn't do a stupid thing.

Also, can we confirm where Bailey was on November 22nd, 1963?

PG1985 in disguise????

I am in agreement with both sides. Bailey conceded the race alright. He just didn't concede it to Azeri. He did everything in his power to make sure that his own filly wouldn't win though and to me, that's not professional. In my opinion, u are supposed to do what u can in order to give your horse it's best chance to win. Sure, in this instance, it was to go to the lead because that was Roar Emotion's running style and trying to take her back and making her chase Azeri would have been giving up too. But I would have expected a veteran hall of famer like Bailey to slow it down a little. By going that fast, it was pretty obvious that he was deciding that he didn't care where his horse finished, just so long as Azeri didn't win. It reminded me of when Woody Stephens sacrificed Forty Niner in the 1988 Preakness by telling Day that his only job was to make sure Winning Colors didn't win, his own chances be damned.

At the same time, Day is also a hall of famer and should have adjusted better to what was unfolding in front of him. My opinion is that it was unprofessional what Bailey did and stupid what Day did. Azeri's greatness was shown by the way she nearly overcame both obstacles to win.

Yeah, something like that. Totally classless to sacrifice a horse that could have conceivably won the race just because he was mad that a filly had won.

OMG. Roar Emotion had no chance of contending in that race regardless. It was a five horse field so the conections got a paycheck nonetheless. Pat Day
was a fool to chase a wicked pace and Storm Flag Flying just benifited from that. A seven time eclipse winning jockey does not sacrifice his horse to prevent others from losing.

Bailey's said it himself, the best jockeys are the ones that can ride two horses at the same time. Their horse and the other guy's. He was "riding" Azeri as it were and I'm sure he tried to every time he faced her. 9 times out of 10 she still beats him because she's just that good.

http://www.winwithjerry.com/ :eek:

I heard Vic Stauffer posts here........

For people who didn't get to follow Azeri through her career....

She had the speed of <S>Ruffian</S> Pool Land
The heart of <S>Lady's Secret</S> Critical Eye
And the class of <S>Personal Ensign</S> Heritage of Gold

And unlike Heritage of Gold - her acronym wasn't HOG.

I think it was a silly ride by both riders. Speed horse or not why was he going in 109, and why was Day pushing the pace on a mare that easily could be taken in hand?

Bailey tried to win the race, period. He knew he had one chance to win and that was to wire them. If anyone is at fault it would be Pat Day who pressed the pace even though it obviously was fast. What was Bailey supposed to do? Shout over to Day, "Hey Pat I'm gonna slow it down a little. Please dont pass me."? Watch the race and tell me where the opportunity was for him to back the pace up?

And Justin you must not be too old because Azeri, while a good horse, was not in the same class as many of the good filliy and mares of the 80's like Lady's Secret, Winning Colors, Personal Ensign, Go for Wand, Bayakoa.....

You left out Princess Rooney and Melair - who both would have slaughtered Azeri.

You are right, though Melair may have had trouble going 1 1/8th

akinemod, lakeway, inside info, sardula, heavenly prize, sharp cat, go for wand, bayakoa and many more.

I'll take Azeri over those

For Justin

What would Azeri done about this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0izE...elated&search=

If Azeri just had a trainer that tried to move her along instead of going after some idiotic winning string. Ruined her. Bored her running against all those inferior females.

Fantastic horse that never got to show how good she really was. She could have whupped up on so many of the best males. By the time she was with D.Wayne her best days were gone imo.

trust me man, of the ones i named, akinemod was probably the best one, before her illnesses and injuries plagued her.

her first time routing she won by 18 in what is still to this day one of the 2-3 highest beyer figs ever earned by a female horse routing.

lakeway too, after jones ran her sick in that one summer race and she almost died, she was never the same. i'd like to have seen azeri in her prime try to beat lakeway when she went 9f in around 145.4 as a 3yo, before her brush with death. that would have been a slaughter.

sardula was a freak too. i always wondered what she'd have done in the hands of someone other than mayberry.

Pure speculation...

You are the typical modern day horseracing fan....taking potential and portraying it as success! You don't happen to own a breeding farm do you?


BTW I saw Lakeway and Sardula up close and personal. They were far from alltime greats like this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGD77kgutGU

This thread is a large batch of speculation big guy...
But its fun.

Damn good horse. And I did get to see the others run.
Azeri is up with the best. And yes, thats speculation.

You gleaned this information from her series of allowance victories that were masquerading as graded stakes?

What about this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBdRyCEcnlo

While she was an all-time great....

Any race that features a horse going wire-to-wire on the old KEE dirt track, after being allowed an uncontested lead - is inadmissible evidence.

Just as it would be inadmissible evidence to show the five races Aaron Gryder rode her - four of which she lost - and use that as the basis of why she wasn't so great.

ok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayl-3...elated&search=

Fillies and mares of this decade?

I agree! Right at the top.

And that sure isn't saying very much about her.

She sure did show Tropical Blossom and Sister Girl Blues who was boss!