Disapointing '08 so far for...
 

...mainly this thread is because one more Big Brown thread might make me ill.

But in all seriousness, I think a few horses so far this year have been remarkably disappointing compared to what they hinted at last year.

One which comes to mind immediately is Lear's Princess. She beat Rags to Riches last year, had a sub-par Distaff, but has done very little since. She's just not the same horse.

Any others?

Everyone else is retired.

There is hope for 3YOs as the season progresses. Obviously the Derby and Preakness fields were desperately lacking but between Harlem Rocker, Casino Drive, Unbridled's Heart and Biker Boy we may have some decent races starting with the Dwyer. Here's hoping.

Good point about the retirements. The game is changing, tough pill to swallow.

If these late-season 3-year-olds can shake-out, we might have an interesting set of races. Or it'll be Big Brown versus Macho Again in the Travers. Or, if Big Brown retires, it's Macho Again versus Denis of Cork. Yikes.

The top turf horses out west are Daytona, followed by Champ Elysees. That doesn't bring a surge of blood through my veins. I remember a time when there used to be alot of great turf horses out there, they are few and far between now.

The biggest departure(for myself) this year was the retirement of Showing Up. He would have been a big asset to a once again dismal turf division.
It just seems like bad things always happen when talented horses get rushed into the ky derby with no foundation, especially off of 2 weeks rest.

I think the jacksons are great owners and very classy folks, but they really blew it on this horse. I guess having the most the most likely winner of the race and morn line fav for the big race wasn't good enough. :confused:

What?

He's referring to them also having Barbaro in that Derby.

How did racing Showing Up in the Derby two years ago ruin the horse? :confused:

Don't forget Lt. Ron if he gets healthy. . .

The one I'm really waiting to see come back is Bold Hawk - if he matured at all he can be a SERIOUS turf horse this year. . . Also hoping Crossing the Line and Trippi's Storm come back. . .

Thanks. Like Cajun said, though, I don't see what running Showing Up in the Derby had to do with anything. I'm pretty sure he still had a very good year after the Derby..

How about Lava Man?..just kidding..I'm just glad this thread isn't about BB and/or CD....thank you!

Zenyatta seems to have some talent.

There are certainly plenty who are making noise, but across the board, we're looking at weak divisions.

And the turf reference is spot-on too... usually, it's a really deep group of horses who produce consistently exciting finishes. That trend is fading quickly of late.

On the Acorn is a good example of how weak the turf division is out west, as for Showing Up I believe they retired him due to a suspensory injury. Though he was in training to race this season I remember Tagg not being happy with him and then the decison was made.

maybe it didn't have a direct effect on his soundness, it just seemed Tagg was always talking about the horse like he was dealing with Humpty Dumpty.

Just seems to me when horses are rushed into the derby it takes the toll later. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the Jacksons would like to have handled the early stages of his career differently.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the return of Crossing the Line. It also doesn't help that some of last year's most exciting horses, including Fabulous Strike and Midnight Lute, haven't made an appearance yet this year and Curlin's only made two and neither were in this country. Smokey Stover's retirement today and the loss of Euroears earlier haven't helped things either.

Yuck. Good Point. It could very well be a horrible Travers. I think we saw a small example of how bad the crop is just by the Preakness undercard. Not many names stood out.

The one who has actually run and has generated little to no buzz is Ginger Punch. I would think having the Distaff winner back would have drawn more interest.

I think Frank is taking the same road as he did once before with Awesome Again in 1997. Try the same with Harlem Rocker. win the Plate, win the Jim Dandy, then the Travers.

I believe he is getting 150,000 for his services, and he never won a triple crown race either.

;)

I am glad NRYA was happy he didn't run in the Preakness, but I am sure Frank could care less about a triple crown race he would have finished 2nd at best.

The race was won in a 100 Beyer so I'm not so sure about that. At the very least if he handled the distance he could have forced Big Brown to go several lengths faster.

Love this filly. Been following her since January and was at Oaklawn for the Apple Blossom. She's very special to me. :)

OK;)

There's no reason to believe that Harlem Rocker couldn't have won on Saturday. . . He would've won by just as many lengths (at least) if you took out Big Brown and put him in. . .

Stronach has shown patience if the past is any indication, Awesome Again was a later developer than Touch Gold and it's fair to say Awesome Again became the better horse when their careers ended. Stronach never rushed that horse and he won the Plate off a Mdn win I believe mostly on talent alone...He certainly has becone the better sire, I think the comparison with Harlem Rocker is a good one!

From what I hear Mrs. Stronach may have been the supposed " patient " one here.

He should have run in the Preakness. It's a shame he didn't.....but not for Big Brown.

I thought he should have also, I thought he had a shot. A big shot!

I suppose, the woman didn't want to see HR subjected to another beating like he got last out in that ridiculously easy win.:rolleyes: The conversation probably went something like: "But Frank, if he won so easily, why did the jock beat him up in the stretch and why did he lug in so badly late?"

As the great Ron Turcott said about Sham, "we'll really never know"

Even after KD easied up BB at the 1/16 pole, it was still one of the best final 1/4 times in Preakness History, so Frank made the right move. Maybe he could be a IEAH advisor too.

On the topic of a weak turf division, with Einstein being the top turf horse thus far this year and looking for a little competition. Some good news read today is that Sky Conqueror is back in training, this should add a little depth to the division.

On the topic of Disappointing of '08, you have to belive Majestic Warrior is a huge one for Steinbrenner and Mott.

In the mile turf division, the Kipper is back from his BC Mile win and looking good - he beat Einstein, who really prefers longer, in the Mile at Keeneland.

Agreed Kip Deville is a real nice horse, I was more or less thinking of possible Arlington Million type races or extended distance turf races. With Tin Man, Showing Up retired and Jambalaya still on the sidelines an infusion of new blood would be a welcome change.

Yeah, except he's running two more times this year. I don't really count that as being "back".

Well, you could say he's " back " on the shelf.

Personally I think Einstein is a better horse for what it's worth.

My #1 cant wait for is Euroears, flat mile or sprint , turf or dirt.

I think the Grasshopper has been a huge disappointment in the year 2008. I can remember many people were high on him to start the season.

Yes, and when I suggested he may have been one of those horses that really excelled at Saratoga I was scoffed at. Kind of like when I suggested that Street Sense might be a rail runner.

While I think Neil Howard is an excellent horseman, I think Grasshopper has been mis-managed this year. After a very good effort against a really bad field at Fair Grounds in the Mineshaft, he ran well in the NO Cap but was just outmoved and narrowly missed.

Instead of looking at races like the Oaklawn Cap or Alysheba, he was sent to the Westchester, which is run at a distance that doesn't really seem to suit Grasshopper well as it is run at a fast early clip. He utterly lacked punch that day and then was brought back in eighteen days in the Pimlico Special over a sloppy track.

In the long run I don't think he's much horse and he may just be a Saratoga horse for course but now they're kind of on an island. You'd be kind of dumb to run him in the Stephen Foster if Curlin shows up, and there has to be some level of concern that he re-surfaces in the Whitney as well.

Maybe the turf is the future for this guy? Of course it is also worth mentioning that his full brother, Turf War, has been absolutely dreadful this year as well.

So, yes, Andy you were probably right about G-Hopper. As far as your other prognostication, Street Sense did get a rail trip in the BC Classic, he just lost to a better horse.

NT

Really? At what distance? 8-8.5 furlong race kip beats Einstein 9 out of 10times. At 9f its a good race, but I'd still give the nod to KD.