Oaklawn Handicap probables...
 

WTF? is this the best field they can get for $500K?

It's a Bird is co-highweighted at 119 pounds with fellow probable Honest Man. Officials also expect Secret Getaway, Magnum, Prom Shoes, Catmantoo, and Runforthedoe. Possibles include Golden Yank, Victory Pete, and Star Guitar.

There is no older horses and if there was, they would have run for 5 millie in the desert

Does Tiago still have a toothache or whatever the hell was bothering him?

You'd think they'd bring him over for a title defense.

Seriously, the OP Handicap was rendered insignificant years ago. It isn't even a better race than the New Orleans Handicap.

NT

Hope they do because than I will have a trifecta Key with Tiago in 3rd...

The Excelsior will be a better race. Can't be worse. At least we have the best older horse in America, Barrier Reef of course, running.

The prior comment, of course, was off the record.

Fair point, but what about Commentator? Tiago (he won it last year)? Rail Trip? Grasshopper? Delightful Kiss? Dry Martini? Great Hunter?

Commentor gets to run for a million against claimers at Charles Town. Rail Trip is being eased along and pointed towards a Hollywood campaign. All of a sudden Grasshopper is a grass horse

Not sure on the others

That would be a ticket you would be ripping up, Tiago would dust that prospective field, with the return to real dirt

I forgot Commentator was going 4 turns at the Chuck...

I think you will see Macho Again in that race at Charles Town...at least a very reliable source told me so.

luckily Oaklawn made up for the stellar Handicap field with a match race between Proud Spell and Acoma in the Apple Blossom...

I doubt Commentor is afraid of that lug :)

Hold on to that thought for a second.....



http://www.drf.com/news/article/102606.html

that's a bummer.

well, that's just wonderful...

Two thoughts from that article: (1) how in the world could Proud Spell and Acoma be co-weighted at 120 lbs; and (2) isn't Seventh Street a more likely winner than Acoma?

well, not sure what the conditions are for the Apple Blossom, but Proud Spell hasn't won a race in 8 months and Acoma is a GIII winner within the last 5 weeks...

The race is a handicap. By that logic, when Commentator and Macho Again meet, they should carry the same weight.

If it was a Handicap, and Proud Spell and Acoma were assigned equal weights, then something doesn't make sense.

I think Handicaps should be abolished, but if you are going to have one, at least have some sense of fairness.

Great Hunter ?


I think you left Barcola off of your list.

I were Oaklawn I'd change the date of the race. I mean it's going to lose it's Grade Status before long if the World Cup races keep stealing the Top Talent. Make the race a couple weeks earlier so it's a prep for the Donn of the World Cup then maybe it'll attract the better horses. I remember Best Pal, Concern,The Wicked North and Cigar being in it years ago.

I think that's an overreaction. It's a bad year for Older Males. Who were the good horses in the World Cup? Last year the Oaklawn Handicap was a good race. There will be more good runnings.

no doubt, that 6 mil they gave away was a joke.........dubai, now thats " rendered meaningless "

I think I read in DRF that Magnum did not make the trip from California.

This field is a definite letdown compared to the 2008 running with Heatseeker and Tiago duking it out until the wire.

Last year's Apple Blossom was also far superior with Zenyatta and Ginger Punch in the field.

And tinker with the Racing Festival of the South?

Does anyone know for reals what's going on with Tiago anyway?

It seems like he's mysteriously absent from any news of any sort.....