Arlington Million winner 2009
 

Famous Name - Dermot Weld..

:rolleyes:

Can't wait until you tell me some Euro is garbage, only for you to go bet the damn horse and for it to win...GREAT times!!

Don't worry, Ill have a few of those!!

Einstein might have something to say about that, but Weld usually comes loaded.

not a chance:) - I like him, he's a nice, honest horse, but he's not that good..

Watch his pathetic run in last year's Million before you put too much faith in Einstein in this race.

Will Famous Name be an overwhelming favorite or is this some mystery horse?

That horse is a bridesmaid. Even if he's more talented than the home team he'll still find a way to lose.

Longshot possibilities: Seaspeak, Cowboy Cal, and Winchester.

Fair point, he has had his reasons for losing, but he was extremely impressive today - I wouldnt bet Winchester with counterfeit...

I would take the 1-2-3-4 finishers of the Manhattan over any of those three, even if their prices were lower. Seaspeak is an allowance horse who beat up on horrible competition at Lone Star and Cowboy Cal is an 8-9 furlong animal.

If Drysdale sets it up so that Marsh Side's 3rd off the Dubai trip is the Million, he'll be worth a long look. I thought he ran an excellent race in the Manhattan.

NT

it is almost a guarantee for some illogical horse to win this year with the way both surfaces are playing at Arlington this year. Horses are going 1:16 on the lead on the turf and getting snapped by horses that are 5 wide. The synthetic has been impossible because they got some new tool and slowed the track down to a crawl and these jocks have no idea what is going on.

Its a rodeo right now

If we get a soft turf and a suitable pace, wil the oldtimer Better Talk Now take one for old times sake?

I always go with the international's - Jambalaya - Spirit One - Cima De Triomphe...2009

No chance. Not even if the ground is boggy and they go :45.2

He actually ran a good race in the Manhattan, I always had a fondness for him(BTN), but seriously why would anyone bet U.S based turfers when the Euro's are so specialized at it.

Of the nominated I'll repeat it again, I hope Cumani takes a shot with Cima De Triomphe, his preparation sort of reminds me of Spirit One's a year ago.

I totally agree.

I liked his Manhattan quite a bit, and have had a soft spot for him myself since the Lone Star Breeders' Cup win.

Just don't particularly like his style over this course whatsoever. Deep closers over this course (or any turf course, for that matter) are usually a bad bet, and at Arlington, if it's a horse that takes any time at all to get rolling (ie, without a Euro style turn of foot) they're much too late once they straighten and get moving.

There's a race on youtube of him winning the Manhattan that shows him weaving through the stretch to just get up, beating Shakis among others, that was one of my personal favorite races. Typical Dominguez ride!


I think this is where the European training is more advantageous to the way North American horses are trained for turf races. The Euro's train their horses to race quietly early on in their races, saving their energy for one quick burst in the stretch. In general NA horses make their move on the turn whereas can wait a little longer, regardless at a price I will always look for a decent Euro horse to bet in a race such as this, if not for the unknown factor. I know we like to think we have the best horses running over here, and for dirt races I would tend to agree, but on the grass the Euro's are far superior.

Cima could be a nice type, we'll know more this weekend when he faces sea the stars et al in the eclipse! I'm not too sure if cumani usually points his horses here! Plus he does seem to take a while to get into top gear, much like mount Nelson last year!

I'm a fan of his.... nice win in the Italian Derby last year, looked good beating Conduit in May.

I'm with you on this one if he comes over.

Vision D'tat my pick in the Arc last year beat him in the Prix Ganay, his second start he was probably much tighter beating BC winner Conduit by a nose in a group 3. It will be interesting to see if Cumani comes over, usually the appeal to come over here is to add a gr.1 to the resume however since Cima is a gr.1 winner already abeit it was only the Italian Derby he may skip, and move towards a second shot at the arc.

Yes! Sorry I missed your post SC...I have to be discreet at work. :eek:

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse...me/602812/top/

CONNECTIONS of Famous Name will now consider the Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes on September 5 following his easy victory at the Curragh on Sunday.

Second to Vision D'Etat in the French Derby last year, the Dermot Weld-trained four-year-old returned to form on rain-softened ground to take the Listed Woodies DIY Celebration Stakes by five lengths.

"Famous Name was impressive and did it in a good time, it was very, very pleasing," said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Prince Khalid Abdullah.

"That was over a mile so we will have to seriously consider his options.

"I think he likes a bit of cut in the ground and I don't think there is much doubt about that.

"The main thing is that he was absolutely spot-on yesterday and it was a seriously good performance.

"I talked to Dermot at some length last night and we need to see how the horse comes out of it, but the Irish Champion Stakes might come into it.

"The options look a bit more open now after a performance like that, which is quite encouraging."

false alarm..

Here are the 2009 nominations for the Arlington Million & Bev D:

http://www.arlingtonpark.com/sites/a...llionXXVII.pdf

http://www.arlingtonpark.com/sites/a...lBeverlyD..pdf

I like to pay attention to the possible cross Atlantic shippers in particular.

I can honestly say I have not looked into it whatsoever, as to whether or not Carroll is even really pointing her there -- and though I might get blasted for even saying she'd have a shot regardless of who shows up...but I think Acoma would be plenty interesting if she kept running the way she is now and landed in the Beverly D.

Acoma is a very nice filly, she's versatile and she can run on all 3 surfaces, I'm not quite sure she's up to tackling Forever Together just yet but she's not crazy impossible either.

Forever Together is running in the Diana, not the Beverly D.

I think Acoma is a giant mirage who has always needed a more than perfect trip to succeed. She's like the poor man's version of Rutherienne.

NT

Ha, I know that holding off Pure Clan when she's coming back off the layoff isn't quite the same thing as taking over at the top of the stretch and holding off horses of the quality of Forever Together and the Euro gals, but there's something about the way she digs in on the grass that impresses me so much.

I value that quite a bit in my handicapping, and I like that she's got guts and doesn't like getting passed once she's in front.

Would have to think she'd be a fair price, too, given the likely competition. But now I'm getting ahead of myself :)

No one is saying she is Rachel Alexandra. :rolleyes: She's useful, off the top of my head she ran some good races at Keeneland, OP, GP, ect... she's more of a Sealy Hill or the potential to be in her catagory that is better on dirt IMO.

Maybe it was pointed more at me, since I'm the one who basically called her a potential Beverly D. winner if she goes.

I think she's plenty more than "useful."

Not pointed at anyone in particular, just an opinionated person voicing an opinion. Though, for conversation's sake, I don't think Acoma is a much more likely winner of the Bev than Better Talk Now is of the Million.

NT

You have to understand Brian, he has favorites and would die for some of them.

His girl Inez is 10 losses in a row away from hitting that 10% mark, and that is with Douglas being gone for a month

Based on style on the Arlington turf course, I would think she is.

This is true, guilty as charged. But that line of reasoning only works for horses who are actually my "favorites." Horses like Rhododendron, Courthouse, Happiness Is, Tidal Pool, etc.

The number of threads on all of Derby Trail in which I have typed the word "Acoma" is exactly one.

She is hardly one of my heart-based favorites. So the flip-side of that is that yes, I am capable of rational racing conversation outside of my "favorites."

You're just still mad that it turns out Peyote Patty totally could've won that dreadful Isaac Murphy, aren't you?

Stop it with Peyote Patty. While I agree I overlooked her, and she needed to be included, she wasn't beating Nicks, and you know that.

I sort of believed you before the race was run and was mostly giving you a hard time then.

After the race was run, and seeing how pitiful it was and how much of a crapshoot it was in the lane, I realized just how right I was that she would have won if she brought her "A" race.

Any decent allowance horse could have won that race on that day. Not saying she's better than Nicks or Secret Kin or Magnetic Miss, but she or any runner like her could have scored in that spot, based on how dreadful it turned out.

That we agree on...

Personally I am interested in the Aga Khan's other - other filly last yr 'Katirya' if she comes over, though with any possible bet I may make, it really depends on the value and she is a pretty good horse so I am not sure if there will be any with her.

From memory, my opinion and it's just my opinion...I think Acoma's best surface is poly, that is where I see her making her mark; however I caution that is what I thought of Sealy Hill last year also and she came within a whisker of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in BC history. History has also taught me to never summarily dismiss a horse without doing a little homework before doing so.

And also, by my most recent calculations, this is true...

...if by 10, you meant to type 98.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs...

You may be thinking of a different horse?

She did break her maiden on the Poly at Keeneland, but she's a two-time Grade III winner on the dirt, and has won two Grade IIIs and a Grade II over the grass in three tries over the stuff.

EDIT: Though to be fair and present all sides, she has been beaten over 30 lengths combined in her only two Grade I tries, both over the dirt.

No it's her, my opinion comes strictly from watching her races on tape and not her race record. I'm not sure and perhaps it's early to say this but being the offspring of Empire Maker, his seem to act best on polytrack.