Bernardini = 117 Beyer, Henny Hughes = 113 Beyer
 

...need I say more...still any non-believers out there?

Cue the "Joel loves Darley" comments in 5....4....3....2....:D

Both are huge numbers and I'm impressed with both. They showed they can both settle off the pace and then turn in on when necessary. Bernardini needs to get pressed at some point to see how he responds, but there might not be anyone besides Discreet Cat to do this. Lava man did look good today, but I'm gonna make him prove something outside of Cali.

Joel, out of curiousity, how do you get these numbers so quickly?

and 1.i bet this makes your weekend mr.sheik abdul cunningham racing.did bernardinis performance blow your turban off your head?nothing personal but i wish you would be a little more emphatic about some american horses.

Some quotes:

"He's a super horse,'' Prado said.


"It's the first time I almost clapped for a horse that beat me,'' Zito said.


...two of our sport's greats recognize the magnitude of what is happening before them....Just like I said after the Jim Dandy, best horse since Bid....

Godolphin must be wondering when Discreet Cat or Bernardini will ever get to really run....all they've really done is put on public workouts the last few races...

Bernardini is now a two millionaire, by the way, after only 7 career starts...average earnings of $294,354 per...

LOL

The horse amazes me, simply amazes me. I wasn't sure what the Beyer would be because he coasted home, but the track wasn't that fast today. I love the fact that Bernardini faced fast middle fractions and still drew off easily. He's just a pleasure to watch run -thanks for posting, Joel!

I sat with Nick for the race.....I must have missed the " almost clapping ".:D He's the greatest ( Nick that is ). I'm joking....it was worthy of clapping.

As for your last comment...come on Joel, including Discreet Cat is silly. They have made zero attempt to seek out any competition. While Bernardini has danced all the real dances and it's hardly their fault there is no competition, Discreet Cat has sat idly by and made zero attempt to face any worthy opponents.

Behave yourself or I will start referring to you as a Sheik wannabee.

Bernardini will probably have to run some in the Classic, but for all intents and purposes, we probably have to wait until next year. DC is coming back and if the Sheikh wants his reputation as a sportsman to stay intact, he'll give the green light to Bernardini. Imagine how good he'd be as a 4 year old? Scary.

Oh yeah Joel, you just love those sheiks don't you?;)

Sorry, but I couldn't help myself:p :D

If you still can't see them as the two best horses in the world, I worry about you, btw....you seem convinced on Bernardini now...maybe when Discreet Cat wins the Cigar Mile by 7+ you may come around on him too....jock hasn't broken a cross on him yet and he hasn't gotten out of a gallop yet in last two, plus he's undefeated and CRUISED against the supposed-good-horse-that-dodged-Bernardini named Invasor in the UAE Derby....

Now, DC is not a pretty mover and will be lucky to stay sound for long, howvere he is the second best horse in the world on dirt IMO....who's better? Lava Man?, please....

Can't believe Nick actually ran two against him....guy's got some coconuts...that was a sporty thing to do, although he did get seocnd and third money....not bad to run for minor prizes some time when you can place in a race like this....

First of all, Joel, I have been a big fan of Bernardini since he destroyed the field in the Preakness and have never said anything negative about him. He's overrated only in that he is being talked about as though he is one of the all-time greats and he has simply not done enough to prove that. Right now I liken him to Point Given, certainly extremely good, but not as fast as the likes of Ghostzapper or even Skip Away to name a couple recent horses. On the other hand, he could well prove as good or even better if given a chance to race as a 4YO, something I would be very excited to see. I love seeing actual good horses and Bernardini is certainly one already and one would have to believe considering his age and relative inexperience that he has upside. It would be a real shame if he were retired after this year.

As for Discreet Cat, there is no denying he is very talented, but your response was poor considering it was you who made some implication that Godolphin was wondering where his real competition was when, in fact, it is Godolphin that has, and is, ducking this supposed " real competition ". It is comments like that that cement your position as their head cheerleader.

It was sporty, I agree, and says a lot more about him than the rest of the gutless barn area. And, frankly, he did right by his owners. Hell, he took home $225K. Andromeda's Hero has now made over $850K. Unbelievable....Nick should get an eclipse award for that alone.

Ra Ra...Go Godolphin...Ra Ra :D

At least Bernardini is with the one owner that will make your wish come true about Bernardini and DC running as 4YOs....any small-timers would be inking a stud deal as we speak.....

Thats why Darley is a neccesary evil that people who only look on the surface cannot detect....;)

My problem with Godolphin is mostly that in the past they have done little to support American racing ( other than fattening the breeder's pockets ). From the standpoint of a racing fan, which I am, they have done a great deal to hurt top class racing in the US over the last 20 years. I would love to see this change and it appears that may be happening.

I would love to see both horses next year though, like you, I am acutely aware of Discreet Cat's physical situation and won't necessarily hold it against them if it should make him unable to race next year. I will still be disappointed. Who wouldn't be?

LOL.. and LOL again! What was the Pick Six like today, A?

this may sound crazy but...

of those two jaw dropping performances, I found myself to be more impressed with henny hughes's. Perhaps its because i already knew bernardini would do what he did and i still had my doubts about henny.

Henny just pissed all over a couple of really good sprinters and did it in a hand ride. It was all too easy. I definitely became a believer today.

I'm also now on board with HH and props to those who spotted what he showed yesterday far earlier than I did.

I'm still looking forward to Bernardini getting hooked by a quality horse and that's likely to happen in a month , but he can only beat what they put in front of him and he's doing it in high style.

Big year for the Godolphin folks.

I played 5 different tickets for $524 and had no more than three on any of them. I think Bernardini was the only horse that won that I actually thought would.

Any word on Goodwood Beyers?

Pointg, Lava Man got a 109. (it's on the Leaderboard at DRF.) Brother Derek must have gotten about a 105.

The 109 is Lava Man's 3rd straight. Much as I love the horse, I don't see him matching up vs Bernardini.

--Dunbar

Bernardini is much better than Point Given. He has defeated older horses and has agreed to stay around and not fake an injury to retire. If you believe he "got hurt" after the Travers I have a new baseball team in Idaho to sell you. Cmmon now. Point Given should never be mentioned with Bernardini.

I was not Point Given's biggest fan but he won the Preakness, Belmont, Haskell and Travers in succession and earned speed figures extremely similar to Bernardini. Yeah, he should have hung around, but are you suggesting to me that he wouldn't have manhandled the likes of Wanderin Boy and Andromeda's Hero?

I actually think Point Given is an excellent comparison to Bernardini and a compliment to both of them.

and I'm sure those beyers are perfect with no bias.

I thought Point Given was a huge talent yes. But his phony exit left a bitter taste in my mouth. I still am more impressed with Bernardini up to this point than I ever was with Point Given. I wont go into who each faced because its not their fault they both beat up on cupcakes, although at least Bernardini wrote an open invitation for all older horses to come take him on. He'll do it again in 4 weeks. For the record I think Wanderin Boy is a much better horse than either Touch Tone and E Dubai were.

I agree...I obviously believe bernardini is the superior animal between he and Point Given, but they can definately be compared at this point, especially as 3-year-olds....

Now, Bernardini can't be compared with horses like Seattle Slew and Bid right now because most people wouldn't be able to handle it, but I think he will by the time he is done ......just my opinion..

I think he's better than Ghostzapper right now......again, just my opinion....

Nobody ever said they were " perfect ", whatever the hell that even could possibly mean in this situation, but the insinuations of bias only reflect on your ignorance.

Here's a serious question because I really don't know the answer and I'm hoping someone here does. How can they give Bernardini a Beyer Figure that's considered remotely accurate without having any (or very very few) Mile and a quarter races on the dirt at Belmont?? And that can go for any horse at any track.. The beyer number Bernardini received made me think of it is all.

Here's another question:

How could you even give Beyers to horses like Bernardini and Discreet Cat when they aren't even asked to brake a sweat?

Does that mean we can add like 10 points to their Beyer to compensate for if they were actually asked to lay down and run.....Bernardini's 117 and Discreet Cat's 115 in their last races were giving speed figures for workouts....

What about Thoroughgraph and Ragozin numbers? Can they be made or is it only the Beyers you are singling out in what appears to be a seriously misguided direction you are leading this discussion?

Funny, but some would say that horses like bernardini would perform worse if seriously challenged. I, for one, doubt they could perform a lot better. But, hey, what do I know.

Thanks Dunbar, I thought it may have been a little higher, but it's probably about right...

Actually you bring up a good point. Any speed numbers would be tough to be accurate with such limited data.

And I agree with you about them "not being asked." I watched the jcgc and saw Castellano still as a statue, but it still looked like Bernardini was running his ass off.

Maybe the whip will discourage him.. It doesn't always make them run much faster.

Has Bernardini ever put up a Sheet# that compares to GZ or St. Liam? The best I have seen is a -2, I don't think he can really be considered great unless he cracks the -4 range on Thoro...If not, he's really no different than Smarty, Afleet Alex, Point Given, or Flower Alley for that matter...

I don't believe that just because a horse looks like he's not working hard, that he suddenly will pick up and go faster when he has to...

Horses almost always run slower when pressed and challenged, they can't dole out their energy in an ideal manner. Its the biggest mistake ever to assume they would go "faster" if pushed.

He hasn't run as fast as they have. hes just been blessed with bad competition.

I believe Bernardini is a lot better than Flower Alley. I dont care what the sheet numbers say.

He sure as hell hasn't run as fast as Mineshaft but he's only a 3 yr old, so at 4 he might.

well, yeah! lol
a lot better than ten most wanted also.