Premium Tap to Classic?
 

Bloodstock Journal writes:

"Woodward S. (G1) winner PREMIUM TAP (Pleasant Tap) blazed in a bullet :59 4/5, fastest of 77 at the distance, as he gears up for the Classic. "

I thought he was doubtful for the Classic. Has anyone seen another mention of him aiming at the Classic?

--Dunbar

Dunbar: I too thought he was doubtful, but apparently he's flying.

I thought he wasn't nominated so was going to the Clark instead. Perhaps in case Bernardini pulls out they are going to have him ready for the Classic. If not, they could always run him in the Ack Ack as a Clark prep.

I heard Desormeaux ( seriously ) was working him the other morning.

Between the owner and trainer....how do they allow this guy near the horse after Turfway? It's amazing.

no doubt a chantal esk ride that time..lol

Ya know, in a low point of my Saratoga experience, I was having a drink at the Wine Bar and Chantal, Mikey and Kent were seated at a table right behind me. I guess Chantal must have been giving out riding tips.

I ran before the bullets started flying.

I find it hilarious that c ocktail comes out as ****tail. :D

Maybe "Bloodstock Journal" just got it wrong. I just checked and Premium Tap is still not nominated. Even more telling, Pre-Entries are due today at noon. It appears to me they would have had to have nominated Premium Tap by noon to not pay the extra $200K it will take to pre-enter him if he is not nominated.

Here's a link to info on nominating a horse to be BC-eligible:
http://www.ntra.com/content.aspx?typ...ple&section=bc

Here's a link for checking if a horse has been nominated:
https://nominations.breederscup.com/...cationForm.cfm

Here's a link to some info on pre-entry fees:
http://www.ntra.com/images/06PreEntryForm.pdf

Here's where I got the deadline info for pre-entries:
http://www.ntra.com/content.aspx?typ...ple&section=bc

We should know a lot more by this afternoon/evening about who is definitely bypassing the BC.

--Dunbar

Steve Haskin's column today also assumes that Premium Tap is going to the Classic:

http://www.ntra.com/content.aspx?type=news&id=21030

Haskin likes Premium Tap as a live longshot. Me, too, which is why I'm trying to confirm that he's entering.

--Dunbar

I love that stat on Jockey Club Gold Cup winners and the Classic. I mentioned that last year and was laughed at on ESPN. Obviously Bernardini and Borrego are different animals, but still, Borrego's last prep looked even more effortless against a far superior field last year than Bernardini did this year. Just throwing that out there.

Prado gets the mount...interesting

Also according to Haskin, Prado is scheduled to ride Premium Tap.

I still don't understand why Premium Tap doesn't show up as 'nominated' if he is indeed going to enter. Invasor shows up now that he was a late nomination. So does Bordonaro.

It's going to cost a whole bunch more to run him supplemented than if they'd nominate him.

--Dunbar

Premium Tap has a chance in the Classic?

Not likely. Haven't seen the field but it's hard to think off-hand of any horse with less of a chance. Hell, if Ouiji Board ran she would have a better chance of winning. Not that she rates to finish ahead of him but at least she's an unknown quantity. Premium Tap has ZERO chance.

Look, whteher it was Desormeaux's fault or not, Premium Tap had a big closing kick (against a weak field I know...), so I'd try him oin the Clasic. It's not out of the question that he could run with these guys. I'd take Desormeaux off of him for sho though! But I hope he runs in the Classic. He'll be coming late.

Well there's another horse I can throwout.

That's about as silly as someone saying Pegasus Wind had no chance in the Champagne.

--Dunbar

I have seen quotes from Kimmel stating that he does not wish to face Bernardini. What changed? Bernardini still seems like Bernardini. Perhaps Kimmel now realizes the money to be made coming second through ?:D

No, my comments are being made before the race. He is too slow, he is distance challenged, and he is pretty much a need the lead type. Nothing about him suits this race.

He has ZERO chance and is the kind of horse people only pick on the internet and don't back with their wallets. He will be 40-1 or more and should be every bit of that.

My understanding is that Prado was aboard for the work and he looked exceptional. He will be a big price and would need a ton of luck, but he is not without a chance, given that many in the classic appear to be over the top. BBB

The only sentence I agree with is the first. I'm not sure about the last.

One thing I am certain of is that he has more than a "zero" chance. If you don't understand that, then you are not as sharp as I thought you were.

I can assure you I will be backing him with my wallet if I see 40-1. I think he has better than a 2.5% chance to win. I'd also take 10-1 that he finishes in front of Bernardini and 4-1 that he finishes in front of any other individual horse in the race. Those are numbers I'm SURE I'd take. I may be willing to go much lower in the matchups.

--Dunbar

I think his only chance would be if the starting gate malfunctions and his gate is the only one that opens. No way Jose.

If he were really a premium tap then he'd definitely be Pabst Blue Ribbon in the Classic.

Utica Club I'd say.

Dunbar
 

OK...a number approaching zero which I personally believe is less than 2.5% ( though with takeout I was really saying his actual representative chances would be under 2%...wouldn't want to drop too far down in your esteem;) ).

I would say he is considerably more than 10-1 to beat Bernardini. I mean even if he's 4%, do you really think Bernardini is under 40% ( yeah, I know, that would theoretically be 9-1 ). And he is probably more than 4-1 to beat Invasor and Lava Man but I can see how it's close.

The problem with a horse like Premium Tap in match-ups ( and I'm sure I don't have to explain this to you ) is that he has a running style for this race that makes even a reasonable finish difficult. He figures to have to fight it out at least reasonably early with some of the top guns and still have enough left to deal with the decent closers.

Truly, the above argument is also why I say he has " no " chance in the race. First of all, while I do think he's improved, and publically said before the Woodward he was the one longshot I would recommend in the race, he does not fit the race dynamics along with being too slow.

have seen several items now saying premium tap is going, suave as well.

Very nice response, BTWind. I'm (seriously!) way happier reading "under 2%" than "zero". When people really think "zero chance", or "only if the starting gate malfunctions", it tells me a lot about their level of betting sophistication.

I loved Premium Tap's Woodward. However, your comments will get me to take an even more critical look at Premium Tap's other PP's, and of course some race replays. I'll be surprised if I don't like him at 40-1, but it's not impossible.

Regarding Bernardini's chances, I don't know if Bernardini has less than a 40% chance to win the race, but I doubt it's much over that figure. It looks to be a big field. I'll make up a line once the entries are known. It's going to involve considerable guesswork with David Junior and George Washington.

--Dunbar

PS-One thing the Premium Tap bashers have in their favor. There's about a 95% chance they will get to say "I told you so". (even if he loses by a head, they will say he had zero chance to win.)

Look, there's no upside in telling people not to bet 30-1 shots, but this is more of a theoretical debate. And just as clearly it is easy for people to take " internet shots " with huge priced horses...not to say that YOU are doing this here....but one does see it a lot. Kind of like with Giacomo, every time he runs his confused supporters get indignent with those that suggest he was lucky in the Derby and rightfully declare him overmatched in whatever race he is in. They pick him unsuccessfully, never revisit their bad opinion, and then start the same argument again when he shows up for his next failed attempt.

I think if you take the Woodward field apart you will find it was not particularly strong and when you combine that with the track playing towards speed it is hard to say Premium Tap was too impressive. Remember who was second....and Papa Chullo basically sat on the pace, never did any running, and still wound up fourth. Only Sun King made any kind of move in the race whatsoever.

second of june...and i had him pretty good....

Premium Tap was supplemented for 150K


http://drf.com/news/article/79879.html

And a post like this shows me a lot about who is or isn't extremely stupid and doesn't watch any races, not even big ones, and runs his mouth about horses and races that he hasn't even seen.
The fact that I could recite Premium Tap's pp's without looking at a DRF, and that you had to "look them up" tells me that you are masquerading as someone who is actually studious about racing. You'll never have my knowledge of this game, and for every shot you attempt to take at me, expect three back.;)

I agree that the argument is largely theoretical. It's my opinion that most people do not know how to deal with low probability events. Granted, most horses that go off at 40-1 have an even lower chance of winning the race than their odds imply. But even if they should be 60-1, that 1.5% chance of winning has to be factored into the other horses' chances of winning. Even more so when there are several of those 1.5%-2.5% horses in the race.

Sometimes a horse will go off at 40-1 when it really ought to be around 30-1. Those horses are excellent betting opportunities.

Bettors have a hard time distinguishing between 25-1 horses and 100-1 horses. Once you use "zero chance" or "toss out" or "starting gate malfunction", you fall into that trap.

I'm not sure why you think people are more likely to pick a longshot on the Internet (and not back it up at the window). You are much more likely to look like an idiot when you pick a 40-1 shot. Even if you know what you are doing, you can expect to be "wrong" 25-30 times for every time you are "right". And backing longshot picks with your wallet should not be inhibiting in the least. If you bet sensibly, you bet roughly 1/10th as much on a 40-1 shot as you'd bet on a 4-1 shot. So how scary can that be?

--Dunbar

Hey Oracle Troll here. Your calling another poster "extremely stupid" is kind of like the pot calling the kettle black. In just the last few weeks you have posted enough prattle to indicate your knowledge" has more than a few holes.

I know, I know, when I sell a Grade I winner.... prattle on. BBB

I've seen Premum Tap since he was a pup and am aware of the physical problems hes had and the insipid ride he got last out Troll. Well aware.
The problem he has is his running style, needing the lead or a stalking position. Its going to be nearly impossible for him to work out a trip with that style that can neutralize the other speed and effectively hold off the closers.
I have yet to see you post anything or pertinence or give out any winners, something many of us have done a thousand times.
I look to create value in betting in many different ways. One of my favorite things to do is to take a longshot with a "hanging" running style or "grinding" style and key him or her underneath in the tri. Something I did and posted before the kentucky Derby regarding Steppenwolfer, who I keyed for 2nd and 3rd in the triple.
I'm no chalk lover in the sense that you will NEVER see me make a large win bet(or small one!!) on a favorite to win. And if I key one in a pik-3, pik-4, or pik-6 I am looking to catch value in the other legs of that particular pik bet.
There are many horses in the Classic who may make good keys either on top or underneath who will go off at double digit prices.
But in asessing how the race will be run, I see lava man pushing or making the lead, and bernadini stalking and making a move on the backside or the turn. This is going to hurt any horse who wants the lead or needs to run close to it, because they are going to have to neutralize the speed and tactical speed of both Lava man and Bernadini. The way that I see to attack the race is to find someone with a closing kick who can suck up into what I feel will be a solid and contested pace.

Its not scary at all Dunbar, and every smart player knows that the only way to have a chance to win is to create value and bet against what you perceive to be bad favorites.
The "trap" here is that being able to handicap a race effectively is the first step in this. Simply betting random longshots isn't the way to go. Having a good knowledge of horses ability and running styles is the first step in isolating possible live long shots to either win or complete gimmicks.
If you knew me well enough, you'd know that I make the same statement about certain favorites having no shot as often as I do longshots. In last years BC sprint I said the same thing about Lost in The Fog. I said the wicked pace I predicted would hurt any chance he had.
I think that handicapping is the primary key in finding a live longshot, and the opinion someone has one what kind of chance any horse has, is the key in determining which longshots are live.

A.K.A... Sun King.. or even GIACOMO?

Sun King is definitely the key bet here in all three positions of the Trifecta in my opinion. He will be double digit odds and has several things working for him.
1) He will be double digit odds.
2) Has shown that he, above all other double digit odds horses that are projected, can run very fast numbers on the sheets.
3) His closing style is best aided by the projected solid and throughly contested pace that I personally expect.
4) Hes been rested and primed for this race since the Woodward.

I'm not trying to invent the wheel here. hes going to be my key in the gimmicks, at what I feel should be an overlaid price. Invasor beat him a short nose in the Whitney with a less than blistering pace and he will take much more money than Sun King will, with the caveat that he missed what was supposed to be his key prep race, and will not be going into the race with a DESIGNED layoff, as Sun King will.

Zippy any bet is a calculated risk based upon what you feel the scenario will be.
I think that the presence of some talented horses who consistently show speed or strong tactical speed and turn moves will insure a hot pace.
Therefore I see an optimum chance that a closer, or closers, will make up part or all of the trifecta.
The fastest of those closers on the sheets is consistently Sun King.
I'm not trying to overthink the race just because its worth 4 million bucks.

All excellent points....

Hey its always a gamble, but I obviously don't know a thing according to Dunbar and bellbendsboy. So don't listen to me!!!!

so, sun king, all, all.......plus all, sun king,all....ect.