How is it possible...
 

that the Vanderbilt is the slowest 6 furlong race on the card? The sprinters are as bad as the handicap horses. How much did it rain?

I don't think it rained until after the Vanderbilt.

And Joppa Flats posted the days best 6F time in his 7F win. 1:09.36.

http://www.equibase.com/static/chart...R072608USA.pdf

Wow , Joppa Flats finally got the job done after 20 failures :tro:

Obviously the track changed significantly.

Even a dopey horseman should have realized that.

The Go For Wand was insanely slow, though as a route it's not really comparable to the Vanderbilt.

The only thing I noticed was that before the Vanderbilt they Sealed / Harrowed the track from the opposite direction. It appeared that that they sealed it and only gave it a shallo harrowing. (It that even makes any sense.)

It really didn't rain until just before the Go For Wand and even then it only really rained for about 5 - 10 mintues. I can't say that it really changed the conditions of the track at all. It started raining during the post parade / warm up for the Go For Wand and it stopped raining by the end of the race and the sun was out before the end of the race. Actually, by the time I got back to my seat there was rainbow that seemed to end at the Saratoga tote board, at least from my vantage point. I actually told my wife that I always knew that the pot' o gold at the end of the rainbow was at the saratoga toteboard. She wasn't amused, even knowing I was alive in the pick 4 to 6 horses.

I guess my point is that the only thing I saw that could impact the speed figures was the fact that the grounds crew was sealing / harrowing the track differenty and the actual rain fall was insignificant.

I think the Go For Wand was an oddly run race with the pace being slow and the jockeys trying to keep Ginger Punch bottled up inside. The fact that she got through was unbelievable, and makes me apprecitate hot great she truely is.

If Ginger Punch is great then I can dunk over Shaq.

The old track slowed due to reasons beyond our comprehension excuse? Exactly how much did it slow down? 2 seconds?

Easily ( and more for longer distances obviously ).

Didn't you take the "speed figures and variants" math course as part of your training? :rolleyes:

If earning over 100K as a maiden is a failure, then give me a whole barn of those failures.

The track obviously changed speeds before the eyesore that was the Vandy.

The Personal Ensign was obviously also very ugly - and this might be the first time in history that the top 3 finishers in the Whitney Stakes all ran double digit Beyers in their most recent start.

Here is how I have my figures for the day.

Race #1: 84 Pace 93 Final

Race #2: 98 Pace 92 Final

Race #3: TURF

Race #4: 106 Pace 89 Final

Race #5: TURF

Race #6: 108 Pace 102 Final

Race #7: TURF

Race #8: 117 Pace 105 Final

Race #9: 83 Pace 89 Final

Race #10: 116 Pace 117 Final

Race #11: TURF


Put it this way - if you don't believe the track changed speeds - you than believe that Dr. D.F.C. - who was 4th beaten less than 2 lengths at 40/1 in an N1X allowance race - would have been a clear cut 2nd in the Whitney - or would have beaten the pathetic Ginger Punch by 14 lengths had he been allowed to run in the Personal Ensign.

Incomplete assignment, Mr DrugS

where are your turf figures?

I don't believe in turf figures.

I hate these corny responses.

120 beyer for Commentator!!!!!!!!

I also noticed the REVERSE Harrowing of the track at that point. I sat right next to the ABC booth with Kenny Mayne and hank Goldberg and I asked them if they had ever seen reverse harrowing in the middle of a card like today. They said no and they had their in box producer call over to the other announcer booth of Privman and Moss to see what their reaction might be but we didn't get their answer.

I though the track and trainers DID NOT want this reverse harrowing in the middle of a race card and discussed this with the track super in the spring at Belmont?:confused:

Why did the track crew mess with the surface. I cant understand why they have to mess with it. Im glad i don't make figures for a living.