Now does anyone still believe?...
 

...that Barbaro is better on the dirt than Bernardini and would have defeated him in the Preakness?

Barbaro was hands down probably the best turf 3YO in the world this year and maybe the best turf horse in the world period, but I am very comfortable saying that he wanted no part of Bernardini on the dirt.

Preakness (check in a runaway)

Jim Dandy (check in a public workout)

Travers

Jockey Club Gold Cup

BC Classic

Horse of the Year

.....4 more checks to go.....

:)

i think a lot of people believe Barbaro would have beaten any horse in the KD. i would have liked to have seen Barbaro take on Bernardini with his usual 4 to 5 weeks rest.

I'm with you Joel, but I think a lot of people will still take Barbaro

Lets hope Bernardini can stay healthy and stays around for a four year old campaign. Could be an all-time great if he sticks around and continues to develop. It's great to watch him run.

Not a chance in hell if he wins the BC Classic

Your right. It's the unfortunate part of this game. I can still wish.

This "best turf horse in the world" **** about Barbaro is laughable at best....

Why do people keep saying that?

You think Barbaro could have handled the 1 1/2 of the Epsom Derby, or Maybe beaten Hurricane Run, Electrocutionist, and Hearts Cry yesterday at Ascot?

What about Deep Impact? Think Barbaro could have worked him?

Barbaro was a really good horse, there is no doubt about that. But I could think of quite a few horses that he couldn't touch on the weeds.

Hell if he wins the Haskill he'll run in the BC Classic and then be retired to stud. Hell even he doesn't win the Haskill he gets stud duty.

When you have two undefeated horses with as much potential and obvious ability as these two, only a fool would say definitively which would win! Opinions are equally valid...neither lost a race and both obviously had/have tremendous upside! Barbaro demonstrated an ability to carry his class across diverse surfaces (dirt/turf), he also demonstrated the heart of a champion as he was indeed "looked in the eye" in a race that he had every opportunity to lose. I think it's a disservice to both champions to say with any confidence which was/is better. Up to this point, Barbaro showed a little more...turf dominance followed by a Derby win trumps a Preakness win and a public workout yesterday...but that in no way is proof absolute that he was the better horse! My guess (and only a guess)...I'll stick with Barbaro!

I dont know if he gets retired after the BC. Why? He's owned by Darley. Darley has unlimited funds and doesnt need the money. I think they'd love nothing more to own a horse that is an alltime great and if Bernardini is something special he might stick around next year...

Either way, we'll never know.

Preakness was the race.

The mudfest helps me with nothing. I dont take a race like that and proclaim the horse a God. We will wait for another dry track with a full field, and a wide range of styles.

Too bad ESPN's race of the week was a complete bore. Its races like that that will prevent the new fans from wanting to watch. They would be better off showing a low level claiming race, at least those are competitive most of the time. Thats 2 years in a row the Jim Dandy has been a snoozer.

Yes and if Bernadini had raced in the Kentucky Derby he would of lost that one too. We are comparing two horses at different stages of their career. Barbaro get hurt and that can't be changed. Just for the record I bet Brother Derik.

That's your opinion, that's not fact. Bernardini might have beat Barbaro, but many people won't accept that. We will never know.

I should add that Bernardini got a pretty low Beyer (not sure what it was, but it didnt make the top Beyers list on DRF's site), but I suspect that even Andrew Beyer would have to admit that this time, the # doesn't really indicate the quality of Bernardini's race.

I agree completely with this assessment. We will never know who would have won between these two, but I'd bet it would have been one heck-of-a-race. Sorry we missed it. The part I regret the most is not seeing Barbaro take on the Euros on the turf. We get few horses in the states that could compete because our best go to dirt (for the money of course).

I think the beyer is less relevant in this case because he won so easily. If he was pushed we might have a better idea of his true beyer.

Certainly a valid point....Deep Impact and Hurricane Run are obviously the best in the world right now IN THEIR PRIMES, but I still believe that Barbaro had the potential to be the best turf performer in the world.

I have little doubt that he is the real deal, but two races do not make you a superstar.