Rachel ran a good race, but...
 

Rachel ran a good race, but in victory, she was exposed as a good filly with distance limitations. MTB in defeat, found validation in his being a serious racehorse. If they go in the Belmont, I would think MTB would be favored over Rachel.

Whoa don't go out on a limb there...

PROFOUND!!!

ABSOLUTELY PROFOUND.

Cause there have been so many great fillies who could go 12 furlongs in the last 50 years, right? Especially against males?

The assumption that RA has distance limitations is ridiculous. Did you take into consideration how fast the pace was yesterday? She ran EVERYONE who participated in the pace into the ground. Very few horses are going to look fresh as a daisy after contesting those fractions and opening up at the quarter pole.

I find it hilarious that anyone would use the word "exposed" when desribing what happened yesterday at Pimlico. Unless of course you were talking about Friesan Fire, Pioneerof the Nile, or a couple of others.

NT

All I hear is "she's the best 3 yo in the country" , "she's got the inside track on HOY". With those credentials, you would expect her to be the favorite in any race. I don't think she would be in the Belmont.

Friesan Fire is this year's Cowtown Cat. Anyone that gave him a shot either in the Derby or, laughably, the Preakness really needs to consider giving up the game.

As for PTN, he did his job by hitting the board in the Derby.:rolleyes: Sent all the Beyerites into heavy SPIN mode.

Wow.:eek:

NT

i had no idea eclipse voting was limited to betting favorites. altho i would disagree that rachel would not be favored should she run in the belmont. where the idea is coming from that she has distance limitations i don't know.

Considering the pace, how he looked like a train wreck going into the gate, one start in so many months etc. Big Drama ran a massive race to be 5th. He's a really nice horse... my early pick for the King's Bishop.

I'll take Musket Man or Quality Road in there if their respective connections have to steer clear of the Travers for whatever reason.

I like everything about this post except the last sentence... 4/5 :tro:

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahaha

Why the hell would she be the favorite in any race. She is the best 3 year old at the classic distances. If she runs 1.5 miles someone may beat her. If she runs at at 5f someone may beat her, but very few horses can fire at all distances. The eclipse voting has nothing to do with being the favorite in every race, its your performance on the track in the races you run. Maybe, to vaildate her, we should enter her in a turf sprint at santa anita. After all, she should be able to handle any surface and race...

my vote for insane post of the year!!!

Yeah Rachel was really exposed with having distance limitations when she ran the first half in 46 and change and still won the preakness...

And MTB showed he's a better horse than her since he finished 2nd right??

I seriously wonder who had the better trip... Rachel going 4 wide the first turn out of post 13 and setting fractions of 23, 46 and change, 111 and winning the darn race...

Or MTB who loped around easily made one run, experienced a little trouble on the far turn but was pretty clear for the majority of the stretch...

The bolded part is a serious question... am I crazy for thinking Rachels trip was more taxing than MTB's??

Also, if anyone who thinks Rachel, if she runs, would not be the favorite at Belmont is ABSOLUTELY insane.

I have to agree with the folks who think Rachel had the tougher of it up front setting those fractions. What I saw on Saturday in no way tells me she has distance limitations. The Belmont's 12f race is an obsolete dirt distance anyway, and RA can get 10 all day long. If she is on her game and they let her walk around Belmont in a half mile around 50, she'll roll them again. Much respect for MTB's effort, but making a too late rush up for second in no way leads me to believe he'll be able to beat the filly anytime soon.

A more prudent question would be is she just that much better at Churchill Downs than at other tracks? Borel has said as much, she just skips over that track where there are some simliarities to Street Sense, where he was lesser at other tracks. Unless she learns to run slower in the early part of her races, she will have trouble getting 1 1/2 if she indeed runs in the Belmont.

It's one thing to say MTB would beat RA at Belmont. But saying he'd be favored over her is batshit insane. With all the press that RA is getting and Borel's yapping and the big purchase price and the win over the boys, she may never not be the favorite again. If she goes to the Belmont she'll be 3/5 at the highest. I'll be betting against her with both fists.

???

She ran the same figure at Pimlico that she ran in the Oaks..

And I'm pretty sure Street Sense ran just fine at Pimlico and Saratoga..

I knew that was coming...numbers aside she was arguably a different horse at CD.

Well maybe she doesn't "skip" over other tracks, but she certainly can run just as fast over them.

And I still don't know what you're talking about re: Street Sense. He ran huge races in the Preakness and Travers.