One of the greatest 11.25 length defeats by a filly in history
 

Instead of opting to concede an easy lead to Rachel Alexandra - which Borel tried to force him to do by floating him out - Johnny V. - no doubt following instructions - decided to go on a suicide mission with Life At Ten. Those two quickly opened up 15 lengths on the rest of the field.







I just wish I had the tools to make pace figures for the half mile instead of the first six furlong - because the pace figures probably would have been in the 130's... and that doesn't even account for the ground loss on the first turn.

Life At Ten's four races this year coming into today look like this...



I realize she won a Grade 1 race by dueling Unrivelled Belle into sound defeat - I realized she toyed with the field and easily won the $750,000 Del Cap at 10 furlongs last time out ... but make no mistake, her performance today - finishing 3rd and beaten only 11.25 lengths by Persistantly while running a Beyer in the low 70's was without a doubt her single best race this year all things considered.

She stepped up and ran huge today.

Old school Bailey suicide mission to defeat another horse rather than winning.

Todays race was like a replay of Storm Flag Flying winning the PE. A suicide mission gone wrong.

i realize the guys on TV know nothing, especially Gary Stevens, one of the worst trainers in modern history, but all I heard leading up to the race was that Johnny V couldn't rate Life at Ten and if he did they'd both be worn out and have nothing left for the stretch.

I just watched the race again to reconfirm what I thought I saw during the live running of it. Where exactly does Borel ever urge her to the front? (Maybe ever so slightly out of the gate.) Typically horses on 'suicide missions' are, very visibly, urged. In fact, it's clear in the run to the 1st turn, and in the run around the 2nd turn on the headon, that there's quite a bit of slack on the reins. In other words, Borel is long reining rather than restraining her. So, she was given her head and was going nicely as Borel never made the effort to either urge her or restrain her. She did it all well within herself and just flat out collapsed late.

Looks like they either didn't tie her tongue down or didn't do a good job of it, as she's got it out during the entire running of the race.

Was the same way in the last race.

It looked to me like the two jocks thought it was strictly a 2 horse race and rode to simply try to beat the other. I enjoyed seeing it but Shugs horse clunked up to win.

And the idea of a tongue tie is to prevnt the tongue from being pulled back into the throat which can cause interference with the breathing mechanism, hanging out is of no signifigance since they breathe through their nostrils.

[quote=Cannon Shell;689701]It looked to me like the two jocks thought it was strictly a 2 horse race and rode to simply try to beat the other. I enjoyed seeing it but Shugs horse clunked up to win.


Absolutely 100% Correct

No doubt. However, shouldn't it be tied down sufficiently so that the horse can 'focus' on running, rather than paying with its (significantly extended) tongue, as RA was doing?

Some interesting post race comments:

'Calvin Borel, rider of runner-up Rachel Alexandra (No. 2): “She just got outrun. I had everything my way, and she just got outrun.
“After we put away Life At Ten at the quarter pole, I didn’t feel any acceleration and I got worried. She wasn’t really there. I knew if anyone was running behind us, we were in trouble. If you can’t take the losing with the winning, you can’t be in the game.”

'Shug McGaughey, winning trainer of Persistently (No. 3):“I thought that [Rachel Alexandra] might be a little vulnerable going a mile and a quarter, and I knew we’d run a mile and a quarter. I knew we would run a mile and a quarter. Her female family runs a long way.....We were just lucky enough to pick up the pieces.”

' John Velazquez, jockey aboard third-place finisher Life At Ten (No. 4):
“That was a speed duel. I thought my filly would be on the lead, [Calvin Borel, jockey aboard Rachel Alexandra (No. 2)] would rate in second, but he sent her out and got in the lead and all that did was create more problems for my horse because now she was engaged. But I wasn’t going to take her back; I just left her alone. I wasn’t going to go back either, so I just held my position and left it alone. The half-mile pole came and I thought she was dead and then the three eighths pole came and she was done. Nothing left"

:tro::tro:

As we said many months ago … RA is just like her old man … a good 9f runner … but clearly vulnerable at ten.


Gotta luv classic distance races

Almost always expose the PRETENDERS…

Yes, 10 furlongs over real dirt is the test of greatness.

I told my wife (you knows little and cares even less about Horse racing) while watching the race that I don't understand why Jocks decide to make the the horse to the out side of them go way wide in the first turn.
Yes it comprimises the outside horses chance of winning but, it also causes the inside horse to concede a ton of ground to the closers who are tucked in behind galloping along hugging the rail.:confused:

You tie it down as deep in the mouth as possible. The part of the tongue that you see isnt signifigant. It is really a non issue.

You may require a tongue tie despite being a noted mouth breather. Perhaps your boy Lane could use a tongue tie as well.

:tro:

Both RA and Life At Ten were dead after a half mile. It's a true testament to Life At Ten that she was able to run her final six furlongs in a sensational 1:18.78 seconds after what happened in the first four furlongs.

Rachel Alexandra got her final six furlongs in an absolutely dazzling 1:16.94 seconds considering the pace.

That's called a speed duel. Borel doesn't want to admit he was involved in one because he doesn't want blame for the result.

Borel rode a perfect race - he tried to discourage Velazquez from commiting suicide by floating him out - but Johnny V. never backed down. If I was Borel I would have said the exact same thing. If you admit you got involved in a duel - you're just giving an owner an excuse to replace you.

[quote=Round Pen;689708]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell (Post 689701) It looked to me like the two jocks thought it was strictly a 2 horse race and rode to simply try to beat the other. I enjoyed seeing it but Shugs horse clunked up to win.

i thought cannon was correct also. they completely ignored the other horses. it cost both of them.

I would say the race wasn't that great. Sure, the pace was on the quick side, but the final time is pathetic. I don't think the pace explains all of it, or the little bit of wide on the first turn. RA and LAT ran better than the Beyer will indicate for sure, but it wasn't that great.