What's with these HOF trainers and sending every horse to the lead instead of letting them develop their own preferred running style?
So the "one-dimensional" Defunded is "maturing" and "showed a new dimension" by winning the Californian from off-the-pace after a poor start.
Are the trainer and the turf writers spewing this drivel actually familiar with the horse's race record? Horse was a stone closer in his first 3 or 4 career starts and a stalker after a couple of two turn efforts. Horse has been needlessly sent to the lead at all costs since returning last year as a 4yo and has proven to be a very limited front-runner in the handicap division. Could be an effective closing sprinter with something to say in the Met Mile if he was handled differently.
No bother though...it takes effort to get a horse to meet its maximum potential. Why sweat about races like the Met when you can settle for a great rivalry with Stilleto Boy and 1 or 2 other horses per race in all the mediocre handicap preps in southern California, then scratch your head when an allowance horse with an inkling of stamina beats you both in the 10-furlong marquee race (is There Goes Harvard making a comeback for the Gold Cup yet)?
That said, I'm sure I'm jumping the gun. Maybe the horse will be asked to sit back in his next start. The barn's "leased" Derby horse (Reincarnate) got shuffled back early in the Rebel and turned heads by closing strongly late (only to get impeded). He then showed up right back in the Arkansas Derby and...you guessed...went back to his front-running style and wilted. On to Churchill...
These HOFs should be able to learn new tricks. It's not like this trainer was recently humiliated the other day by an up-and-coming trainer half his age when she took one of his cast offs whose career was derailed by a forced front-running style last year and allowed the horse to ease back into his original late-running ways. Only won the Carter by opening lengths last weekend.
At least that one will probably show up in the Met...
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