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Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind
He's probably a nice horse, and maybe he will step forward, but don't kid yourselves about today's effort as it was VERY pedestrian. Take a good look at the pps of the second finisher.....as well as the rest of the field. It was a ridiculous bunch.
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You know I'm not someone who gets all caught up in that sort of thing. Barbaro came into last year's Derby with a pair of wins, by pretty close margins, against claimer bound Great Point, and the unspectacular NY Bred Sharp Humor.
I do realize the 2nd place finisher is a complete and utter dog bisucit--and even a lot less of a horse than GP and SH...however, he had every circumstance known to man going in his favor, against the winner, coming into today's race.
* Before today, the 2nd place finisher had run just twice in his career around two-turns, winning moderate restricted stake races on both occasion. Being by a sire who was 0-for-9 lifetime sprinting, and a millionaire routing, and out of a dam who was a stakes winning router...the added distance and two-turns would figure to enhance his form.
* This horse had three recent races and seven workouts over the Tampa track in preperation for this. The winner hadn't raced in three months, and the 8.5 furlong trip, for a feb 3yo, at a track like Tampa, is a pretty demanding one.
* The 2nd place finisher got an uncontested early lead through VERY comfortable fractions for him. For people who are into sheet ideology, he also got 6lbs, and saved two paths of ground on both turns. He really did have a great trip.
The 3 length margin of victory is pretty decpetive....as the winner is VASTLY superior to the runner-up.
A lot of Any Given Saturday's appeal as a Derby horse, IMO, comes from the fact that he's a true grinding type, who can flash a little tactical speed if he needs to.