[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I just think there is a basic misunderstanding by Sniper and King Glorious about Commentator. You both seem completely oblivious to his physical issues. This is a 7YO that just made his 16th career start. Think about that for a while....a long while. You both seem to be mapping out a season for a horse that is lucky to be able to make four starts a year. Sniper thinks he should be shipping down to New Orleans to run in the Minshaft in a few weeks as a prep for, maybe, the NO Handicap. I'm not exactly, to say the least, Mr. Backstretch, but I know enough to understand how ridiculous it would be to ship him and run him that ambitiously. It's very early in the year. There are plenty of races and if handled carefully perhaps, just perhaps, he will be able to take a shot in some of the more fitting spots. I am sure Zito would love to try him going longer again, but in order for that to happen I imagine he has to be handled very carefully. I hate the expression " they're not machines " but I do think it is very fitting in this particular case.

Miraja is right. Commentator is a horse that at times has run awe inspiring fast races. We don't see this very often anymore. He's a 7YO with a lifetime of issues. It's a miracle he's still running even occasionally well. It seems more fitting to be appreciating whatever we get out of him instead of arguing about where he's best spotted. Just hope he makes another start....and another.....

I don't think it's a misunderstanding on my part. I understand that there are likely to only be a few opportunities to run him each year because of his physical issues. For that reason, I completely agree with you that it wouldn't make much sense to ship to New Orleans. They would be lucky to make even one of the two races and chances are very slim that they'd make both. I have not at all mapped out a campaign for what they should be trying to make with him. I only said that in the few times a year that he will be able to run, I'd like to see him placed in spots that would better allow him to show his best abilities. I think Commentator is an extremely talented horse, arguably one of the 10 best of the past decade. But I don't think they are doing him any favors by placing him in sprints. He's run some very fast sprints but he's done it under optimal circumstances for him. He's not once shown the ability to contend with true top level sprinters on the front end and still have the ability to finish. I don't see how anyone can't look at his record and see that. Last year for example, if they wanted to bring him back off of the layoff to run in the BC, the Dirt Mile, IMO, would have been a better fit than the Sprint. So I don't think there is a misunderstanding about him at all. I understand that he's a very talented and very fragile horse.