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Originally Posted by RolloTomasi
Just for argument's sake, as far as the field goes at the time of the Marlboro Cup:
Cougar, a 7yo making his 48th career start off a brief layoff, was arguably a better grass horse than he was on the main track.
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Actually, he was only 6 - his birthday was October 16, 1966; a just turned 7yo back home in Chile. He had won 3 G1 races earlier in the year and placed in 4 other G1s, a slightly better year than he had at 6 (although he missed the summer due to an infection on a hind leg that year.)
Did the Coug really like turf better? He won the Californian twice, coming close to Swaps' track record one time; had a first and two seconds (one to HotY Ack Ack, the other by a nose, giving weight) in the Santa Anita H; he galloped in the Woodward by 5 lengths over the best the East Coast could gather, but had to give it back for crowding the tiring leader as he swept to the lead. He RAN on turf more often than on dirt, but its not clear he was better on one than on the other. The only things he didn't like were a wet track - dirt or turf - and races under a mile.
In the Marlboro, His Felinity knocked into the gate at the start, did some fancy broken-field running to get through the field, and was rapidly getting to Riva Ridge for second. Considering he was coming off of a layoff against race-fit competitors at a distance less than his best, he ran up to par, IMHO.