[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Java Gold ( who I believe was 3-10 that day ) lost the JCGC due to Pat Day's incompetence not an injury. In fact, Mack Miller was actually considering running him in the BC, which he was against, to try and recoup HOY but he then discovered an injury. But, the injury did not cost him the Jockey Club, Day's horrendous and inexcusable ride did.

Go for Wand was a VERY good horse. Please...I don't know how anyone could suggest otherwise. Compared to the random horses people call great these days she was the greatest horse of all time.

As for King Glorious...I was at that Haskell and remembering him beating a very bad field. I can't believe anybody would base an opinion of a horse on what a jockey says. Gary Stevens, for instance, has ridden 896 horses that are the best he has ever ridden.

I'm not so sure about that situation with JG. I do remember that the injury thing supposedly came up after the race and they did publicly say that they were reconsidering him for the BC but I never believed a word of it. For months, they had made it clear that the JCGC was the end of his season. Remember, this was only the fourth year of the BC and a lot of the Eastern folks weren't interested in shipping all the way to California that late in the year (the BC that year was 11/21). They still considered the fall races at Belmont as the true championships. Remember that the winners of the Beldame (Personal Ensign), Champagne (Forty Niner), JCGC (Creme Fraiche) were also held out that year too. Pat Day's ride didn't help either. He was too overconfident and let that other horse go and should have respected Creme Fraiche more than he did. Any horse that has a Belmont win, a Super Derby win, a Donn win, a JCGC win, and the Meadowlands Cup has to be respected.

I don't base my opinion of KG on what McCarron or Stevens said. I based it on what I saw. I saw him live run a 1:08 4/5 at Hollywood. I saw him live run a 1:21 1/5 (which at the time, the DRF said equalled the second fastest time ever for a 2yo). I just think he was the fastest horse I've ever seen in terms of natural cruising speed.