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Originally Posted by NTamm1215
I agree to an extent but Congaree was one tough SOB. He will never be remembered among the best of the past decade because he didn't have a signature win but he won 10 graded stakes races including Grade I's ranging in distance from 7fs to 10fs.
NT
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A lot of people forget how much quality Congaree was.
He broke a 22+ year old record held by Spectacular Bid for fastest Ragozin figure ever run in his first Cigar Mile win.
People thought of him as a sprinter/miler ... but look at the three ten furlong races on his form. Beyers of 116, 116, and 115. A win in the Hollywood Gold Cup trouncing Harlan's Holiday. A near miss 2nd to a two time Big Cap winner in a race where he carried 5lbs more. Pleasantly Perfect was 4th in that race - and would win the BC Classic at the same track and distance later in the year.
The other 10f race being a 4th by 2.5 lengths in the Breeders Cup Classic - a race where he hooked Medaglia D' Oro the whole way... and both absolutely ran their eyes out.
Not showing on that cut ... is Congaree's 3rd place finish in the Kentucky Derby. IMO, it was clearly the decade's best losing effort by any horse in the Kentucky Derby. That race was absolutley loaded with unbelievable quality speed horses.. and Congaree was the only thing close to that pace who survived. He toyed with Monarchos in his prior start in the Wood .. but he might have been more impressive than Monarchos in defeat in the Derby than he was in easy victory over him in the Wood.
Not to knock Invasor ... but he was not a fast horse - only one time did he ever run a figure faster than 113. He beat laughable competition for the most part until the Classic. I think just about every respectable trip handicapper I know thinks Bernardini ran clearly the better race in the BC Classic .. and Bernardini is only rated 4th on the 3yo list.