Quote:
Originally Posted by CSC
Whether Rosario is a better rider than Garcia at routes is immaterial in this case, the horse couldn't have been ridden better this day.
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Couldn't have been ridden any better? You've lost your mind.
Here's a recap of Garcia's supposed perfect ride of St. Trinians:
* The Start:
St. Trinians breaks into the side of the gate and stumbles. Garcia must also steady her back off of heels. Well hey, lets be positive, at least he didn't fall off.
Grade D-
* Early position:
St. Trinians is making her first start off of a 3 month layoff - and horses doing that typically are fresh and show more speed than normal - but don't always finish as well as normal.
However, about 12 jumps in ... St. Trinians is still behind Zenyatta. Separation is the name of the game against Zenyatta.
The thing I've always said about Zenyatta is that when she gets even she's leaving - and when she's ahead, you're dead. Garcia is forced to test my theory after his poor start.
* The 1st turn:
This is where I ask myself "what in the hell is this moron doing?"
The old rule of thumb I've always used is that a horse travels one additional length for each path wider they race on the turn. However, studying Trackus, it seems to indicate that it's actually a length and half or so for each path of ground.
Garcia decides to take St. Trinians (who broke from the 2 hole and could have saved ground) wider than even Zenyatta on the first turn. Zenyatta's a big lumbering horse and doesn't want to get stopped when she makes her move ... why Garcia thinks he needs to be wider than her on the turn is beyond me.
Only two reasons make any sense. 1.) St. Trinians might have been pulling a bit from being so fresh off of the layoff - and horses tend to relax better when they are out in the clear than when they are on the fence.
2.) He was afraid that Victor Espinoza would keep him locked on Zardana. Zardana and Zenyatta are both trained by Shirreffs, and you saw what Espinoza did to Lookin at Lucky in the SA Derby when Gomez tried to come inside of him. He
might have put himself in Espinoza's trap if he saved the ground and tried to steal it up the rail .. but it's a risk you have to take.
If you don't think saving ground in a 2-turn route is important. Go watch where Awesome Gem is on the turns and go watch where Rail Trip is on the turns in the Hollywood Gold Cup.
* The Far Turn:
Because Garcia was worried that Espinoza was trying to trap him or that his horse would get rank running against the rail so early ... he was forced to race 4-to-5 paths wide the entrie way around the whole far turn.
Meanwhile, Zenyatta was poised to strike in behind them. She didn't start to tip out till about 2/3rds of the way around the far turn which allowed her to save a little ground on St. Trinians all while not having her momentum stopped. Her run would be a clear one and this is the point in the race where St. Trinians reportedly loses a shoe.