[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Outside of his not handling the track, what conditions were not perfect for him yesterday?

Distance. Preparation. Pace scenario. Physical issues perhaps.

But I wasn't referring only to the BC Classic. I was also referring to the King's Bishop and the Wood Memorial.

What squeeze are you referring to? The kind of squeeze Jackson Bend put on him in the Kelso?

Hah. Yeah, you don't often see a loose on the lead horse turn back the challenge of the poor horse that has the unenviable position of having to make an early run on the frontrunner lest the latter opens up an insurmountable lead.

It was a 4-horse field. While it may be the fastest, it was also the most insignificant performance of his career.

The kind of squeeze Boys at Toscanova put on him in the Juvie? The kind of squeeze the front runners put on him in the Juvie?

I already said he showed he wasn't one dimensional.

By the way, are we referring to the same Boys of Toscanova that was coming off a 3-month layoff and making his two-turn debut, and then within 2 months went on another 7-month layoff which culminated with an impressive non-threatening 3rd in a second condition allowance race a few weeks ago?

What is this mysterious squeeze you refer to in the Wood? He had things totally his own way!!!!

Yep, set a solid pace while hounded by a 30-1 longshot, fought off a couple of challenges turning for home, edged clear of the pack, then failed to hold off two closers.

Sounds like distance once again.

Oh yes, the squeeze was the 20 mile long length of the Wood. Which was at least 18 miles further than when he won the BC Juvie a few months before.

In the BC Juvenile, he had a target to run at, and more importantly, nothing behind him.

How about the squeeze he felt in his debut? Oh, that's right, he's just a sprinter, so the conditions were absolutely tailor made for him there.

I didn't know maiden special weights were considered top class races. Anyways, from the King's Bishop, we know he can handle some pressure and still perform admirably at sprint distances.

So, just to make sure I understand, all three of his losses were due to being under some sort of squeeze, right?

Yeah, either that...or he simply didn't handle the track.

What was your excuse for his Wood Memorial again?

He's won over four different tracks, and outside of yesterdays loss, I've never heard anyone use the excuse that he didn't handle the track. Well, except for me after the Wood, but as it turned out, something else was wrong, which I had no way of knowing.

But you were sure from his action, stride, choppiness, etc. that he didn't handle the track at Aqueduct, just like you say now about his effort at Churchill Downs.

Apparently, what you've been witnessing are signs of an internal malady.

Pancreas this time?

It's amazing how people will put blinkers on themselves to prove themselves right instead of using their visual abilities to see what is right in front of them.

You could be right. It's possible that Uncle Mo is simply the unluckiest all-time great in history. I mean, despite not handling the track surface, having a ravaged liver, and getting a non-ideal setup in his three losses, he still somehow managed to run normal for the first 1/2 of each race and unleash a bid for the lead on the far turn. He's so good, he can still uncork winning efforts despite being clearly eliminated from contention before reaching the first turn (at least to the well-trained eye). Only past the 1/8 pole have we seen the hepatitis and cuppy Churchill surface rear their ugly heads to make a martyr out the horse instead of a hero.