Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasept
His best has come at 7f (CD & Forego) and 1m (Met) and his one off effort this year came at 6f (Vanderbilt, albeit on the dead inside). The Dirt Mile is a silly event, but it is a high-enough profile two turn G1 that can enhance his resume. He's going to Spendthrift and they may have been in on the decision too. If he gets beat, a loss in the Dirt Mile doesn't dent his fender like a loss in the Sprint.
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I’m not sure I agree his best efforts have been at 7F and a mile. And while he was not good in the Vanderbilt, he had an excuse. He was brilliant in both six furlong races at Oaklawn in the winter and all last season.
He already won the race that is the most coveted stallion maker by winning the Met. The thing is, he has a chance to definitively win the eclipse with a win in the sprint. But, winning the Mile doesn’t necessarily mean the sprinter eclipse if Imperial Hint wins. And if he loses the Mile and Imperial Hint wins, he’s definitely not winning.
I suppose a win in the Mile could make him the favorite for the older male eclipse, assuming a longshot or 3 year old wins then Classic.
He just doesn’t strike me as a two turn horse and while I’m not paying the bills, this does seem like a Spendthrift decision because you’d think Asmussen would’ve tried to get a two turn race into him. Just seems strange to me and more evidence of how terrible the Mile has been for various BC races.