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Originally Posted by King Glorious
Wonder if Rollo will even bother tuning in to watch the World Cup?
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I guess you're excited to see Knicks Go and Life is Good duke it out. Especially after having your appetite whetted this past weekend by that epic renewal of the Louisiana Handicap starring Mandaloun--the best horse never to actually finish first in a race of consequence--and Midnight Whatever--the gamest horse in America according to some even though the reality is he would find a way to lose a walkover. It was like a replay of all those great duels in all those Grade 3s last winter at Fair Grounds when they were 3yos. Hopefully they keep it going so we can see some real showdowns in the Cornhusker and maybe even the Lukas Classic...
But every Pegasus Faux Cup--with the exception of the 2021 Pegasus Allowance Race---has been billed as a virtual match race and it never materializes.
In 2017, fan favorite California Chrome never showed up against one of the many "best horse since Spectacular Bid" con jobs in Arrogate.
In 2018, the speedy and apparently juiced Sharp Azteca couldn't get near HOY Gun Runner.
In 2019, Accelerate--the only horse in history to beat Pavel a dozen times--got drilled by erstwhile miler City of Light.
In 2020, Reformed claimer Tax along with his unpaid groom stumbled behind New Mexico AND Oklahoma also-ran Mucho Gusto.
The only thing the 2022 edition has to offer is the potentiality that both favorites will run out...
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Knowing how much he detests horses like Life is Good and Flightline, I'm guessing he won't watch. Too bad it couldn't be Rombauer vs Knicks Go. That's what everyone would rather see.
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Actually, I'd rather just see the old Donn Handicap which used to draw a strong, competitive field every year. Not sure why anyone would prefer a fake 2-horse race with a fake purse topped off with a bunch of allowance horses. But to each his own.
On the positive side, I will say that this race is loaded with interesting possibilities in the event that both the official 2021 HOY and the "real" 2021 HOY get beat.
If that happens, wouldn't it be gravy WITH a cherry on top (sounds like something Stronach would concoct) to see 2 Godolphin cast-offs (Endorsed and Commandeer) complete the exacta? They're both going to get the setups of their lives on Saturday. Endorsed was poorly managed by Mott and stretches back out where he probably should have been all along for Mike Maker. Commandeer got gelded, sold, pulled off the Arlington polytrack (where he was making odd middle moves), and has done no wrong at long odds for his new connections.
The only thing that I don't want to see, although I'd laugh if it happened, is for Stilleto Boy to win.
Wouldn't want the bloated aura around Flightline to get any bigger, especially since his connections probably have no intention of ever running him against either Knicks Go or Life is Good. Plus, they might retire him without racing him ever again if a Prairie Meadows also-ran that he demolished beats 2 of the best horses in training.