Best and Worst Ride in the BC

Best: Ramon Dominguez with Little mike

Worst: Patrick Husbands with Spring Venture

[Conrad]

Yutaka Take on Trailblazer made a ridiculously early and wide move in the Turf and wound up hanging for 4th or so.

[Belinda Cubbage]

The jockey Velazquez cost Point of Entry his rightful win. I felt so bad for mr Mcgaughey.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Belinda Cubbage

The jockey Velazquez cost Point of Entry his rightful win. I felt so bad for mr Mcgaughey.

Really? What was wrong with the ride? He saved all of the ground, made it through the hole on the rail and got beat by a horse that sat a superior trip and benefitted from the dynamics of that particular race. I honestly don't see what velazquez could have done that would have changed the result. Did I miss something?

[Clip-Clop]

Johnny did check early but I am not sure that cost him the race. Best, George Vancouver or trinniberg. Worst for me was the fugue.

[NTamm1215]

Best by a long way was Castellano on Zagora. He rode her and The Fugue.

Espinoza on John Scott was pretty ugly. Patrick Husbands on any horse is ugly. P. Val on Merit Man was terrible.

[Calzone Lord]

Dominguez on Little Mike was magician work.

Atigun's ride in the Marathon was obviously the worst ride of the BC. That was a monumental gaff on a horse who would have won easily had he not decided to try (and succeed) to collapse the race.

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Really? What was wrong with the ride? He saved all of the ground, made it through the hole on the rail and got beat by a horse that sat a superior trip and benefitted from the dynamics of that particular race. I honestly don't see what velazquez could have done that would have changed the result. Did I miss something?

He didn't look comfortable on the rail. That's a decision that's difficult for a jockey to decipher. John R. caught on but it was too late. If the horse is moved off the rail a little earlier in the stretch he wins IMO.

[blackthroatedwind]

I agree on P Val on Merit Man ( he absolutely cost him the win by rating him needlessly on the lead ) and Mike Smith on Atigun ( that ride was just hilariously bad ).

[jms62]

If Little Mike doesn't win that we are all questioning why he wasn't taken to the lead. The same can be said for Trinnieberg.

[parsixfarms]

Best: Mike Smith on Royal Delta.

Worst: Mike Smith on Atigun.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by jms62

If Little Mike doesn't win that we are all questioning why he wasn't taken to the lead. The same can be said for Trinnieberg.

This doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Travis Stone]

I actually thought Brian Hernandez's ride on Fort Larned was one of the best rides of the weekend. I know... it's easy to go to the lead and see what happens but I thought he did a lot of things right.

First off, the front was the place to be and he went there. Second, he maintained a comfortable advantage throughout and as they neared the far turn, he committed to the race. I think way too many jocks try and sit cute on their horse until the top of the stretch, at which point every other horse is back in the race and the front-end advantage is lost. He also could have easily worried about going too fast and tried to rate the horse (see Merit Man), but instead went on with it and won the whole thing.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

I actually thought Brian Hernandez's ride on Fort Larned was one of the best rides of the weekend. I know... it's easy to go to the lead and see what happens but I thought he did a lot of things right.

First off, the front was the place to be and he went there. Second, he maintained a comfortable advantage throughout and as they neared the far turn, he committed to the race. I think way too many jocks try and sit cute on their horse until the top of the stretch, at which point every other horse is back in the race and the front-end advantage is lost. He also could have easily worried about going too fast and tried to rate the horse (see Merit Man), but instead went on with it and won the whole thing.

But couldn't you say that his job got a lot easier when Game On Dude didn't make the front?

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

But couldn't you say that his job got a lot easier when Game On Dude didn't make the front?

Sure, but that's horse racing. He also could have done what many riders do, particularly in NY as of late, and yank back and turn every race into a turf-like affair.

[jms62]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

This doesn't make a lot of sense.

Really? Makes perfect sense to me. Little Mike loses and people on this board are bitching about him not being taken to the lead since All his previous victories came while on the lead.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

best friday Christophe Lemaire flotila

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Originally Posted by hoovesupsideyourhead

best friday Christophe Lemaire flotila

worst friday husbands spring venture

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worst honorable mention p val

The ride on Flotilla was a thing of beauty.

[robfla]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

I actually thought Brian Hernandez's ride on Fort Larned was one of the best rides of the weekend. I know... it's easy to go to the lead and see what happens but I thought he did a lot of things right.

First off, the front was the place to be and he went there. Second, he maintained a comfortable advantage throughout and as they neared the far turn, he committed to the race. I think way too many jocks try and sit cute on their horse until the top of the stretch, at which point every other horse is back in the race and the front-end advantage is lost. He also could have easily worried about going too fast and tried to rate the horse (see Merit Man), but instead went on with it and won the whole thing.

I may be imagining this, but it looked to me that at about the 1/8 pole - when MMM looked like he was going to run right by Fort Larned, Hernandez cocked the horse's head to the right to show Fort Larned the other horse coming to him. Fort Larned took off again. Maybe the horse was trying to lug out.. I don't know...I thought that was a great move if I'm correct.

Hernandez Jr. had a great ride on Fort Larned. Never in a million years would I predict that he would win any Breeders Cup race...much less the classic.

Rosie Napravnik won too. Furthering the fact that you could put a trained monkey on a horse and they could win a Grade 1. Just comes down to not making mistakes and that is random as can be with these athletes.