Here's a real shocker!

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Bobby Frankel has scratched Saint Anddan from todays Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs.

The lesser of the two Asmussen entrants is also out...making it a field of five.

Frankel probably crapped his pants when he saw the numbers Fabulous Strike had been running on the sheets (and everyone elses figures) --- though, you can't always be sure of that...as no one is more scratch happy than he is.

[pba1817]

Couldn't possibly be the unfair weight assignments could it?

[Bobby Fischer]

Frankel probably knows Fabulous Strike pretty well.

Most likely he didn't want to run Anddan against strike today.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

How's the weight assignment "unfair" ?

You do realize that this race isn't a handicap...and Frankel knew exactly how much weight he'd be carrying when he entered the horse.

Frankel also is a rabid sheet figure user...and has a history of scratching in situations like this.

I'm not saying Fabulous Strike is a mortal lock either---as he had smoke and mirror trips in those races, over what can be a peculiar surface. Although, the figures are stone cold accurate---and he and Greg's Gold are almost certain to run 1-2...with him being the more likely winner.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Here's a link to the nominations.

The only way Frankel didn't know he'd carrying that weight...is if he doesn't know how to read.

http://www.churchilldowns.com/racing...stidesnoms.pdf

I do realize it's tremendously unfair that he had to give between 2-to-4 pounds at the distance of six furlongs--in a Grade 3 stake--off of a Grade 2 win last time out.

[blackthroatedwind]

I think the weight comment was a joke.

The contest seems to have you unusually on edge today.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

No.

The guy who said it was the weight was the same (and I think only) poster who tweaked out on me for mentioning how fast his figures have been.

[blackthroatedwind]

You could be right but considering Frankel's history of bitching about inane weight assignments it appears to be a joke to me.

Either way....who cares. I am much more annoyed that I didn't follow up on Garifine.

[Dunbar]

I read it as a joke, too. We all know Frankel is the poster boy for scratching due to weight.

--Dunbar

[The Indomitable DrugS]

He typically doesn't scratch because of weight---he'll just skip a handicap race and not enter if he feels he was given an unfair weight assignment.

Or, in some cases (Wild Spirit) he will run, and get beat a nose, and whine about it....though I believe that was more Jerry Bailey than Frankel....who, in one of his all-time greatest moments....personally blamed the racing sec. for him losing the race in a televised interview as well.

After that classic "I was on the best horse...but racing secretary Mike Lakow just got us beat today" quote -- as perhaps fallout...Jerry Bailey was fined a few days later for whipping one of his mounts about ten yards after the wire.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

He typically doesn't scratch because of weight---he'll just skip a handicap race and not enter if he feels he was given an unfair weight assignment.

Or, in some cases (Wild Spirit) he will run, and get beat a nose, and whine about it....though I believe that was more Jerry Bailey than Frankel....who, in one of his all-time greatest moments....personally blamed the racing sec. for him losing the race in a televised interview as well.

After that classic "I was on the best horse...but racing secretary Mike Lakow just got us beat today" quote -- as perhaps fallout...Jerry Bailey was fined a few days later for whipping one of his mounts about ten yards after the wire.

He's such a good sport that Jerry Bailey.

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

He's such a good sport that Jerry Bailey.

mike lakow is the biggest jerk you could ever meet in your life and he was fired, hope he is eating dirt somewhere...but i heard he got a job with some farm

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by slewpy

mike lakow is the biggest jerk you could ever meet in your life and he was fired, hope he is eating dirt somewhere...but i heard he got a job with some farm

I've not only met him, he's a friend of mine, and I couldn't possibly disagree more with you.

Nice country America.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I've not only met him, he's a friend of mine, and I couldn't possibly disagree more with you.

Nice country America.

A friend of mine as well. Good guy. He is doing well at Hill n Dale Farm. Dont think dirt has been on his menu lately.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by pba1817

Couldn't possibly be the unfair weight assignments could it?

That depends, did anybody tell Frankel beforehand that the horse would be required to carry a jockey? I mean if they just sprung it on him, I could understand why he'd find that unfair against Fabulous Strike.

Seriously though if Hard Spun can carry Larry Jones around a track without fracturing something, a horse can carry 120-124 just fine. Unless they're made of glass, which apparently Bobby finds is frequently the case in his barn.

[blackthroatedwind]

While perhaps something happened to the horse, considering Frankel's personal pps, he probably scratched because he knew he couldn't beat Fabulous Strike. When you have a horse as special as Saint Andann you don't want to risk a defeat to spoil his pristine record.

It's gotten to the point where even Michael Dickinson was recently heard saying " Geez, that guy scratches an awful lot. "

[philcski]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

He typically doesn't scratch because of weight---he'll just skip a handicap race and not enter if he feels he was given an unfair weight assignment.

Or, in some cases (Wild Spirit) he will run, and get beat a nose, and whine about it....though I believe that was more Jerry Bailey than Frankel....who, in one of his all-time greatest moments....personally blamed the racing sec. for him losing the race in a televised interview as well.

After that classic "I was on the best horse...but racing secretary Mike Lakow just got us beat today" quote -- as perhaps fallout...Jerry Bailey was fined a few days later for whipping one of his mounts about ten yards after the wire.

I remember that race and comment well, and perhaps King Jerry needed to look in the mirror for that loss. He was so overconfident on Wild Spirit, he decided to track 3-4 lengths behind an absolutely glacial pace (literally 20 lengths slow of par) and when he finally decided to move Santos' bomb (Jerkens trainee I think?) had enough left to hold her off. The resulting pick 3 payoffs were ridiculous, with a 3/5 Bailey and a 17/1 Velazquez bomb in the finale it paid something like $3-4k.

[pba1817]

Lighten up a little guys!!

Frankel has been notorious for scratching horses and complaining of the weight assignments.... obviously this was not a handicap, but didn't stop Big Bob from scratching...

[The Indomitable DrugS]

When Frankel saw Fabulous Strike was about 8 lengths faster on his beloved sheets...was the moment he decided to scratch.

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I've not only met him, he's a friend of mine, and I couldn't possibly disagree more with you.

Nice country America.

when he was racing secretary in ny he was a real nice guy if your last name was pletcher, but if you were a worker, groom ,hotwalker etc...he was your worst enemy. if a worker got hurt he would do everything he could to be sure the worker couldnt collect workers comp, and went so far as to ban a worker from the grounds for getting hurt,,,real nice guy