Overrated Jockeys

Originally Posted by Sweetness

I've watched the replay a few times, and I just disagree. What would you have liked Gomez to do? Harry Vega's horse outsprinted him, and he sat patiently there. As they turned for home, the hole opened, then it shut, and finally opened again. First off, Songster is very talented and no one was going to beat him that day. I think it was more of Harry Vega not letting Gomez through, as he was trying to salvage second, then anything Gomez did wrong. Did you read Baffert's post race comments, he said something to the extent of Vega costing TMB the race and him having some connection to Prado.

I agree, TMB was a vistim of the draw...anytime you draw down on the inside you run the risk of getting a bad trip..its just physics...there is nowhere to go on the inside and you can only go outside...the jockey has a decision to make early on in the race whether to Go or settle back and come around - or in TMB and Gomez's case keep in striking range and hope for an opening to present itself....I can't see much wrong with that ride...it was a bad trip and there was probably little he could do about it...think about it..if he pushes the button early to get into the clear he compromises his horse for the stretchrun, and if he takes way back to get into the clear then he loses that mush more ground to make up in the late stages of the race....he did the right thing IMO and just got unlucky...this is a sport that is a large majority of luck, you know...