First Dude- Grade 1 winner

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

The light has gone on this year with First Dude because he won the stake at Churchill by a nose over Regal Ransom and Equestrio (I think they are still running in the Foster) and because he was the last horse standing in the Hollywood Gold Cup, again, by a nose? Sorry, I can't agree.

I think he's been helped by facing far inferior horses this year as opposed to last year.

Last year he was getting outrun by Fly Down, Afleet Express, Morning Line, Lookin at Lucky, etc. He hasn't faced anyone like that this year.

Last year, he was losing. This year, he is winning. You make it seem like Fly Down, Afleet Express, Lookin at Lucky, and Morning Line were some kind of murders row. They weren't. I don't think they were better than what he's facing now and if they were, they certainly weren't far superior. Last year, he was good enough to finish a head and neck behind Fly Down, a neck behind Morning Line, and 3/4 behind Lucky so I wouldn't say they were far superior to him. Looked to me like he was right with them, maybe a step back and if these horses now are right with him, why aren't they also right on level with the ones from last year? To me, if you are going to say the horses last year were good, you've got to say these are too. I personally think that both groups were/are average at best and that First Dude is no better now than he was then and that it's just been an adjustment in training that has changed him from loser to winner. Now he runs all the way through instead of waiting on them, which I thought he was doing last year.