Watched Bernadini work this morning-

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

I love Bernardini but he needs an acid test like the one Barbaro had at Gulfstream with Sharp Humor. We still do not know if Bernardini will collapse when he hooks up with a horse like Invasor.

No offense, but Sharp Humor coldn't warm this horse up going two turns....we'll see if Invasor can.....I'll say this much, I know Bernardini would smoke Sun King and Invasor didn't exactly run away from Sun King in the Whitney....We'll see down the road, but one thing I do not want to hear for much longer is that "this horse needs an acid test" or that he "hasn't had to face adversity yet" or "hasn't had to fight hard to the wire while starring at a good horse" - which all three phrases are correct.....but the again, if he keeps running his competition off their feet like he does then he may never get challenged...that is what happens when you are simply 50 pounds better than your competiton...we'll see..

[Nostradamus]

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

No offense, but Sharp Humor coldn't warm this horse up going two turns....we'll see if Invasor can.....I'll say this much, I know Bernardini would smoke Sun King and Invasor didn't exactly run away from Sun King in the Whitney....We'll see down the road, but one thing I do not want to hear for much longer is that "this horse needs an acid test" or that he "hasn't had to face adversity yet" or "hasn't had to fight hard to the wire while starring at a good horse" - which all three phrases are correct.....but the again, if he keeps running his competition off their feet like he does then he may never get challenged...that is what happens when you are simply 50 pounds better than your competiton...we'll see..

He is beating a bunch of nothings. Invasor has beaten good horses. You are crazy if you think Bernardini can just walk over Invasor or Sun King. He isn't exactly running figures much greater than Invasor. In fact, Invasor and Bernardini have been putting up virtually identical numbers.

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

He is beating a bunch of nothings. Invasor has beaten good horses. You are crazy if you think Bernardini can just walk over Invasor or Sun King. He isn't exactly running figures much greater than Invasor. In fact, Invasor and Bernardini have been putting up virtually identical numbers.

Yeah, but Bernardini is JOGGING when he puts up those numbers.....trust me, Invasor is nice but he isn't half of the horse Bernardini is....You really can't see that?

Plus, you have your opinion about what Invasor has been beating...personally, I'm not impressed with what he has beat....Wanderin Boy?...Wild Desert?...Su King?...not exactly giants in my book....Flower Alley is the only real quality he has faced and that horse is done....

Bernardini hasn't faced the greatest horses either, yes..your're right....bvut he at least beat some horses with decent upside the way he should have....the length of the stretch

[Downthestretch55]

I've stayed away from saying anything on this thread since it showed up.
A tip of the hat to Oracle for sharing what he saw.
If I remember, on a previous thread, when Rupert asked me how I could tell that Tin Man was running "choppy" on the backstretch, when I couldn't see his legs. I didn't respond.
So, now I'll say what I look for...and I expect some to "blast" away at me for saying so.
When a horse is "put together", all parts work in a synchronized manner.
One thing I look at is how level the horse's head is.
For those that have ever watched a cat run, did you ever notice that its head isn't bouncing up and down? It's level.
Besides an easy stride, absence of the head bobbing is something I look for.
Bernardini has it. Many others don't.

Just my two pennies worth.

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

He is beating a bunch of nothings. Invasor has beaten good horses. You are crazy if you think Bernardini can just walk over Invasor or Sun King. He isn't exactly running figures much greater than Invasor. In fact, Invasor and Bernardini have been putting up virtually identical numbers.

I'm not sure what your comment has to do with this topic. We've talked Bernardini to death here and we'll find out more next week. Regardless of what you think about this colt, objectively speaking, he's a magnificent physical speciman with a spectacular way of going. Do you dispute that?

[Nostradamus]

Originally Posted by Betsy

I'm not sure what your comment has to do with this topic. We've talked Bernardini to death here and we'll find out more next week. Regardless of what you think about this colt, objectively speaking, he's a magnificent physical speciman with a spectacular way of going. Do you dispute that?

The comment has plenty to do with the topic. Read the thread. He is an excellent horse but just like I tell the lunatic Showing Up fans, he has to beat older horses before we make him Secretariat. Bernardini has beaten tired horses and injured horses in the Preakness and a group of mediocre horses in the Jim Dandy. I think he wins the Travers easily because the others are weak but Invasor, Sun King, Flower Alley, Lava Man, all have the ability to pressure him and make him work for his win. He has not had to work for anything. Horse racing is full of great looking horses that couldn't get it done when they stepped up. Bernardini is no better than a Point Given or Empire Maker right now. People already are comparing him to Spectacular Bid which is ridiculous.

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

The comment has plenty to do with the topic. Read the thread. He is an excellent horse but just like I tell the lunatic Showing Up fans, he has to beat older horses before we make him Secretariat. Bernardini has beaten tired horses and injured horses in the Preakness and a group of mediocre horses in the Jim Dandy. I think he wins the Travers easily because the others are weak but Invasor, Sun King, Flower Alley, Lava Man, all have the ability to pressure him and make him work for his win. He has not had to work for anything. Horse racing is full of great looking horses that couldn't get it done when they stepped up. Bernardini is no better than a Point Given or Empire Maker right now. People already are comparing him to Spectacular Bid which is ridiculous.

The Travers is weak? Isn't Bluegrass Cat still pointed to that race? I take it that you didn't see his Haskell.

[sumitas]

Think we'll get $5.00 for the exacta in the Travers ?

[brockguy]

will this fella face older horses before he goes to the Classic??

[Nostradamus]

Originally Posted by kentuckyrosesinmay

The Travers is weak? Isn't Bluegrass Cat still pointed to that race? I take it that you didn't see his Haskell.

I saw his mediocre Haskell where that big time horse Praying For Cash got up for second. He will get thumped by 6 or 7 by Bernardini just like Barbaro did to him. He has been beaten by some very average horses in his career.

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

I saw his mediocre Haskell where that big time horse Praying For Cash got up for second. He will get thumped by 6 or 7 by Bernardini just like Barbaro did to him. He has been beaten by some very average horses in his career.

I will agree that I think that Bernardini will crush the Travers field, but Bluegrass Cat's Haskell was not a mediocre race, and Bluegrass Cat is much more than a mediocre horse. He ran an outstanding race in the Haskell, and I think that he is a better horse now than he was at the Derby.

Bluegrass Cat got beat by Deputy Glitters in the Tampa Bay Derby because he lost a shoe. He got beat on that freaky Keeneland racecourse because Todd wanted him cranked for the Derby, and I don't quite think BCG liked the surface. He got beat by a great horse in Barbaro in the Derby. He got beat in the Belmont by a very good horse in Jazil because Jazil got a wonderful ride by Jara. Jazil is not just a medicre horse either and is in the upper tier of three year olds. I also don't think that a mile and a half is quite BCG's favorite distance. Really, I don't see where BCG has ever run a really bad race in his entire career. He is a very consistent and promising colt. So in my book, BCG got beat only by Barbaro and Jazil because he had legitimate excuses in the other races that he lost.