Tips/Thoughts on Breeders' Cup tickets this year?

[ddthetide]

Originally Posted by justindew

Champion 3-year-old filly?

Just tossing it out there. Just thinking out loud.

put her on the DIRT in the spring against Eight Belles or most of the season against Proud Spell or Music Note.

[jpops757]

Goldicova was one of the real standouts but she isnt even the best SHE in Europe. With the quality looking a little fillie like, are we gonna see more of them busting up the boys club next year?

[CSC]

Zenyatta to use a mutual fund analogy won a basket of races, against good but not great competition. She didn't hit a home run in my opinion but you can't knock her record, however you can question the quality of horses she ran against. She should have been in the Classic in my opinion. Winning the formally named distaff really didn't help her reputation.

Goldikova ran as a 3yr old filly against boys, and pretty much outclassed her rivals as she pleased. I thought that one performance far outshined any one performance Zenyatta had this year. I don't know which filly should win the Eclispe. But when you mention both horses to me, I have more of a respect for Goldikova after the championships.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by CSC

Zenyatta to use a mutual fund analogy won a basket of races, against good but not great competition. She didn't hit a home run in my opinion but you can't knock her record, however you can question the quality of horses she ran against. She should have been in the Classic in my opinion. Winning the formally named distaff really didn't help her reputation.

Goldikova ran as a 3yr old filly against boys, and pretty much outclassed her rivals as she pleased. I thought that one performance far outshined any one performance Zenyatta had this year. I don't know which filly should win the Eclispe. But when you mention both horses to me, I have more of a respect for Goldikova after the championships.

zenyatta isn't in the running for top 3 yo filly, but has the mare championship sewn up. i just wish she'd have run in the classic, but maybe next year....since it's in her backyard again. and yes, i know, she won on dirt-that wasn't a knock on her ability on a surface, but she obviously likes santa anita.
anyway, as for goldikova...i have an issue with any horse coming here, running once, and winning the award-i didn't like it when high chaparral did the same. these awards are for imo the top horses for the year, here. goldikova didn't run here all year, she ran here once. a breathtaking performance, but not one which i feel negates any and all racing by every other 3 yo we had here running and winning.

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by Danzig

zenyatta isn't in the running for top 3 yo filly, but has the mare championship sewn up. i just wish she'd have run in the classic, but maybe next year....since it's in her backyard again. and yes, i know, she won on dirt-that wasn't a knock on her ability on a surface, but she obviously likes santa anita.
anyway, as for goldikova...i have an issue with any horse coming here, running once, and winning the award-i didn't like it when high chaparral did the same. these awards are for imo the top horses for the year, here. goldikova didn't run here all year, she ran here once. a breathtaking performance, but not one which i feel negates any and all racing by every other 3 yo we had here running and winning.

I completely agree with your last paragraph - I could see Goldlikova IF there were no worthy 3 year old fillies out there. However, both PS and MN are legitimate championship-caliber fillies with outstanding campaigns. Goldlikova will probably get votes from silly writers, but she has no shot.

Also, I think I might have to give the Eclipse for male turf horse to Conduit simply on the basis that there is no way on earth I could justify giving it to Kip Deville (who I like) based on his one win in a graded stakes at Belmont, a bad race at Woodbine and a good 2nd in the BC. That is a weak, weak resume for a champion.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Betsy

I completely agree with your last paragraph - I could see Goldlikova IF there were no worthy 3 year old fillies out there. However, both PS and MN are legitimate championship-caliber fillies with outstanding campaigns. Goldlikova will probably get votes from silly writers, but she has no shot.

Also, I think I might have to give the Eclipse for male turf horse to Conduit simply on the basis that there is no way on earth I could justify giving it to Kip Deville (who I like) based on his one win in a graded stakes at Belmont, a bad race at Woodbine and a good 2nd in the BC. That is a weak, weak resume for a champion.

or they could give it to ravens pass.

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by Danzig

or they could give it to ravens pass.

Maybe they need a new division for "European horses too good for American horses, but with not enough starts in the US to qualify".

You could've made a case for Grand Couturier, I suppose, but he finished nowhere. Maybe no one should get the award.

[Pedigree Ann]

The idea that one race can define the champion of division is an abomination. Racing is not like baseball or basketball, where you win your way up the brackets until you win a championship in a single contest. Racing is more like golf, or NASCAR; it is the body of work that defines a championship. We all know that an unknown can, with a combination of luck and a perfect match of skills and conditions, win the Open, the biggest golf tournament; but winning the Open does not make him the equal or superior of Tiger Woods, even if he beats Tiger in the process.

The Eclipse Awards are United States racing awards; Canada has the Sovereign Awards. Races in other countries should not be considered for Eclipse Awards; they have their own championships for racing there.

Just my own, old-style opinion. I still remember when top horses raced every two or three weeks, like claimers do today, and 6 to 8 weeks was a layoff. You newbies have no idea how wonderfully exciting it was to follow a horse in those days.

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

The idea that one race can define the champion of division is an abomination. Racing is not like baseball or basketball, where you win your way up the brackets until you win a championship in a single contest. Racing is more like golf, or NASCAR; it is the body of work that defines a championship. We all know that an unknown can, with a combination of luck and a perfect match of skills and conditions, win the Open, the biggest golf tournament; but winning the Open does not make him the equal or superior of Tiger Woods, even if he beats Tiger in the process.

The Eclipse Awards are United States racing awards; Canada has the Sovereign Awards. Races in other countries should not be considered for Eclipse Awards; they have their own championships for racing there.

Just my own, old-style opinion. I still remember when top horses raced every two or three weeks, like claimers do today, and 6 to 8 weeks was a layoff. You newbies have no idea how wonderfully exciting it was to follow a horse in those days.

I agree - I would never, ever consider a horse's overseas form for a championship. My thinking on Conduit is just based on yesterday. If there were a worthy American turf male who just had a bad day yesterday, then I wouldn't consider Conduit.

[Pedigree Ann]

Before they calved off the 'female turf category', we could have given the turf championship to Forever Together with a clear conscience, even if she hadn't beaten the boys the way a Drumtop or All Along did. As it stands, the season isn't quite over yet.

[Hwjb]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

The idea that one race can define the champion of division is an abomination. Racing is not like baseball or basketball, where you win your way up the brackets until you win a championship in a single contest. Racing is more like golf, or NASCAR; it is the body of work that defines a championship. We all know that an unknown can, with a combination of luck and a perfect match of skills and conditions, win the Open, the biggest golf tournament; but winning the Open does not make him the equal or superior of Tiger Woods, even if he beats Tiger in the process.

The Eclipse Awards are United States racing awards; Canada has the Sovereign Awards. Races in other countries should not be considered for Eclipse Awards; they have their own championships for racing there.

Just my own, old-style opinion. I still remember when top horses raced every two or three weeks, like claimers do today, and 6 to 8 weeks was a layoff. You newbies have no idea how wonderfully exciting it was to follow a horse in those days.

So horses are getting awards for merely turning up, never mind how badly they get arsed?

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Danzig

zenyatta isn't in the running for top 3 yo filly, but has the mare championship sewn up. i just wish she'd have run in the classic, but maybe next year....since it's in her backyard again. and yes, i know, she won on dirt-that wasn't a knock on her ability on a surface, but she obviously likes santa anita.
anyway, as for goldikova...i have an issue with any horse coming here, running once, and winning the award-i didn't like it when high chaparral did the same. these awards are for imo the top horses for the year, here. goldikova didn't run here all year, she ran here once. a breathtaking performance, but not one which i feel negates any and all racing by every other 3 yo we had here running and winning.

While I understand that sentiment and don't entirely disagree with it, I think that in light of how the voting has always been done and with the precedent being clearly set, she has to be considered. I would have no problem if they changed the criteria and said a horse had to have at least four starts here or something like that in order to be eligible. But with the them always having awarded horses in the past off of only a single start and with that still being the only listed requirement, it doesn't make much sense to penalize Goldikova when she did the same thing as Pebbles, Miesque (2x), Banks Hill, Islington, and Ouija Board (2x).

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

While I understand that sentiment and don't entirely disagree with it, I think that in light of how the voting has always been done and with the precedent being clearly set, she has to be considered. I would have no problem if they changed the criteria and said a horse had to have at least four starts here or something like that in order to be eligible. But with the them always having awarded horses in the past off of only a single start and with that still being the only listed requirement, it doesn't make much sense to penalize Goldikova when she did the same thing as Pebbles, Miesque (2x), Banks Hill, Islington, and Ouija Board (2x).

but i think those that won off one start were in a division with no other clear standouts. it's why i can see the turf male award possibly going to conduit, but can't really see goldikova getting it.

[The Bid]

Breathtaking

How great is Zarkava, wow.