12/18 (HOL): Futurity (G1)

[RolloTomasi]

Pretty amazing that two horses that were running in the early season maidens in May at HP completed the exacta in December's Futurity.

Not sure that's necessarily a good thing with respect to the race's impact on next year's Kentucky Derby.

That said, JP's Gusto had a weird running line, and seemed to finish with good energy. I would have guessed he'd be burnt out by now, so hopefully at the very least he will be a good "barometer" horse for the West Coast Derby preps.

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Pretty amazing that two horses that were running in the early season maidens in May at HP completed the exacta in December's Futurity.

Not sure that's necessarily a good thing with respect to the race's impact on next year's Kentucky Derby.

That said, JP's Gusto had a weird running line, and seemed to finish with good energy. I would have guessed he'd be burnt out by now, so hopefully at the very least he will be a good "barometer" horse for the West Coast Derby preps.

I think the race was horrible. None of these horses will have any impact on the Triple Crown.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985

I think the race was horrible. None of these horses will have any impact on the Triple Crown.

I thought that perhaps Industry Leader had some upside before the race, but he wasn't involved at all. Perhaps something was amiss. I suppose he deserves a start on dirt before completely writing him off.

On another note, how bad was Art Gropper's commentary in the "Closer Look" section of the DRF's PPs?

When discussing Riveting Reason, he mentioned that the horse, coming off his maiden victory, was facing a tough task in the Futurity. Used the hackneyed "it's always tough first time vs. winners" maxim.

Of course, if he bothered to actually read the PPs, or watch this year's Breeder's Cup, or just follow the big races for the year, he would have known that Riveting Reason had competed in 3 straight Grade 1s (Del Mar Futurity, Norfolk, and BC Juvenile) prior to his win in maiden special weight company.