7/16 (CNL): VA Derby (G2), VA Oaks (G3), Kitten's Joy, Tippett, Chenery

Dahoss · #1 07-13-2011, 05:01 PM

What a solid race the VA Derby is. Looking for Street Game to show he's the best 3 year old turfer in the country.

RolloTomasi · #2 07-13-2011, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dahoss

What a solid race the VA Derby is. Looking for Street Game to show he's the best 3 year old turfer in the country.

Funny enough, I thought it was the field for the Blue Grass until I reallized Brilliant Speed wasn't in there.

You can have Street Game and his off-turf score. Banned might have run in the 2000 Guineas if Ken McPeek or Wesley Ward trained him.

blackthroatedwind · #3 07-13-2011, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

. Banned might have gotten drowned in the 2000 Guineas if Ken McPeek or Wesley Ward trained him.

FTFY.

RolloTomasi · #4 07-13-2011, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

FTFY.

Apparently you missed Noble's Promise last year at Ascot. He only beat the 2000 Guineas winner, who subsequently knocked off the French Zenyatta, Goldikova. He also would have hit the board if there were less horses in the race.

As Noble's Promise clearly cannot hang with the best sprinters in the land, I fully expect him to be a force once he's returned to his rightful place, the turf mile division.

Don't they run the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot? Food for thought.

Anyways, I have Banned placed somewhere between Manila and Honor Glide in my personal pantheon of top 3yo turf horses. Street Game is a poor man's Solar Splendor.

blackthroatedwind · #5 07-13-2011, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Anyways, I have Banned placed somewhere between Manila and Honor Glide in my personal pantheon of top 3yo turf horses. Street Game is a poor man's Solar Splendor.

I think that's fair and reasonable. They could be the third best US horses behind Twirling Candy.

RolloTomasi · #6 07-13-2011, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I think that's fair and reasonable. They could be the third best US horses behind Twirling Candy.

As Col. Kilgore might say:

'Candy don't turf!

Actually, he does.

Dahoss · #7 07-13-2011, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Funny enough, I thought it was the field for the Blue Grass until I reallized Brilliant Speed wasn't in there.

You can have Street Game and his off-turf score. Banned might have run in the 2000 Guineas if Ken McPeek or Wesley Ward trained him.

I'm not as high on Banned as others are. I thought his win Derby day was impressive visually but not nearly as impressive as many made it out to be. I wish I could get into it further, but DRF is down, again, so I'll check back in later.

GPK · #8 07-13-2011, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dahoss

I'm not as high on Banned as others are. I thought his win Derby day was impressive visually but not nearly as impressive as many made it out to be. I wish I could get into it further, but DRF is down, again, so I'll check back in later.

You having problems with Formulator?

Dahoss · #9 07-13-2011, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GPK

You having problems with Formulator?

Off and on all day.

GPK · #10 07-14-2011, 07:04 AM

A broken water main on the turf course yesterday forced all the races to dirt last night.

PatCummings · #11 07-14-2011, 10:37 AM

Really like Jazil's Song in the Tippett provided Prado doesn't freak out.

RolloTomasi · #12 07-13-2011, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dahoss

I'm not as high on Banned as others are. I thought his win Derby day was impressive visually but not nearly as impressive as many made it out to be. I wish I could get into it further, but DRF is down, again, so I'll check back in later.

One of the main concerns with Banned is that he tends to make early moves and then pays for it down the lane. That wasn't the case in the American Turf, where Gomez had him well out of it, and it wasn't an issue in the Jefferson cup with only 4 runners.

Not sure what the course will be like at Colonial, but isn't Street Game's big effort last out a bit tempered by the yielding conditions?

Dahoss · #13 07-13-2011, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

One of the main concerns with Banned is that he tends to make early moves and then pays for it down the lane. That wasn't the case in the American Turf, where Gomez had him well out of it, and it wasn't an issue in the Jefferson cup with only 4 runners.

Not sure what the course will be like at Colonial, but isn't Street Game's big effort last out a bit tempered by the yielding conditions?

No arguement from me regarding Street Game. He has to prove that effort wasn't him handling the course better than everyone else and I'm a bit biased because he's a NY Bred. I just see him as a horse that is getting better and I think (hope) he's as good as I think he might be. Of course, he could also run 8th with the way I've been going lately.

It's not that I don't think Banned is good. But people were calling him the best American turf horse we have after the American Turf. I think he ran well, but was the beneficiary of an intelligent ride from Gomez as you mentioned.

Either way it's a race I'm excited to see, which doesn't happen as much nowadays as it should.

philcski · #14 07-14-2011, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dahoss

No arguement from me regarding Street Game. He has to prove that effort wasn't him handling the course better than everyone else and I'm a bit biased because he's a NY Bred. I just see him as a horse that is getting better and I think (hope) he's as good as I think he might be. Of course, he could also run 8th with the way I've been going lately.

It's not that I don't think Banned is good. But people were calling him the best American turf horse we have after the American Turf. I think he ran well, but was the beneficiary of an intelligent ride from Gomez as you mentioned.

Either way it's a race I'm excited to see, which doesn't happen as much nowadays as it should.

I do think he's close to the top if not at the top. It's always tough to rate a 3yo turfer over elders, for example two of the most dominant US 3yo turfers in the last 10 years (Kitten's Joy and Artie Schiller) both lost in the BC. That being said, there are very few I'd take head to head against him right now at the middle distances. Does he want to go 12F? Not sure yet.

Dahoss · #15 07-14-2011, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by philcski

I do think he's close to the top if not at the top. It's always tough to rate a 3yo turfer over elders, for example two of the most dominant US 3yo turfers in the last 10 years (Kitten's Joy and Artie Schiller) both lost in the BC. That being said, there are very few I'd take head to head against him right now at the middle distances. Does he want to go 12F? Not sure yet.

I think he'd be an also ran against Gio Ponti (at what seems like 85-90% of his old self), Courageous Cat or Get Stormy.

I just think his American is VERY overrated. If he proves me wrong on Saturday, I'll be here to admit it.