CJ And BB

The cat, I'm supposing, is now completely out of the bag regarding Colonel John. I'd supposed only those of us who clandestinely viewed those You Tube videos understood fully that Eion Harty, pictured, has produced a machine of a horse with the sort of training job that reminds quite a bit of Carl Nafzger and Street Sense. But, Sunday there's CJ and his :57 and change work plastered all over the Bloodhorse and TB Times videos. So now everybody knows, this is a really nice horse.

And, anybody able to think of a more potent genetic combination that Tiznow and Turkomen? Most racing fans saw Tiznow, but some of us oldsters also were witness to that Breeder's Cup Classic where Turkomen was about 25 lengths out of it at the quarter pole and almost ran down Skywalker at the wire in the greatest sustained stretch run I've seen. Turkoman had exactly the sort of ability clearly visible in CJ in that when he finally got going Turkoman was really fast.

Then we have BB. He put in a nice work too the other day. The question in my mind would be if BB is as strong a galloper as CJ. BB was loping along in the Florida Derby faster than the rest, but, as you'd expect, he looked fairly weak in his gallop. Other than the speed, little to totally blow one away there.

However, regards BB, his apparent weakness then, and his "presumably" light work for the year due to the quarter cracks, let us keep a few things in mind.
1. It is probably assumed wrongfully that this colt missed a lot of work due to the quarter cracks. Actually such hoof cracks would be a small problem instead of a big one when you bring in immediate expert farrier help. They patched those cracks immediately and BB could have gone to the track the next day. I suspect he probably did.
2. BB has been in training since his late yearling year. He was a 2 year old sales graduate. This Colt has a lot of bottom and maybe--I'm still studying Dutrow--a pretty decent trainer . BB might himself be nearly machine like by the Derby.

I believe both BB and CJ to be better horses than any that ran a year ago, including Curlin, Street Sense and Hard Spun. By better I mean more talented. Each have had similarly very decent training jobs. It's fairly easy to guess that these two will leave the KY Derby field this year at some point.

Or will they? Is there any other competitior that has this sort of man among boys quality as these two big horses. I was quite impressed today with the talent of 8 Belles, the filly, but, expect her to fade out of sight on Derby day. Weak trainer, weak training. She's filling the owner's ego, and unfortunately Larry Jones, who I feel sure knows better, is forced into a political position vis a vis his owner vying with serious concern for his lightly worked horse.

Of the horses that have the physicality to stay with BB and CJ you'd include the following:
Adriano
Recapturetheglory
Cowboy Cal
Gayego
Bob Black Jack
Pyro

For training reasons I only take BBJ and Pyro seriously from this group. We'll see what they do with them this week.

The other possibility is that some lighter less talented horse would have the training and bottom to run with the super talents. I'm unable to see that in this field. The one that had a chance in this category, Smooth Air, is as much as out.

But, final looks coming. I'm working on what these contenders have done in the last 45 days to see if that tells us anything. For now, do we have a CJ--BB exacta?

Training:
Sun: 4/27 both youngsters were put through riderless play for about 15 min with plans to work the three year old hard tomorrow. Art also did 10 min trot-walk under tack in the pasture. Nob the rider has pronounced Rod the two year old finally large enough to carry a rider, and so we commenced belly work with that horse this evening.