Sun. Misc.

--those higher purses really increased field sizes at Hollywood.  RR mantra--adjust purse sizes to track economics to include Track owned ADWs and Internet adds.  All that these ridiculously unnecessary high purses do is allow a few deep pockets to garner the money.  Call their bluff, let 'em go to were the grass is greener chasing purses.  Soon as they leave, 10 new owners pop up like new born cabbages.

--in the race, in spirit instead of in person.

What's with the lip chain?  Try it on yourself sometime.

--txs to Lazar Simic for his comments couple of posts ago.  Spot on!  Adjust ur horse to the surface. Tendons can of course just pop up or develop over time..  O'Neill might have felt some tendon heat early from the depth of the Belmont surface or length of those turns.  TC on the line--feeling heat/what do you do query.  Difficult though should have been avoided as Mr. Simic pointed out.

--Then, there's this.

WTF! Never ran a jump.  In this day and time where r ur aerodynamic silks son?  Pre-race Castallano comments:

Q:  What is ur race strategy?

Castellano:  "oh, we decide when we come out of gate".  Two possibilities:
1. C wanted to avoid revealing their strategy, or
2. There was no strategy.

--then this

D (in the green and yellow on the rail) has now been spurted forward, pulled back, moved side to side, eaten 1 mile of direct kickback in what at first blush appears to be the worst ride of the TC season, but on closer exam is likely merely the jock failing to get his big horse in position out of the gate. Earth to connections--D is too big to maneuver in traffic.

The hilarious final result was that D in early stretch, instead of going for the leaders hooked up with the horse to his immediate outside. Vid shows D eyeballing that horse instead of up ahead.

--Most likely explanation for D failure--Romans was so freaked out by the :45 and change a week ago that he put the horse under wraps and did very little all week Effective off day gallops necessary to maintain condition.  The horse looked inexplicably weak all the way around the track.  Could also be "little stuff" once again. Failure to discuss strategy with the jock; what is the horse doing laying back on this kind of track in this kind of race.  Racing 101, when u've got the best horse with this sort of field, why would u do anything but go out with Union Rags from the get go.  Romans and Co. now back to the barn to keep on keepin on.

--Romans' failed to handle track excuse.  Something to it.  D is a bit of a climber. 

--Big long striding horse carrying 126 lbs runs down small choppy horse carrying 126 lbs.

 Mike Smith, if u'd have shut the rail, Rags would have shifted outside and still run u down.  This is where the weight tells on the small horse.

--How did Union Rags stay strong on two published works since 5/5?  If that is all it was then this falls in Bill O'Gorman's inexplicable performance category.  Always problematical to take PPs at face value for horses working at private training centers.Which raises the Q--how does IHA get away with doing non-clocked works day after day?  Rules?

--RR virtual handicapping--its a high art that requires perfection.  Failed to cash a single bet.  My excuse, and sticking to it, had I been there and actually was going to spend the $$$ I'd have waited to watch 'em in the paddock and warming up. Likely there'd have been a massive adjustment to Paynter and UR which was dawning on me as the race approached.

--Beautiful coverage by NBC. Congrats to the connections although regards Matz I have to grit my teeth.