Gypsy Robin Maiden

4/22/11 at Keenland.  Take a look:
MSW race is on lower far right.
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeders-cup/contender-detail.aspx?id=juvfillies&contenderno=2255

Several things about Gypsy Robin:

Out of the gate like a shot.  This horse has natural speed:  4f in 44.6.  That's 11.15 sec./f, and yet, is this sort of speed doable for most 4 legged creatures?  The final half furlong is done in about 6 sec, and so we see what a :12 sec/f looks like in late stretch.  Nice carriage on this horse and maximum stride efficiency at speed.  Along the stretch all the others have had it. GR is the only one at that point still extending.

And, I really like this jock.  Almost perfect over the center of gravity.  Very timely and appropriate with his use of whip.  In some of her races u'd thing Sanchez was excessively and unnecessarily whipping in late stretch. Some would term Sanchez a horse flogger. Watching  all the GR races, Sanchez pulls out his whip at just the right moment and has his horse trained to respond. This jock has a feel for how to use the whip to get and keep his horse in the race.

And, the connections in the winners circle, there's a lot of them.  For Wesley Ward, the trainer, I look for little stuff.  In this case am watching post race the gallop back and just as I am thinking she's on galloping on her right lead again--the lead they've just beat to death in the race, I watch the jock deliberately change her into the left lead.  Do they freeze the horse at the end of the gallop.  Instead the handler immediately starts walking the horse.  Important little stuff.

This was a nice nice maiden two year old effort.  A 4.5f race early in the two year old year that this horse handles with great aplomb.  This is one e.g. of a performance that might be Exhibit A to the end point of "what's your goal".  How to get 'em there and keep 'em there.  Some speculation, next.