2012 BC Postscripts

 Could title this BC and performance since the Ft. Larned press conference is fount of info.  Preface that I declined handicapping the BC races or even looking at the PPs.  While this blog has of late been a personal diary on my new steeds the emphasis will be on getting performance out of a race horse.  With this in mind I watched the races.  A few thoughts and comments.

Ft. Larned jock: "kicked away from the pony and we warmed him up good..."

Good grief.

 More Ft. Larned Jock:

"..they don't put any pressure on me..."

For big races do u get a name jock that gets on ur horse once or twice, OR do u do what Ian Wilkes did with Ft. Larned and find a no-name willing to work with ur horse, and have the guts to stick with him?  The latter likely with some provisos, and here is a successful real world e.g.

And, whoa...Ian Wilkes was a Carl Nafzger assistant.  I've never seen anything significant in Wilkes PPs.  However, I noticed Wilkes said they used JC Gold Cup as a prep race after some time off with an eye to BC--i.e. maybe they decided to avoid pressing Ft. Larned in JC Gold Cup.  Given sparse number of races that seems a decent strategy and might explain why the horse was inexplicably back in the field instead of on the lead in the Gold Cup.

Whoa #2..Owner lives in Western Kansas.

I never want to see the name Bayakoa.  Maybe the greatest race mare.  She reminds of Go For Wand.

Game On Dude-questionable body language, horrible warm up. what is Baffert thinking with that incompetent pony rider that barely got the horse in a canter? I always wonder also when seeing these non-warmups--what is the jock thinking? If those are Baffert warm ups is it any wonder his horses drop like flies.

Wise Dan--What happens when u get Affirmed on top and Secretariat on bottom of the same pedigree?

I thought it a bfd that Little Mike was by an unraced stallion named Spanish Steps standing in Indiana for $3000.00 and then, turns out, he's full brother to Unbridled Song.  We like full brothers to great sires here at the RR ranch.  See Rainmaker by Storm Cat and Antespend, sire of #148.

Best run and race of day--argument could be made for Tapizar.

Or, George Van Couver. Watch that horse disappear completely under the "great trainer" Aidan O'Brien.

Can women train:  Kathy Ritvo.

Really liked D.W. Lukas's horse although Merit Man who finished second was a $2200.00 yearling of the type we like around here.

Wonderful race strategy for consideration--watch the Argentinian horse in the Marathon on Fri. Especially on the back stretch.

Ft. Larned v. Royal Delta?  As always, to me, pointless too run fillies against boys.  This one might have been interesting. RD is a deep nodder when she runs.  Inefficient.  Perfect looking horse otherwise that, unlike her prior races, she was strong all the way.  Mott, as opposed to Baffert, certainly had his crew ready. Most of them ran strong races and would have been interesting to know how Mott may have diverted from his usual questionable training.