Opinion piece on Stardom Bound
DiscreetCat
Moderator
Well-done piece i read last night from my friend Alan over @ LATG:
Expecting to read the praises of the gritty win by Stardom Bound in the SA Oaks, I was surprised, and rather disappointed, to instead see it being framed in disappointment. So obsessed with the Kentucky Derby are we, that a race which I found to be easily amongst the most exhilarating of the year, was rather dismissively referred to by Jay Privman in the Form as a desperate nose win over a moderate group that left her connections soberly realistic about what could come next.
Before the race, the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 4, against males, was considered a strong possibility. Now...
In the LA Times, Bill Dwyre labeled Stardom Bound's victory as a "rocky win," and called it "dicey."
Dicey? This filly lagged behind a moderate pace, made her usual sweep around the final turn; this time conceding a tremendous amount of ground - four wide for a good portion of the turn, and a full seven wide turning for home. Whatsmore, she was carried two paths further outside by a drifting filly in deep stretch. Having lost her forward momentum if for just an instant, Stardom Bound appeared hopelessly beaten at that point. But she showed the class of a true champ, coming on again to surge to a courageous win, in a final sixteenth of 5.85 seconds.
Yes, Privman is factually correct to say that it was a "desperate nose win over a moderate group." Yet, if he didn't have the Derby in mind, I bet he would have framed it in a far more positive way. Personally, this performance will not cause me to move this filly down a single notch in my Derby rankings. But, forgetting that race for a moment if we may, it's truly sad and unfortunate if we are unable to fully appreciate an effort like this simply for what it was - a superb display of consistency, speed, courage and determination by a fantastic filly who, Derby or no Derby, deserves to rank as one of the sport's very few true stars.
Expecting to read the praises of the gritty win by Stardom Bound in the SA Oaks, I was surprised, and rather disappointed, to instead see it being framed in disappointment. So obsessed with the Kentucky Derby are we, that a race which I found to be easily amongst the most exhilarating of the year, was rather dismissively referred to by Jay Privman in the Form as a desperate nose win over a moderate group that left her connections soberly realistic about what could come next.
Before the race, the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 4, against males, was considered a strong possibility. Now...
In the LA Times, Bill Dwyre labeled Stardom Bound's victory as a "rocky win," and called it "dicey."
Dicey? This filly lagged behind a moderate pace, made her usual sweep around the final turn; this time conceding a tremendous amount of ground - four wide for a good portion of the turn, and a full seven wide turning for home. Whatsmore, she was carried two paths further outside by a drifting filly in deep stretch. Having lost her forward momentum if for just an instant, Stardom Bound appeared hopelessly beaten at that point. But she showed the class of a true champ, coming on again to surge to a courageous win, in a final sixteenth of 5.85 seconds.
Yes, Privman is factually correct to say that it was a "desperate nose win over a moderate group." Yet, if he didn't have the Derby in mind, I bet he would have framed it in a far more positive way. Personally, this performance will not cause me to move this filly down a single notch in my Derby rankings. But, forgetting that race for a moment if we may, it's truly sad and unfortunate if we are unable to fully appreciate an effort like this simply for what it was - a superb display of consistency, speed, courage and determination by a fantastic filly who, Derby or no Derby, deserves to rank as one of the sport's very few true stars.
Comments
As stated by IEAH her entry into the KY Derby will be more reliant on Patena's LA Derby performance. If he doesn't turn out to be the dery horse they're hoping he is, SB will more than likely be running with the boys come May.