Disqualification Quality Road
InTheFog
Senior Member
Pure and simple Quality Road cut Theregoesjojo off and should have been pulled down that kind of riding could get people and horses hurt any other race he would have been DQD I didn't have anything on the race so that's not why I'm posting it's just the fact that they get away with that stuff in Stakes races, other than that Quality Road ran a hell of a race.
Comments
Kent was so focused on Quality Road that the let Dunkirk go right by him... he has no one to blame but himself. It was not a good ride..... again.
He doesn't have a favorable pedigree for the distance, but horses outrun their breeding and speed is always dangerous. It's impossible to predict how much speed will be in the 20-horse Derby field at this time of year, and sometimes an expected fast pace doesn't materialize. Old Fashioned's best chance in the Derby will be wire to wire.
That's not to suggest horsers that are racing on or near the pace in Derby preps are throwouts. For instance, Big Brown was viewed as a frontrunner last year after wiring the field in the Florida Derby, not to mention his impressive maiden score @ Saratoga. But he HAD shown the ability to lay slightly off the pace in his allowance score, and thatr's very important.
Same sort of deal with The Pamplemousse. While he's currently viewed as a frontrunner, he has shown the ability to sit off the pace, most recently in his maiden win over Mayor Marv.
The kind of horse you want to stay away from is one who has NEVER demonstrated an ability to sit off the pace. Right now, there don't appear to be any horses like that. Mr. Fantasy seemed to fit the profile, but of course he's gone now. Generally speaking though, you can ascertain the Derby frontrunner by raceday, whether thru past performances or Derby Week quotes from the trainer or jockey. Things should be more clear after the final round of preps.
Let's just say that right now, i would really like to see The Pamplemousse sit off the pace a bit in the SA Derby, the way he did in his maiden win. Let Feisty Suances take the early lead. If Canani/Solis are smart (and i know at least one of them is), i would hope they would realize the importance of this in The Pamplemousse's final prep race. That's not to suggest that he NEEDS to lay off the pace on Saturday in order to do it on Derby Day, but i think it would help him to maintain his comfort level on Derby Day. That's not really the time to change tactics, though it clearly can be done (as demonstrated by Big Brown last year).
You did see Old Fashioned get beat by a horse called win willy right? Old Fashioned is not a Derby horse. No colt from Unbridled Song has ever hit the board at the Derby and this year will be no different.:smoking:
I've already heard a million people talk about the big move that Dunkirk made approaching the turn yesterday, and it's only been a day. It's been a few weeks since the Rebel, and I've heard nobody mention Win Willy's move. No one. Also consider that Win Willy pulled that off while makng his two-turn debut. It wouldn't shock me if he improves next time out, with the race under his belt. Also keep in mind that his connections turned down an offer of $3 million after the Rebel. That says a lot, particularly when you know they're not averse to cashing in on a nice prospect. They had previously sold another Rebel starter to a D. Wayne Lukas client for $1.5 million. If Robertson was in favor of that deal, interesting they'd turn down twice as much for Win Willy.