Charitable Man getting all the hype
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from the NY Post:
If you listen to experienced horsemen on the backstretch, Saturday's Belmont Stakes will be a one-horse rout: Charitable Man first, the rest nowhere.
The unanimity among them is startling. Leading the pack at the post-position draw yesterday was none other than D. Wayne Lukas, who has won four Belmonts.
"Charitable Man is the perfect Belmont horse," Lukas said. "He has a beautiful, high cruising speed. He is a horse of great quality. He is bred to win, and Kiaran [McLaughlin, his trainer] knows how to get one ready to run."
At his last start, Charitable Man won the Peter Pan Stakes going away by nearly four lengths, after chasing incredibly fast fractions, a performance that has the industry bug-eyed.
The Beyer choir was not quite so impressed. They awarded his Peter Pan a fairly modest 98 speed figure, falling short of the triple-digit watermark. On Saturday, Charitable Man will have to stretch from the Peter Pan's nine furlongs to the Belmont's 12 furlongs.
A problem? Lukas shook his head emphatically.
"No problem. Won't make any difference to that horse," Lukas said. "He's by Lemon Drop Kid [who won the 1999 Belmont]. He's got the cruising speed. The distance will not be a factor."
But Charitable Man has had only four starts. "Doesn't mean a thing," Lukas insisted, "if the horse is right."
Howard Tesher, an old training favorite from way back, was asked his opinion. "Kiaran's horse," he said. It seems to be the same wherever you go.
While many like Charitable Man, the Belmont trainers aren't ready to just crown him the winner. At the draw, trainers gave some last-minute thoughts on their horses. Here's a sampling:
Bennie "Chip" Woolley, who will saddle the morning-line favorite and Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird: "He may be a little horse, but he has a huge stride and gets over the ground easily. We will let him run his race. If he can run between 10 or 12 lengths behind, he'll have enough kick left."
Nick Zito, trainer of Brave Victory and Miner's Escape: "Both have good chances. They're live longshots. They've put together two good races and I think they are going to run well. They have not gone through the other Triple Crown races, which can take a lot out of a horse."
McLaughlin, trainer of Charitable Man, the second choice: "I'm 1-for-1 in the Belmont, and hopefully after Saturday I'll be 2-for-2. Our horse could not be doing any better. We're very excited, But you have to respect Mine That Bird because with a bit of luck, he could be going for the Triple Crown."
Todd Pletcher, trainer of Dunkirk: "Going into the Derby, I felt this was a very good horse, and I still feel that way because he did not run to his capability in the Derby. He's trained well and he has put on weight. I stand by the fact he is a very high quality horse and the Belmont will give him the chance to prove it."
Lukas, trainer of Flying Private and Luv Gov: "It takes a special horse to win the Belmont, and we think our horses fit the mold. We are not going in with any grandiose ideas, but they should be competitive. We'll keep them honest."
Eoin Harty, trainer of Mr. Hot Stuff: "He's very fresh, very fit. He has never run over a fast dirt track. I have no idea how he will adapt. But we'll throw him in there and see what happens."
If you listen to experienced horsemen on the backstretch, Saturday's Belmont Stakes will be a one-horse rout: Charitable Man first, the rest nowhere.
The unanimity among them is startling. Leading the pack at the post-position draw yesterday was none other than D. Wayne Lukas, who has won four Belmonts.
"Charitable Man is the perfect Belmont horse," Lukas said. "He has a beautiful, high cruising speed. He is a horse of great quality. He is bred to win, and Kiaran [McLaughlin, his trainer] knows how to get one ready to run."
At his last start, Charitable Man won the Peter Pan Stakes going away by nearly four lengths, after chasing incredibly fast fractions, a performance that has the industry bug-eyed.
The Beyer choir was not quite so impressed. They awarded his Peter Pan a fairly modest 98 speed figure, falling short of the triple-digit watermark. On Saturday, Charitable Man will have to stretch from the Peter Pan's nine furlongs to the Belmont's 12 furlongs.
A problem? Lukas shook his head emphatically.
"No problem. Won't make any difference to that horse," Lukas said. "He's by Lemon Drop Kid [who won the 1999 Belmont]. He's got the cruising speed. The distance will not be a factor."
But Charitable Man has had only four starts. "Doesn't mean a thing," Lukas insisted, "if the horse is right."
Howard Tesher, an old training favorite from way back, was asked his opinion. "Kiaran's horse," he said. It seems to be the same wherever you go.
While many like Charitable Man, the Belmont trainers aren't ready to just crown him the winner. At the draw, trainers gave some last-minute thoughts on their horses. Here's a sampling:
Bennie "Chip" Woolley, who will saddle the morning-line favorite and Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird: "He may be a little horse, but he has a huge stride and gets over the ground easily. We will let him run his race. If he can run between 10 or 12 lengths behind, he'll have enough kick left."
Nick Zito, trainer of Brave Victory and Miner's Escape: "Both have good chances. They're live longshots. They've put together two good races and I think they are going to run well. They have not gone through the other Triple Crown races, which can take a lot out of a horse."
McLaughlin, trainer of Charitable Man, the second choice: "I'm 1-for-1 in the Belmont, and hopefully after Saturday I'll be 2-for-2. Our horse could not be doing any better. We're very excited, But you have to respect Mine That Bird because with a bit of luck, he could be going for the Triple Crown."
Todd Pletcher, trainer of Dunkirk: "Going into the Derby, I felt this was a very good horse, and I still feel that way because he did not run to his capability in the Derby. He's trained well and he has put on weight. I stand by the fact he is a very high quality horse and the Belmont will give him the chance to prove it."
Lukas, trainer of Flying Private and Luv Gov: "It takes a special horse to win the Belmont, and we think our horses fit the mold. We are not going in with any grandiose ideas, but they should be competitive. We'll keep them honest."
Eoin Harty, trainer of Mr. Hot Stuff: "He's very fresh, very fit. He has never run over a fast dirt track. I have no idea how he will adapt. But we'll throw him in there and see what happens."
Comments
LOL
LOL @ this comment.
Even IF he wins here, RA already beat him and has had a MUCH more dominant year (I hate to quote Draynay here, but MTB won ONE race this year). Einstein also has alot of support at this point. I'd gladly bet against MTB becoming horse of the year.