Quality Road to the Travers
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from Daily Racing Form:
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - On Monday morning, the Saratoga barn area was abuzz over Rachel Alexandra and her jaw-dropping performance the previous afternoon in the Grade 1 Haskell. On Tuesday morning, Quality Road became the focal point of similar praise following his record-setting performance Monday afternoon in the Grade 2 Amsterdam.
Both 3-year-olds may now be headed for what would be the most anticipated showdown of the year if they were to meet here Aug. 29 in the Grade 1 Shadwell Travers.
While Rachel Alexandra's connections remain noncommittal regarding the Travers, trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed that if all goes well, Quality Road is definitely headed to the midsummer Derby.
"Mr. Evans [owner-breeder Edward P. Evans] always felt that the race he wanted Quality Road to be ready for was the Travers, and everything we've done preparing him for his return has been with that goal in mind," Pletcher said Tuesday. "At this point, he seems to have come out of his race very well. He's bright, alert, and sound, and the race doesn't appear to have been very taxing on him. While stretching out from six and one-half furlongs to a mile and one-quarter in the Travers off just one prep is not an easy task, I think he's the type of horse who can handle it because he's so tactical and his mindset is so good."
Although the magnitude of Quality Road's performance returning from a four-month layoff to win the Amsterdam despite a wide trip is indisputable, his track-record time of 1:13.45 has been questioned by Andrew Beyer and Associates. Beyer said methodology used by Randy Moss, who times races electronically from video, sets the final time of the Amsterdam at 1:14.70, with only a .05 margin of error.
As a result, Beyer has awarded Quality Road a 103 Beyer Speed Figure for the Amsterdam based on a final time of 1:14.70 - well below the colt's career bests of 113 and 111 earlier this year for victories in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby. Beyer said Quality Road would have earned a 119 Beyer using the track's official time of 1:13.45.
Pletcher said the speed figure service that he uses timed the race off video and got a final time just under 1:14.
"Either way you slice it, in my mind he still broke the track record," Pletcher said.
The old record of 1:14 2/5 was set by Topsider on Aug. 1, 1979.
NYRA officials said that after hand-timing the race and hand-timing the replay, they are standing by the official time as being correct.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - On Monday morning, the Saratoga barn area was abuzz over Rachel Alexandra and her jaw-dropping performance the previous afternoon in the Grade 1 Haskell. On Tuesday morning, Quality Road became the focal point of similar praise following his record-setting performance Monday afternoon in the Grade 2 Amsterdam.
Both 3-year-olds may now be headed for what would be the most anticipated showdown of the year if they were to meet here Aug. 29 in the Grade 1 Shadwell Travers.
While Rachel Alexandra's connections remain noncommittal regarding the Travers, trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed that if all goes well, Quality Road is definitely headed to the midsummer Derby.
"Mr. Evans [owner-breeder Edward P. Evans] always felt that the race he wanted Quality Road to be ready for was the Travers, and everything we've done preparing him for his return has been with that goal in mind," Pletcher said Tuesday. "At this point, he seems to have come out of his race very well. He's bright, alert, and sound, and the race doesn't appear to have been very taxing on him. While stretching out from six and one-half furlongs to a mile and one-quarter in the Travers off just one prep is not an easy task, I think he's the type of horse who can handle it because he's so tactical and his mindset is so good."
Although the magnitude of Quality Road's performance returning from a four-month layoff to win the Amsterdam despite a wide trip is indisputable, his track-record time of 1:13.45 has been questioned by Andrew Beyer and Associates. Beyer said methodology used by Randy Moss, who times races electronically from video, sets the final time of the Amsterdam at 1:14.70, with only a .05 margin of error.
As a result, Beyer has awarded Quality Road a 103 Beyer Speed Figure for the Amsterdam based on a final time of 1:14.70 - well below the colt's career bests of 113 and 111 earlier this year for victories in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby. Beyer said Quality Road would have earned a 119 Beyer using the track's official time of 1:13.45.
Pletcher said the speed figure service that he uses timed the race off video and got a final time just under 1:14.
"Either way you slice it, in my mind he still broke the track record," Pletcher said.
The old record of 1:14 2/5 was set by Topsider on Aug. 1, 1979.
NYRA officials said that after hand-timing the race and hand-timing the replay, they are standing by the official time as being correct.