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.

from what i saw and i was there and saw the replay at least 10 times , it looked the hole closed for jo jo and he got burnt from the flames comming out of quailty road butt

Disagree 100%. Quality Road never altered his path at all.

hi fog, i didn`t lose anything on the race either but i`m not so sure kent d didnt know his goose was cooked so he was lookin for a freebie . the way the track was playing i don`t think it had an effect on the outcome.

Add Kent To The List..........we Have Larry The Whiner Jones,now Kent The Whiner Desormeaux.......kent Was So Focused On Quality Road The Entire Race He Ignored Dunkirk Who Came Out Of The Clouds And He Got Stuck In Tight His Fault For Letting His Horse Get In That Predicament In My Mind..i Was Disappointed With Gomez Having Dunkirk As Far Back As He Was Going Up The Backstretch.....shades Of "pat The Human Anchor Day"were Going Through My Mind....im Really Stuck As By This Time Of The Year I Generally Have My Derby Horse Picked Out But Not This Year So Far Im Unimpressed With Most Of The Races I Have Seen......shades Of Giacamo Are Looming I Think.......

G-Man same here. I just have no idea who I like and im starting to draw straws here.

HUE.....the best bet might be to take the two best fillies in the oaks and wheel them into the 20 in an oaks-derby double........the casinos will have some nice prop bets .....

Originally Posted by gambler911

Add Kent To The List..........we Have Larry The Whiner Jones,now Kent The Whiner Desormeaux.......kent Was So Focused On Quality Road The Entire Race He Ignored Dunkirk Who Came Out Of The Clouds And He Got Stuck In Tight His Fault For Letting His Horse Get In That Predicament In My Mind..i Was Disappointed With Gomez Having Dunkirk As Far Back As He Was Going Up The Backstretch.....shades Of "pat The Human Anchor Day"were Going Through My Mind....im Really Stuck As By This Time Of The Year I Generally Have My Derby Horse Picked Out But Not This Year So Far Im Unimpressed With Most Of The Races I Have Seen......shades Of Giacamo Are Looming I Think.......

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.

I Say Quailty Road Was The Best Horse In The Race Period.

Gambler you may be right. That may be one way to at least cash a ticket. I started today breaking down one horse at a time for probable derby starters thus far. I looked at old fashioned today. this is a statement by James Scully that i agree with 100%. I dont think OF can do it for the distance though and he will probally be 3 or 4 in some of my exotics. Heres the quote from JS
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.

Probably best to wait until after the Arkansas Derby to make any final determination regarding Old Fashioned's Derby credentials.

That is true. I guess im trying to make sense of everything out there right now. DC I only really go back to the derby with empire maker as far as getting more serious about following racing. Do you feel just off the pace has been most successful in the derby?

One of easiest throwouts in the Derby is the projected pacesetter. Once every blue moon, a horse will set a moderate pace and wire the Derby field (as War emblem did some years back), but it's extremely rare. You simply don't want the front-runner in the Derby.

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).

Originally Posted by DiscreetCat

Probably best to wait until after the Arkansas Derby to make any final determination regarding Old Fashioned's Derby credentials.

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.

Win Willy is a very nice horse. I'll likely be on him in the Arkansas Derby, as he figures to be overlooked by virtue of his extreme longshot status last time out. People tend to think those things are a fluke, and that lightning can't strike twice. Going back and watching the replay objectively, I couldn't help but be impressed. Huge move he made approaching the turn...

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.

Thanks DC. I did last nite watch videos of the derbys back to war emblem. I have to agree with your advice 100%. Thanks!!