this is a pretty handy horse in the early stages, with a nice cruising speed. if he breaks well, the 2 hole might lead to a good inside trip, maybe 5 to 8 lengths off the top group. plenty of dirt on the bottom of the pedigree, tons of stamina as well. slow going in, but lasix should help. not that concerned about past Dubai flops as none of them fit like this guy. if TS changes leads properly, and doesn\'t take too much mud, I think there\'s a chance for a big new top.
and Hence reminds me a lot of Commanding Curve - a long strider with strong distance genes and a forward looking pattern. odds are lower, but Hence has more tactical speed, a better jock, and a much better trainer. a bunch of mud in the face is a big risk.
key Thunder Snow. use Hence.
Hope everything is okay with him, does anyone have an update on his situation?
I see some reports on twitter saying he was examined after the race and declared fine, hope that\'s accurate.
Donna Brothers reported that he walked back to the barn with no apparent issues.
I heard on XBTV that he walked off under his own power. My guess is that he got squeezed back early, got hit with a wall of mud, and decided it was not his day.
Update: They don\'t have mud in Dubai.
sekrah Wrote:
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> Update: They don\'t have mud in Dubai.
Sure they do. In fact, Thunder Snow won the UAE Derby over a muddy track.
Whatever the reason the colt decided to run a few strides then turn into a bucking bronc, it wasn\'t due to feeling mud for the first time. Not only did he have the race above, but it\'s been muddy out there this week at CD.
I heard, among other things, he was spooked by the crowd. The worst thing this Derby could have had happen was a bad breakdown. I was so worried something might go wrong with Patch, since so many once-a-year types fell in love with the horse, and thankfully it was a pretty cleanly run race, including the bucking Thunder Snow.
Kerry Thomas aka the horse whisper had him ranked 20th on his list
FYI he had AD as his top pick.
Well I\'m in a fog. You are not the first person that picked this horse to run well in the Derby. In fact I believe I read his name in the Thoroselections and have a friend that was very high on him. My view on horses from the desert has always been I\'ll let them beat me until I see it.
Why?
Just assumed desert horses don\'t ever see rain as the reason. Bunny hopping is unusual in a healthy horse!
I visited Darley at Jonabell today. The tour guide claimed they don\'t know what went wrong except that it may be the crowd noise at the start. I was at the paddock before the race and took not that the colt had a very calm and collected demeanor unlike some others like J Boys Echo who was really a nerve wreck.
Btw. Frosted looked like a million bucks overshadowing Nyquist IMO. Let\'s see if they can turn him into the next Tapit over there...