What a surprise...Sightseek won\'t like the tight turns of Lone Star and won\'t run in the B.C. Do people actuallt believe this garbage from Frankel.
I\'m on the same page as you when it comes to Frankel although I\'m not so sure ALL of his stable needs \"nutritional supplements.\"
From what I have read, Lone Star\'s dirt surface closely resembles Santa Anita where SIGHTSEEK could not pick up her feet. That may be more of the reason than what you\'re thinking.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
Just another reason why if Azeri wins the Spinster and just runs well on BC Day, she wins the Eclipse for Fillys and Mares.
How many different tracks and surfaces are there that Sightseek doesn\'t like???
She had her chance to come back and run in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga and take on Azeri and Co. one more time but chose to wait until Belmont and softer competition showed up.
Sightseek ran some very good races, figure wise, at SA, she just didn\'t win.
boo hoo...even in a win, she\'s no Azeri.
I looked at my Thoro-Quick numbers and Sightseek ran a 4 ,a 3 3/4 and 3 3/4 at Santa Anita. These figures wouldn\'t win a Grade 3 nowadays.
Sightseek won three Grades 1\'s this year, all around one turn at Belmont Park. Frankels comments on how he wanted to run her in the Beldame because it was a race for $750,000 but didn\'t want to run back in three weeks is almost comical. The race in three weeks is $2 Million, with a catch, you have to run around two turns and beat Azeri, who if she wins the Spinster will also have won three Grade Ones, but at three different tracks.
The I beat you more than you beat me argument is worthless. There have been two occasions for Frankel to settle this score. One was at Saratoga in the Personal Ensign when he first said he was going to run then called an audible. The next was on BC Day when everything but the Sprint Title will be decided. Frankel has chosen to stay home.
I think this tells you all you need to know.
Uh...excuse me...Sightseek\'s FIVE best figs are better than ANY fig Azeri has ever run in her life.
That\'s it, end of story. Sightseek was better and faster. PERIOD.
Everyone can have their little emotional tear up and all about Azeri, but there can be no doubt but than Sightseek was the faster horse.
and oh yes...Azeri beat Sightseek by 1.5 lengths at the Spa...Sighseek destroyed Azeri by 11 at Belmont.
So please, enough bs about who the best filly was. It\'s obvious and beyond a doubt...unless one would like to involve emotion.
I\'m glad Bobby is saying that\'s enough. Good for him, shows his diligence and caring for the mare.
\"I\'m glad Bobby is saying that\'s enough. Good for him, shows his diligence and caring for the mare.\"
Now that is comical!
Sightseek has a different runnning style (wider) than Azeri which leads to faster figs.Wider isn\'t faster, they are even on adjusted speed figs.With all things equal, Sightseek NEVER beats Azeri in a match race.
TGAB,
I saw four sets of speed figures on Afleet Alex,TG is the only one that has his race in the Hopeful equal to his race in the Sanford. I was there and saw both races and I can\'t believe his lights out performance in the Sanford wasn\'t several lengths better than his Hopeful performance.Are the TG numbers right? Thanks.
The various discussions on this and other websites of the drug use by various trainers is troubling on many levels and I am curious as to the views of the regulars on this site to the following: I believe drug use is rampant and we can all probably agree on those trainers who have cheated.(I respectfully suggest that those of you who do not believe that drug use is rampant are in denial). Now- if there are so many trainers using drugs, that also means that vets are involved, and assistant trainers etc. etc etc. If there are so many people involved why hasnt there been a single shred of meaningful evidence of the drug use in any jurisdiction?? At some point it is reasonble to expect somebody to rat out the guilty. It strikes me- I am a commercial litigator and trial lawyer--that with so many people involved how can this remain a dirty little secret without complicity-active, not passive-- from racetrack operators. I am looking forward to your views.
Thats what I\'m saying, if all these people keep talking about so and so using drugs and its bad for my handicapping, well guess what, stop playing then. Some people just don\'t like to see other people kick ass in whatever field their in.
A VERY BIG California Syndicator swears that he personally advised the California Racing Officials regarding substantial blood doping problems with certain NAMED trainers.Due to the hugh horse shortage in filling race cards in SoCal,they turned a blind eye, he claims.
For many years I have been involved in the racing game, and have been told that the CHEMISTS are always several steps ahead of the testers who are not properly staffed or funded.
Until ALL RACING VENUES cooperate on this issue(unlikely) this problem will not go away.
The figure is right, and judging by how much faster the colts went than the fillies yesterday and the huge gap between third and fourth there is a good chance he paired it up again.
You might remember we had his Delaware allowance win much faster than anyone else too. That one held up okay.
There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes and there should be some developments on the drug front over the next few months. I know of two organizations, one national and one regional, that have now recognized the problem (in one case because they were forced to by the horsemen who were tired of losing to the drug guys) and are trying to deal with it. I have been in contact with both organizations either directly or indirectly, and they know who, and some of the how, and are working on how to prevent it. Whether this will result in anyone getting hung up by their thumbs as they should is anyone\'s guess-- the industry is scared of a scandal.
Sightseek is better then Azeri cause she has faster TG figures, give me a break.
Look at accomplishments on the track, figures secondary when saying who was better then who.
Sightseek has 7 grade 1 wins, most accomplished at Belmont.
Azeri has won grade 1 races at Hollywood, Santa Anita, Arlignton, Keeneland, Oaklawn, and Saratoga. To boot I think that was grade 1 #12 today.
Sightseek is a fine race mare, but she is not champion cause she was born to the same period Azeri was, that is a tought break.
>That\'s it, end of story. Sightseek was better and faster. PERIOD
And then they ran against each other and split their races one-to-one.
Anyone who saw Azeri win the Spinster while under Total Wraps also knows she just Wrapped Up the Older Filly and Mare Eclipse. Azeri and Company stepped out of the box a couple of times this year, two sprints and The Met Mile against a field that keeps looking better and better. Azeri should not be punished for this.
I did my best to not mention the drug testing angle as being a reson why Frankel is passing on the BC with Sightseek because after all he is going with Ghostzapper and Nothing to Lose. How they run that day is another story.
What is a little strange is his logic and using that same logic with Ghostzapper he should have run in the Jockey Club, because after all it was for a cool $Million. Then put the horse away for the campaign because it would be to much to ask him to run right back again. At least that is his logic in Sightseeks case. If the other Horses stumble on BC Day Ghostzapper wins all the awards while not running. Maybe Frankel thinks those horses can win while HE KNOWS Sightseek could not.
Frankel is trying to back into a title by hoping Azeri loses on BC Day. For this type of logic he SHOULD BE PUNISHED!!
Post Edited (10-10-04 19:26)
Silver Charm wrote:
> >>
> Frankel is trying to back into a title by hoping Azeri loses on
> BC Day. For this type of logic he SHOULD BE PUNISHED!!
>
>
>
> Post Edited (10-10-04 19:26)
Totally agree, not only that, Frankel conceded he would not fare as well anywhere but else but belmont. Yet azeri dances all the dances, something she was critisezed for before, and she is going to get punished for losing a couple of sprints.
Its laughable.
Who should be champion and who has more ability are two different questions-- ability and accomplishment are two different things, a point we stress to clients when we buy horses for them. In terms of measurable ability, Sightseek had more, but that doesn\'t mean she should be champ.
And then there is the question of \"help\". As John Chance has pointed out on this site before, it\'s not just Frankel who moves horses up-- trainers for Paulson have done very well over the years, and not just with his stock, and not as well before or after. And yes, I know Lukas has won a few races.
Last year a lot of trainers ducked the BC, and a few horses have already dropped out this year, when there will be even more scrutiny. It will be interesting to see who goes, and who runs well.
Can\'t see where Sightseek had more ability, she may have had better numbers(wider running style) but Azeri didn\'t need her track like Sightseek needed Belmont many times.They had one \'MATCH\" race and Azeri was best.Their Belmont race was a toss.Who would you bet on in a match race all things equal at 10 panels,two turns.
The answer on Paulson is easy and I\'m surprised you didn\'t know it\'s the bloodlines and the NUTRITION program, of course.
Its hard for me to say Sightseek had more ability, she has more losses then Azeri and not nearly as many grade 1 wins, azeri has as many grade 1 wins as sightseek has wins. Also if sightseek had so much talent, you would have thought she could have outfinished Elloluv or Got Koko in the breeders cup.
Azeri has ran similiar number to sightseek with other services that are not so dependent on ground loss. The 115 at Saratoga was a joke IMO.
Bottom line is Azeri accomplished more, and I will take that over some speed figure any day of the week when telling who was better then who. The rest is just opinion.
I think Sightseek\'s best races are a tad better than Azeri\'s best races, but Azeri was more versatile and the better filly on their average day. I give the nod to Azeri.
CH---
I cannot see SIGHTSEEK ever beating AZERI at 1 1/8 around 2 turns the same way I could never imagine AZERI beating SIGHTSEEK around 1 turn at Belmont Park.
No matter. Neither one would beat ISLAND FASHION in the Distaff this year.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
Just like the way Island Fashion was going to beat azeri in the apple blossom, when azeri was third choice? Lol.
go ahead....take the 4 to 5....LOL...I knew this would stir up someone.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
Sightseek is nothing more than a glorified Sky Beauty. A monster at Belmont, just another pretty good horse someplace else.
I love Thorograph and the product they produce, but I get a little tired of EVERYTHING being quantified. Sightseek ran faster numbers than Azeri; therefore, she has more ability. Does anyone really believe that?? Easy Goer had more ability than Sunday Silence because the number says so, despite the fact he lost 3 out of 4 to a horse with lesser \"ability\". The lone win for EG being on a freak Belmont configuration. I guess it doesn\'t matter who wins races in head to head competition. Easy Goer was a fantastic racehorse, just don\'t tell me he had more \"ability\" than SS. SS had the \"ability\" to navigate tighter turns than EG. He had the \"ability\" to accelerate on the turn, leaving his opponents with too much catching up to do. He had the \"ability\" to get to the wire faster than EG.
We can go round and round comparing numbers, tracks, etc... There is only one way to determine the best or who has more \"ability\".....put them in the starting gate and see who gets to the wire first. I don\'t care what number Sightseek ran at Belmont, she isn\'t better or has more ability than Azeri. Sightseek couldn\'t duplicate Azeri\'s 2002 BC win if Frankel\'s vet emptied his entire tackle box.