This is a request for anecdotal observations on which jocks truly seem to understand the value of saving ground. I know there\'s a statistic for that on the sheet, but I\'d like to hear others\' observations.
I\'ve been following GP, and (anecdotally) I\'ve been impressed by Brice Blanc and Manoel Cruz\'s ability/desire to save ground. Maybe I\'ve just noticed them because I\'ve cashed some nice tickets with them.
I\'m interested in this because I\'ve really begun to calculate how much ground I think a horse will lose (especially in 2 turn turf routes) in my handicapping, and it really seems to help.
I add a quarter point to my projected figure for each path I think the horse will go wide, and tend to be very conservative with my estimates. I\'m also conservative in the adjustments I make for weight. It\'s amazing how many times that quarter point is the difference between winning and being out of the money. Anyway, I\'d appreciate other thoughts.
Dodie,
You may be surprised to know that most trainers and jocks are well aware ofthe importance of saving on the turf(moreso than on dirt). As many poster\'s here know,a high percentage of turf winners come from \"trips\"
I think that while a jock may know this, it\'s another thing entirely to \"execute\" it.A jockey I personally dislike, Jerry Bailey, is the best I\'ve seen in making trips on the grass and always seems to have a live mount to go with his skill.
In New York, John V, Edgar Prado,The Mig are a few sharp grass riders.If you really want to see the ultimate trip grass course, check out the grass races at Saratoga this summer where a high percentage of the winners are ground savers/trip outs who are not necessarily the fastest horses.
Also, whomever coined the phrase\"Samyn on the green\" is a nitwit, IMO.
tnks miff. @ this point, I might even start looking at trf race replays on horses that look good on the sheets to further evaluate their trips. I know its one of the mantra\'s of sheet players that the #\'s are most effective for turf races, and I guess I\'ve know that for years, but I\'ve only really recently paid enuf attention to it to really start to benefit.