I\'m starting to think about how some jockeys (other than Jerry Bailey) must feel when they go out and ride one of the favorites in a Grade 1/2 race.
One little mistake and a call to Bailey\'s agent, Ron Anderson, will inevitably follow. Such had to be the case after Edgar Prado lost the Whitney aboard the best horse, SAINT LIAM. It appeared to me that Prado did not have much choice but to let the free-running COMMENTATOR alone and then try to reel him in late. Almost worked. But not good enough. So now Prado loses his mount to Bailey for the Woodward and inevitably the BC Classic. To make a baseball analogy, it\'s like pinch hitting Pete Rose for Rod Carew.
Russell Baze better pray that they train LITF up to the Sprint. A loss in the Vosburgh may get him kicked off.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
He made two mistakes aboard Saint Liam that day which is about average for Prado on a Big Ride in a Big Race.
When he pushed him away from the gate early on the inside he should have let Commentator go on and clear him, not tug him back and stear outside like he did going down the backstretch. This cost him about a length.
When he waited to switch to steady righthanded whipping with about 70 yards this cost him the race.
Both of these mistakes combined cost him the mount.
The real shame is that IMO the raced proved that St. Liam is the better horse. Commentator opened a huge lead on a track that if anything was kind to speed and he was life and death to win anyway. In a more competitive field, it\'s likely that someone other than St. Liam will contribute to the pace and not leave St Liam to do all the work. I\'m looking forward to betting against Commentator at some point.
You are probably correct and the replacement of Prado is a tough move to have made. The guy has unbelievable guts and courage, he will ride thru holes and sit on the rail like the guy who is replacing him ONCE used to do.
He will also show up and ride a mule race if his agent tees him up. On a night card after having ridden a full 10 ten in the day. But he still makes a lot of mistakes and it is the only thing that keeps him from being NUMERO UNO.
Do we even know this is why JB is up?? Also SL was carrying more weight to him.