Hopefully you\'ll address this in the special next week, but I can\'t take this ridiculous Circular Quay debate anymore. Injured? 8 weeks? Give me a break!! Jerry, if you owned or were managing CQ, isn\'t this the EXACT strategy you would advise once you saw the fig, and the pattern, after the Louisiana Derby? Drugs, steroids, or not, for my money, Pletcher is showing himself to be one of the few trainers firmly grounded in the intersection between horseflesh and figures.
Yes, it is what I would do. But that doesn\'t mean that\'s the reason they did it.
T-Mac:
I would also like to hear how JB would answer this question as an owner/ advisor.
I believe Pletcher was under a little additional pressure this year in
scheduling his Derby preps; I am sure he very much wanted to keep his top 4
from having to face each other in one of the preps and this may have affected
race spacing.
Also note with interest that none of TAP\'s top 4 Derby prospects (CQ,SD,
Cowtown,AGS) has had a 3YO \"poly prep\". Would like to ask TAP if this was by
design or by coincidence.
TMac, if anything you should be happy, because the \"unconventional\" spacing of
races you may get higher odds than you would have if CQ had another prep race
under his belt.
My opinion: Biggest positive for CQ-- his CD experience as a 2YO. Biggest
negative -- his La Derby was an incredibly easy race in which he got a good
pace and a perfect trip. CQ has not really been tested as a 3YO.
Anything make you suspect that NOT why they did it?
I find it hard to believe that JR picked anything but a perfectly sound animal. the owner retired his best three yr old to stud, BEFORE HE EVEN RAN, perfectly healthy. talk about spacing, there\'s a big space for you.
I think CQ is ready to run big. the issue, IMO, is deciding whether this is a back running miler type, or a legitimate 10f horse (then you have to decide if there are any legitimate 10f horses running).
Because people don\'t usually do that. Especially when it means passing huge races.
I read he was entered for the Wood and Toddini felt he needed more time so they skipped it. That he hadn\'t come around after the Louisiana Derby. Regardless of what happens Derby Day, Velasquez jumped AGS and disavowed Scat for a horse that couldn\'t make his Wood commitment. Velasquez could have jumped on the winner or misjudged entirely the other two. Regardless, you have to admit its very interesting, especially if you\'re betting the TAP Trifecta.
tmcdevitt Wrote:
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> Anything make you suspect that NOT why they did
> it?
\"Biggest negative -- his La Derby was an incredibly easy race in which he got a good pace and a perfect trip. CQ has not really been tested as a 3YO.\"
I wouldn\'t be worried about the 8 weeks if it was by design. But passing a race almost has to be considered a question mark. I also don\'t think his running is style is conducive to an easy trip in a very large field.
I look at it like this. Even if you get a 100% fit and prepared CQ (a question mark in my mind), you still have to come from the clouds and probably around a lot of horses to win. I want a decent price to overcome that exacta of negatives.