Advice (4/27): Fast, on the muscle – nice gallop out – little guy seems strong. (B+)
Hold Me Back (4/25): EZ & relaxed. (4/26): In company –really nice – strong late. (4/27 & 4/28) Very EZ and relaxed – efficient mover is feeling fine these days. (B+)
Mine That Bird: (4/25) Leg stretching work. (4/27): Fast, sharp, nothing to knock though he looks like he has a "polytrack" kind of action to me. (B)
Pioneerof the Nile: (4/27) Ripped, muscular, fine-tuned to perfection by Baffert. Relaxed, focused and bursting with vitality- can run forever, too. Could not possibly look any better. Hands down the best looking/moving horse in this year's Derby – no one else is even close in the am anyway. (A)
Musket Man: (4/27): Wasn't asked, not much of a gallop out though – didn't look all that impressive to me – didn't seem like he wanted to do much more? (C+)
I Want Revenge (4/27): Seems happy, relaxed & healthy, little more than a cantor here. (4/28): Nothing to knock, but I wasn't blown away either –wasn't asked to do too much – perhaps that is the strategy here. (B)
Papa Clem (4/27): Hard ridden, strong move, nice action – typical Stute shut down afterwards. (4/28): Energetic and feeling good – very relaxed and happy – not really built like a mile and quarter horse, but he's coming into the race great. (B+)
Desert Party (4/25): Not asked to do much, looks fine, minimal gallop out. (B)
West Side Bernie (4/27): EZ cantor, coming up to the race fine. (4/28): Moves well, no worries, grand looking sort. (B+)
Regal Ransom (4/25): Worked in dark, moves like a Euro horse, seems fine. (B)
Chocolate Candy (4/25): EZ cantor, not asked. (4/27): EZ work, but not the most fluid sort, I wonder about the distance, but I can't knock much though – he's in fine shape physically. (B)
Freisan Fire (4/27): Fresh and a bit sharp, I was never a big fan of his action; seemed all out in this fast drill – who am I to question Jones though? Good luck off the long layoff. He's healthy at least. (B)
General Quarters (4/27) Not quite as physically impressive as the others, does seem like a hard trying sort though – high action like a grass horse. Hope this race doesn't ruin him – he looks like he'd be great down the line, perhaps on grass – seems like a horse with some upside – a nice little fellow. (C+)
Flying Private (4-25): EZ move; gallop out was OK. (4/27): Works better in company, more energetic, maybe a lazy sort? OK gallop out. (C+)
Wow. Thanks! I understand you did a lot of work and I think this is great. Can I ask a few questions?
When you say \"looks like he has a "polytrack" kind of action to me\" can you define that a little more?
And \"moves like a Euro horse\" as well.
I\'m not being a wiseguy, I think this is great, but I have read this kind of reference before and I would want to hear a little more if you wouldn\'t mind.
Thanks again for the great work.
HP
Dana,
thanks so much for the thoughts.
On POTN, when you look at him, particularly him having what I always call \"turf ass\" do you see a turf/syn horse or a dirt horse?
I think 1 1/4m Kentucky Derby, I think huge engine in the back, ala Quality Road, etc. Agree that West Side Bernie looks like that this year.
Do you think that POTN looks that way or don\'t you think that\'s important?
thanks again for the very thoughtful post
for example - curlin would be the opposite - he\'s a big strong horse who plants and pushes off really hard, so he got real tired over polytracks (cause you sink into them) whereas, mine that bird, has a lighter action and he kind of skates over the surface more so maybe he doesn\'t get as tired (which doesn\'t mean he won\'t like dirt or whatever but just means- I think he\'s probably better on polytrack or maybe turf, too) re regal ransom if you\'ve seen a lot of european trained horses they don\'t work too much speed into them - they have this regular, even type of movement, like they could run all day up and down hills or whatever - and i wasn\'t knocking him either but he\'s a big heavy looking horse - i\'m thinking how did he ever win a spirnt at saratoga - he\'s probably got a lot of talent there when they\'re that big and also fast
west side bernie is a really nice looking horse.
re potn he doesn\'t have that huge engine in back like you say - he\'s not slight but not like you\'re thinking - i agree -- in the last few years i think the derby has tilted more toward those speed influences and they\'re just so fast they win whether or not they have that classic breeding - without QR is there anybody like there here? I think pap clem looks a little like those types - heck, potn has a lot of grass breeding, toussaud is one of the great recent grass broodmares, no question about that but there\'s also a lof of classic pedigree there too - his dosage profile is 12 (brillant) 7 (intermediate) 11 (claassic) 0(solid) 2 (professional - those are the real stayers) so he\'s bred for anything really - hey maybe i\'m wrong - maybe he wins the breeders cup turf?! who knows, workouts don\'t always translate, but if you google pictures of many derby winners, a lot have this long look to them, the classic types have a similar look and he looks like that to me
check out these two photos side by side - this is what i mean by classic lines (I hope this works)
http://catsworking.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/pioneerofthenile-ap.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iqc0MfrDnaw/Rv24KbecJ7I/AAAAAAAABME/iHBiLB7-r88/s400/omaha.jpg
thanks so much for the thoughts. Great luck
you too!
Thanks again. Very nice! HP
Empire Maker did not have Turf Ass (love saying that word). He would have galloped on Derby Day if he didn\'t get the bum hoof a few days prior to the race. I know there\'s \"always a reason\" but I firmly beleive he was by far the best horse that year.
Uncle Buck Wrote:
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> Empire Maker did not have Turf Ass (love saying
> that word). He would have galloped on Derby Day if
> he didn\'t get the bum hoof a few days prior to the
> race. I know there\'s \"always a reason\" but I
> firmly beleive he was by far the best horse that
> year.
For what it is worth, I think Empire Maker did in fact gallop on Derby Day. According to the Archives, he ran a better number than Funny Cide. He just lost because he had a worse trip.
Dana666 Wrote:
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>Mine That Bird: (4/25) Leg stretching work. (4/27): Fast, sharp, nothing to >knock though he looks like he has a "polytrack" kind of action to me. (B)
Dana666 Wrote:
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> for example - curlin would be the opposite - he\'s
> a big strong horse who plants and pushes off
> really hard, so he got real tired over polytracks
> (cause you sink into them) whereas, mine that
> bird, has a lighter action and he kind of skates
> over the surface more so maybe he doesn\'t get as
> tired
The closest pre-race evidence supporting Mine That Bird over the a sloppy track.
Wish I went with that insight!