I anticipate a full field lining up agianst IHA in the Belmont, including D Wayne
Lukas\'s Skyring, winner of the James Murphy on the turf at Pimlico on Preakness Day.
Note to those who want to see a Triple Crown winner crowned: Write a letter to Team
O\'Neill, make sure Guiterrez rides at Belmont (morning and afternoon) for a couple of
days before the big event. By early next week we should be hearing plenty of
retellings of the Smarty/Stewart Belmont fiasco.
Richiebee,
That could be a good call on D Wayne. Alternatively, he could tell us how the Derby and Preakness runs for Optimizer set him up PERFECTLY for the Belmont and that Optimizer has ALWAYS wanted to go longer. Have to love his optimism!
As for the Belmont, I\'ll Have Another will have his hands full. Union Rags, Dullahan and Mark Valeski, just to name a few of the bigger names. Maybe Baffert runs Paynter back?
Jerry Bailey was on NBCSN doing the post report and he said the Belmont 1 1/2 mile oval should be a great concern for Mario and O\'Neil. Bailey went over the rides on Spectacular Bid, Real Quiet, and Smarty as examples of Jocks not knowing the oval or simply just moving to soon. He said they instinctively press the button around the far turn, just like they do at all other tracks, but this time there is 5F left not 3F.
I hope Mario goes at least a week in advance and gets familiar with the track.
Ok he can get familiar with the Track...how about the distance??
Ritchie....D Wayne will run Skyring in the Belmont, Optimizer in the Hill Prince, Amazing Destiny in the True North, that maiden he keeps running in the Acorn and anyone else he pleass to keep getting under everyones skin....wink!!
I want 14 horse fields in all 14 races and a Card that starts at 10AM and ends at 8PM. At every track in the country! Yah Baby!!
Stewart Elliot, Ronnie Franklin, and even Calvin Borel when going for his personal triple crown made one fatal mistake on Belmont Stakes Day. I believe that they did not have a mount or enough mounts on the undercard of Belmont Stakes Day so they were unable to get a feel for how Big Sandy is. Even if its one race, Super Mario better get a feel with at least one mount one the day. You have to give the kid credit that in 4 starts this year, he has given the horse flawless perfect rides. The question is can he do it again in the Belmont Stakes? From prior history, he has a huge mountain to climb especially now with a big field of 13 expected. I would agree that the distance, pressure, and inexperience over Belmont is all going to come to a head on June 9th and it will be interesting to see what happens. Just hoping for fast and firm that day. That\'s all.
Talk on TVG is that owner will send a string of 12 to Belmont and MG will ride \'em all.
If true props to O\'Neill. Amazes me that the others didn\'t do this for Elliott or Borel.
Who did Borel ride? I have heard this twice now?
His 3 Derby winners lost in the Preakness: Super Saver, Street Sesne and Mine that Bird
Err you\'re right.. I just can\'t get that ride on Mine That Bird out of my head, where he made a giant move on the backstretch. Just will forever stick in my mind as the premier example of a jockey on a foreign track who had absolutely no clue where the finish line was, and how pissed Bennie Woolley was.