Travers

[marcus]

I could maybe understand 3 yo Horse of year - if he had wom the DERBY . Best senario has a \" Draw \" or Co - Top Honors for 3yo Horse of the year . If Sarava had won 2 more Stakes a couple years ago , I doubt whether that would have made him one of the best ever .
Berni probably needs to win out through the rest of the year to be legit as one of the best 3 yo\'s ever  ...

[Silver Charm]

>Berni probably needs to win out through the rest of the year to be legit as one of the best 3 yo\'s ever ...

So far this horse two quality wins. The Preakness and Travers. That is it. He was still a maiden until around Feb or March.

In a match race against Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex and Point Given he might be the longest shot on the board. Barely fast enough and not as seasoned.

One thing I do know, none of the above are Secratariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed or even Spectacular Bid.

As of now Bernardini is nothing more than a Paper Champion.

Hell he ain\'t even a Thunder Gulch.......

[richiebee]

Interesting Contrast:

Alex, Smarty and Point Given all retired during their 3YO seasons.

Affirmed, Slew, Secretariat and Spec Bid all had exceptional campaigns as 4YOs.

What a difference 25 years makes.

If Bluegrass Cat was racing in the 70s or 80s, he would have been rested and rehabilitated over the winter and brought back as a 4YO. In those days, his resume (Gr II winner as a 2YO, GR I winner at 3, and placed in KY Derby) would have made him a marginal stallion prospect on the basis of his race record.

If you are a big Bernardini fan, and want to see him race as a 4YO, I guess you would have to hope he DOESN\'T win the BC Classic; if he does, he\'s off to the breeding shed.

Have said it before, will say it again: If racing fans are clamoring for warriors who answer the bell year after year (Kelso, Forego, John Henry, Perfect Drift), geldings will need to be somehow subsidized and incentivized, as in (a) purse enhancements for geldings or (b) weight allowances for geldings or (c) both (a) and (b).

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

Can\'t even say the Travers was a quality win. They get 20 horses together every May for the Derby, but come August the Travers field often comes up lacking. 6 horses went to the gate. One retired sore and the others had trouble. When was the last bang up Travers? Megas win over Repent I suppose. Maybe Coronado\'s Quest\'s win.

Hes run some nice figures and he\'s the division leader, though by default predominantly. At least he\'s winning races other recent superstars were getting beat in.

I hope Sinister Minister comes back sound. I\'d like to see Bernardini chase that and see if he has anything left...lol

Bernardini is a good horse though and it will take a good effort and the right conditions to beat him.

Bluegrass Cat retires with enough Black Type and enough Storm Cat breeding to get a big shot at stud. Second in the Derby, Belmont and Travers sounds pretty impressive, provided you don\'t look too hard at those races. The Haskell was laughable. He kept running though when others fell by the wayside, until the Travers that is. Oh Well, maybe he\'ll be the next great sire.

Silver Charm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >Berni probably needs to win out through the
> rest of the year to be legit as one of the best 3
> yo\'s ever ...
>
> So far this horse two quality wins. The Preakness
> and Travers. That is it. He was still a maiden
> until around Feb or March.
>
> In a match race against Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex
> and Point Given he might be the longest shot on
> the board. Barely fast enough and not as
> seasoned.
>
> One thing I do know, none of the above are
> Secratariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed or even
> Spectacular Bid.
>
> As of now Bernardini is nothing more than a Paper
> Champion.
>
> Hell he ain\'t even a Thunder Gulch.......

[jbelfior]

Ah, POINT GIVEN...now that was a great 3yo.

I agree...would not crown BERNARDINI as a great horse just yet. But he is cetainly headed in that direction. Proved versatility in style by sitting back and then pouncing in quick paced Preakness, then wiring the Dandy & Travers.

Something to look forward to as, IMO, older group looks so-so.

Note: Please, no feedback on LAVA MAN who is running on Cali Goya juice.


Good Luck,
Joe B.

[P.Eckhart]

On a line through Dr Pleasure, the Travers performance looks pretty similar to the Jim Dandy.