So, what do we think of Buddy's Saint

[covelj70]

I agree with one of the earlier posts that there hasn\'t been enough racing talk lately so let\'s see if we can move that along a bit.

What\'s everyones take on Buddy Saint?

Here are the pro\'s and cons on the horse as I see it.

Pros

Very talented and fast.  Ran a huge number in the Nashua.  The kind of number that with normal 3 year old improvement would put him right in the mix for the Derby.

Bred to do it.  It\'s a real shame what happened to Saint Liam as his offspring, limited as they are, are showing alot of talent and it\'s hard for me to see any distance limitations for this horse.


Cons

He hasn\'t beat anyone yet.  No one who he has beat has come back to really make any noise.

He\'s being handled very carefully which could work out ok but I don\'t know if he\'s going to have alot of foundation by the time we get to the Derby.  He  will presumably have the FOY at 2 turns and then reportedly will be going to the Wood. So, only two preps as a 3 year old and 3 two turn races all together.  Not impossible by any stretch but I would like to see more foundation.  

I have heard both Lukas and Pletcher comment in the past that in their first few chances at the Derby, they focused too much on getting the horse to the race and not enough on having the horse primed for the race.  I fear Levine is doing the same thing here.  If a trainer is going to commit to getting a horse to the Derby, you can\'t baby them into it.  Baffert losses alot of horses to injury (a few already this year again) along the way to the Derby because he pushes to have them ready but his horses have the foundation if they make it there. Levine isn\'t quite babying the horse but with a somewhat limited 2 year old foundation, I would like to see 3 races for this guy as a 3 year old before the Derby to feel comfortable that he has the foundation to get the distance on the first Sat in May.

Thoughts?

[miff]

Cov,

Just briefly, Buddy Saint got the most perfect trip a horse could get in the Nashua.Check out Big Brown if you really want to see a horse without a 2/3 yr old foundation.If Buddy\'s Saint is that good, he\'ll overcome any mistakes that Cousin Brucie is perceived to be making.

It seems that just about every \"old\" angle is deceased when it comes to predicting the derby winner.


Mike

[Michael D.]

Looks real to me. Blushing John over the dam of Midway Road on bottom ... good speed. Biggest negative I can spot is the figure hit stretching from 1m to 9f. Remson day was a strange one though, and I won\'t hold that easy victory against him. He\'s up against it, however, in the FOY. Jack Bend, Homer, Esken ... could be the toughest prep of the season.

Count me a fan, but I may try and beat him 1st out.

[Silver Charm]

Derby 90 days away.

We need some serious discussion.

Baffert has\"em over the barrell