Something Has To Give - Gonna be Epic

[Boscar Obarra]

I generally mute the race calls  in NY these days, just to keep my sanity.

[NormandyInvasion]

Surely you don\'t give extra credit for weight given when it\'s weight for age, do you?  That ignores the maturity advantage an older horse has over a 3yo.

[richiebee]

Normandy its an interesting point especially when the horse with the \"maturity
advantage\" is a 6YO who should be \"losing a step\", but obviously hasn\'t.

[NormandyInvasion]

It\'s far from an exact science due to the varying sizes of the horses and their unknown weight carrying ability (some smaller horses are better weight carriers than larger), but I\'ve always believed there is a real maturity edge between 3 and older (looking back at the record, such as Slew losing to the older Affirmed, and Slew beating the younger Bid, etc). I handicap as such, and believed that Songbird would likely lose this race due to competitors of similar talent being in there who held that age advantage.  I almost lost that bet (wow, what a race).

[Rich Curtis]

Your history is not an exact science either.

[NormandyInvasion]

Rich Curtis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your history is not an exact science either.


Okie dokie.  Thanks for playing.

[TGAB]

Seattle Slew Triple Crown winner in 1977 beat Affirmed Triple Crown winner in 1978 in the 1978 Marlboro Cup. Slew beat Affirmed by 3 lengths going wire to wire. I was there. Exceller beat Slew in the Jockey Club Gold Cup that same year. Affirmed\'s saddle slipped. I was there for that one too.

[Rich Curtis]

\"such as Slew losing to the older Affirmed, and Slew beating the younger Bid, etc.\"

  Plainly, you have examined this issue closely. What would your \"etc.\" bring? Dewey beating JFK?

[NormandyInvasion]

Reagan/Mondale, of course.

Surely this isn\'t some new concept to you.  It\'s the entire reason that weight for age exists.

[TGJB]

The point he is making is that you got the ages wrong in your examples. Your not understanding the difference between the way we deal with weight (as opposed to say Timeform) is a separate issue.