Is Baffert really this good? Or.......

[APny]

Curious as to people’s opinions as to how Baffert continues to come up with these “freaks.” Is he just that good?

[ajkreider]

If you had a high-priced horse that seemed to be maturing very well, wouldn\'t he (and Pletcher, and Brown) be on your short list?

[Chas04]

Yuppers

[Fairmount1]

Alex,

I\'ll take \"Loaded Questions\" for $2,000 please.  

____________________________

On a serious note, I\'ve discussed this with close friends before Justify came along and I don\'t believe the conjectures many make are ones that will show up on a message board here.

[Flighted Iron]

No knock against the three you named,but there\'s many conditioners out there who\'ve accomplished quite the resume. The 3 you listed wouldn\'t be on my short list because my list has 1 name.

[Tavasco]

APny Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Curious as to people’s opinions as to how
> Baffert continues to come up with these
> “freaks.” Is he just that good?

Point #1 - Baffert Freaks
I think it is fair to say that Baffert has somewhat of a dynasty when it comes to two & three y/o North American Thoroughbred Race Horses. Reflecting on dynasties The Romans had short swords. Alabama Football has bigger stronger athletes.  That is to assert Dynasties are a function of having a technological advantage. Baffert\'s advantage is the mystery? A simple minded hypothesis is that he has found a way to accelerate the maturation of his trainees.

Point #2 - Baffert Good?
Appearances - We see his winners, losers not so much, they fade away. He has a couple at the top of each years crop, His essential excellence is with young dirt horses. Bafferts concentration on select young horses as well as TC & BC c/b the key to his results.

Point #3 - Or.....
If this a about using PEDs past posting have discussed the subject thoroughly (heh heh)

[Niall]

We see what we see. How much horse flesh do these guys go through to come up with a few stars? Which of the bunch can stand up to that training? I\'m at the OKLA track (Saratoga) a lot and TP and Chad have a ton of 2 year olds...

Question about Bolt and his trainer. Clearly the horse can make a trainer look good. Maybe Mick Ruiz is in a bit over his head here? Not being critical, but its hard to win Grade 1\'s

[FrankD.]

Speaking of Oklahoma......

Temps in the 60’s this weekend upstate, horse van traffic has picked up, open for training on April 17th, hopeful 2 yr olds, who said winter is going to last forever? Add a bit of Derby Fever, the next thing you know is you’re on the deck at Lake Local and it’s gin seasonðŸ'


Disclaimer on upstate NY geography - per gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon when asked what she considered upstate NY?

“I don\'t think the Hudson Valley is upstate. Once you get to Ithaca, by around there, you\'re starting to get upstate.\"

[moosepalm]

FrankD. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Disclaimer on upstate NY geography - per
> gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon when asked
> what she considered upstate NY?
>
> “I don\'t think the Hudson Valley is upstate.
> Once you get to Ithaca, by around there, you\'re
> starting to get upstate.\"


I believe that, like most denizens of the Big Apple, Ms. Nixon is less interested in geographic accuracy than a shorthand version of describing New York locales you encounter once the Amtrak pulls out of Yonkers.  Having just taken the choo choo from Rochester to NYC, and back, it becomes clear that parts of \"upstate\" NY are much more\"over\" than \"up.  Most of us in the hinterlands feel that our locales would be more accurately depicted simply as \"those other places\" without need for use of a geographic modifier.

Speaking of second hand citizenship, lost in the midst of the annual Derby fervor is the scheduled opening of the Finger Lakes meet on April 21.  While disparagement for such a noteworthy event abounds in most of the racing world, one can at least take solace in knowing that it is the one location where you can watch a 4 1/2 furlong race in the spring that won\'t be won by Wesley Ward.

One final diversion from Derby fervor and fever is a plug for the HBO production of \"The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling\", directed by Judd Apatow.  If you were a fan of \"The Larry Sanders Show\" back in the 90\'s, which I personally believe was the gold standard for television comedy, then this look at a brilliant but very troubled individual is must-see TV.

OK, back to dissecting the Oaklawn card for their boffo week of racing, and seeing if I can find a live horse not claimed in the past two weeks by Villafranco, Diodoro, Broberg, etc.  I often think of it as the Filene\'s basement of the claiming game in terms of frenetic activity, though apart from that, I do find it a refreshing alternative to venues where 5-2 M/L favorites are bet down to 3-5, and run like they should have been 1-9.