Derby

[spa]

I like Hard Spun................

[shanahan]

spa Wrote:
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> I like Hard Spun....

you, my friend, are on the bandwagon...meaning that the two fornt seats are now full.

[ronwar]

Great Hunter!!!

[Lost Cause]

Circular Quay...If there is a hot pace in the derby, and there always is nowadays, who else would you want to have you\'re money on down the stretch...I really hope Garrett G.  gets the mount on this horse...Johnny V is great but I don\'t think there is a better finishing jockey in the game right now that\'s better than Garret G.

[miff]

Cir Quay not running in the Wood saturday and will go to the derby off a 8 week lay off.That\'s not Pletcher usual mo, so something smells a little.

[Uncle Buck]

I like Street Sense and Great Hunter underneath. It wouldn\'t surprise me however, if Hard Spun was a nose behind my top two at the wire:-)

This weekend\'s preps are coming up rather weak. Looks like the Bluegrass will be the most anticipated prep IMO - with SS, GH, HS and AGS going at it. What an awesome lineup that will be!

Who\'s going in the Illinois Derby?

[JAKE]

AGS is running in the Wood.


1 Nobiz Like Shobiz              Cornelio H. Velasquez
2 Sightseeing                    Javier Castellano
3 Flashstorm                     John Jacinto
4 Cowtown Cat                    Fernando Jara
5 Summer Doldrums                Michael J. Luzzi
6 Any Given Saturday             John R. Velazquez
7 Reptilian Smarts               David Romero Flores

[bobphilo]

Pletcher pulled AGS out of the Bluegrass to run in the Wood after he decided to skip the race with Circular Quay.

I wonder how the owner\'s of TP\'s other Derby horses feel about having their plans changed because he changes the plans for another of his Derby contenders?

I think a Derby contender is better served when he is trained by someone for whom he is the only concern.

Bob

[spa]

and the bettors would be served by an entry.......

[BitPlayer]

Is the bandwagon planning a visit to Louisville?

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=38296

[RICH]

I think pletcher opted for the easier route with AGS, he needs earnings, without stake $ he don\'t get in. In the Bluegrass there is a chance he doesn\'t hit the board 1st or 2nd. This way with the wood is much easier.

[SoCalMan2]

RICH Wrote:
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> I think pletcher opted for the easier route with
> AGS, he needs earnings, without stake $ he don\'t
> get in. In the Bluegrass there is a chance he
> doesn\'t hit the board 1st or 2nd. This way with
> the wood is much easier.


Rich

There is no question about that.  

I think the point that people are trying to make is that the Wood only became easier because Pletcher chose to withdraw Circular Quay from it and send Cowtown Cat to Chicago.  

If we assume that Circular Quay is physically on top of things, then it looks suspicious.  The owners of CQ would be wondeing -- \"why are we going into the Derby off 8 weeks when we had a perfectly good plan all along?\"  Also, \"why allow a tough opponent (Any Given Saturday) to get much needed graded stakes money?\"

Then imagine that AGS gets just enough earnings in the Wood to squeak into the Derby field and then beats an unlucky CQ by a nose for all the money in the Derby.  If I were the owner of CQ, I would say \"why on earth didn\'t we run against that guy in the Wood?  We could have eliminated him from the Derby then and there.\"  When you see one trainer with so much influence over the competitive balance, things start to look suspiciou.

[miff]

\" When you see one trainer with so much influence over the competitive balance, things start to look suspiciou.


So Cal,

You can bet that CQ has some physical issue or has not trained strongly up to the Wood to Pletchers satifaction. The guys the most accomplished trainer over the last few years but is 0 for 14 in the Derby. Do you really think he would try to get \"cute\" with a top Derby prospect like CQ with his major owner Tabor, no less?

Mike

[bobphilo]

I think SoCal\'s point is that whether he is changing CQ\'s plans to benefit AGS or vice versa, or even none of the above, training several different contenders for different owners who are not only competing in the Derby but for earnings as well as the best preparation, is going to raise conflict of interest issues.
This is true even if he is trying not to show favoritism.

Bob

[miff]

Pletcher is only changing CQ\'s plan because something is obviously not right with the horse.Suggesting in any way that he is fooling with the possible derby favorite/second choice for other reasons is absurd.

Mike