Blame Makin a Name

[Silver Charm]

Gotta be impressed!

[miff]

...and unimpressed with Quality Road\'s common performance!

[Leamas57]

Very talented horse. I am surprised that QR didn\'t run away, what with the unusually slow fractions. I am not sure how to process this yet, because I don\'t know if the track was slow or QR didn\'t like it or lost something. On the other hand, MM is a good horse to use as the benchmark--he ran his race and he\'s a great horse. Can\'t take anything away from Blame, it is very possible that Blame was simply better.

--Leamas

[TGAB]

Remember Blame got 5 pounds from Quality Road.

[smalltimer]

MM has won 1 race at 9f, QR has won 2 races at 9f, Blame has now won 5 races at 9f.  When you run against horses that have won multiple times at a distance, sometimes they keep running in the stretch.

[Silver Charm]

Well whatever the Figs, Numbers, Stats, Weights are this horse has a TON of heart in the last 440 yards. Is a win machine.

And rarely goes to post favored......

[Bigredgoer]

Does anyone agree... QR may truly have those distance limitations..weight aside, with those fractions today he is supposed to run away from them

[jimbo66]

Bigredgoer,

I didn\'t think so before the race, but that was a very very average looking performance from Quality Road today.  48 to the half for a horse who is the fastest horse in training is supposed to mean \"good night\" for the rest of the field.  When I saw 48 for the half, I would have taken Quality Road - 4 lengths in a prop bet.  

Blame is a tough horse and ran hard in the stretch, but QR is supposed to draw away (5 lbs or not)

[FrankD.]

TGAB,

Remember it\'s a handicap race which has become a thing of the past, top horses carrying real weight. If you took QR\'s resume vs Blame 30 years ago QR would have been asked to carry 130 or 132 lbs.

Pletcher never would have run him spotting that kind of weight. Trainers always cried about giving weight but I suppose we have the sheets both brand R and brand T which over the past 20 years most trainers use as references for that.

We all agree or have been enlightened to the fact the 5 lbs. = 1 point and that\'s huge no matter the distance or pace.

I am a bit perplexed that QR didn\'t offer more resistance in the stretch drive considering  the pedestrian like fraction\'s he set by himself ? But hat\'s off to Blame for a great race and a result that ain\'t bad for racing at all. If QR is human and Rachel gets her game together, Z keeps on going and Blame that\'s one hell of a BC Classic field !!!

[Bigredgoer]

I was at the clubhouse crossing when they went out to the track, and I must say that Blame looked like he might need the race..very physical, but not as fit as QR
looked..Stall really has his horse dialed in..can\'t wait to see how much he improves off of this race

[Sandreadis]

Count the number of times Velazquez looks back in this race. I hate to see this. I think it changes weight distribution and momentum. He was riding like he was trying to save for his next race out,why else does he look back 7 times?
IMO, a stiff hand ride down the stretch with no look back and QR wins.
Curious if JV had any post race comments.

[alm]

Say, I missed the Whitney...did the super horse du jour win as expected?   Or do we have a new super horse du jour?

Seriously, guys, when you annointed Quality Road didn\'t you think to look at where he won, who he beat, how far he carried his speed...any of the normal things you should do before you declare the new Horse of the Century?

The only place this guy was a super horse was Gulfstream.  He was the quintessential Horse for Course Super Horse.  You\'re surprised he couldn\'t clock this field after those slow fractions?  Well apparently the fractions weren\'t slow enough for him.

I guess Blame is the new super horse.  At least he doesn\'t have to carry his track around with him.