Reconsidering and Affirming My Opinion on CC

[richiebee]

I do not know where the resentment I have for the colt I call \"The Horse of the Half Year\", California Chrome, and his followers, the Chromies, comes from.

First let me say that I\'ve spent enough time around the backstretch to realize everyone\'s affinity for flashy chestnut horses. These redheads ranged from the white eyed insanity of the descendants of a speed crazed Kentucky stallion named Whitesburg (by Crimson Satan) to the docile and lovable Darlin Heart Pat, a good natured daughter of Dike who gave me my first winner as a groom, way back when at Oaklawn Park in 1981.

Factors in evaluating a 3YO campaign of course included the 3YO\'s performance in the TC races, the big post TC races for 3YOs in the summertime (Haskell, Jim Dandy, Travers, Super Derby), and of course the performance of these 3YOs against top older runners including races on American racing\'s biggest stage, the Breeder\'s Cup.

Thinking I may have been too harsh on CC and the Chromies, I visited the archived material on the TG site and elsewhere to try to put CC\'s accomplishments in perspective.

First off, looking at Horses of the Year since 1971, I was surprised to see that no less than 14 3YOs were named Horse of the Year. Were they all worthy?

Lets start with Obviously Worthy, and we are talking 3YO accomplishments only:

73 Secretariat -- Triple Crown winner and champion turf male.
77 Seattle Slew -- Triple Crown winner.
78 Affirmed -- Triple Crown winner.
89 Sunday Silence -- Ky Derby, Preakness, Super Derby, BC Classic.
92 AP Indy -- Santa Anita Derby, Peter Pan, Belmont, BC Classic.
07 Curlin -- Preakness, Haskell, JC Gold Cup, BC Classic.^*
09 Rachel A. -- Ky Oaks, Preakness, Mother Goose, Woodward.^**


Not as Obvious, but Damn Worthy

82 Con Cielo -- Met Mile, Belmont, Jim Dandy, Dwyer.
94 Holy Bull -- Won 3 Derby preps, Met Mile, Dwyer, Haskell, Travers, Woodward
00 Tiznow -- Super Derby, BC Classic.
01 P.Given -- SA Derby, Preakness, Belmont (TG neg 2²), Travers.

Note that all runners in the first two groupings (except PG) were TC winners, BC Classic winners and/or defeated older runners....

Scratching My Head

85 Spend A Buck -- Two GS preps, Ky Derby, Jersey Derby (just enough to win Brennan Bonus).
99 Charismatic -- Started 3YO year in claiming races. Lexington, Ky Derby, Preakness.
14 Cal Chrome -- SA Derby, Ky Derby, Preakness. No wins v older. Beaten twice by fellow 3YO Bayern. Turf win in ersatz graded stake.

Where have all the great American dirt males gone? 09 - 14 HOY: Rachel, Zenny, Havre de Grace, Wise Dan², Chrome.

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* Curlin\'s 3YO season TG wise: Derby 0, Preakness negative 3, Belmont negative 0², Haskell negative 2², JC Gold Cup negative 3, BC Classic negative 4. Wow.

** When Rachel defeated older males in the 09 Woodward, it was the first time that a 3YO filly won a Grade 1 dirt route v. older males since 1887. EIGHTEEN 87.

[Silver Charm]

** When Rachel defeated older males in the 09 Woodward, it was the first time that a 3YO filly won a Grade 1 dirt route v. older males since 1887. EIGHTEEN 87.

Ritchie who was that 3YO Filly and were you there.

BTW-the year you mention Holy Bull, Tabasco Cat sat down in the Derby starting gate as they opened it, promptly won the Preakness and Belmont and got beat a head in the BC Classic by another 3YO Concern. Pretty salty group who beat Older Horses!

Too answer your question there are too many horses rammed for the Triple Crown Classics and with any sort of positive results rushed off to Stud: See Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Empire Maker, Bernardini, Fusaichi Pegasus, Lookin at Lucky, Big Brown and Orb. None of that crew raced at 4. Horse racing is the only sport that cannibalizes its own Stars.....

[Sandreadis]

Scratching My Head

85 Spend A Buck -- Two GS preps, Ky Derby, Jersey Derby (just enough to win Brennan Bonus).

Spend a Buck also won the Monmouth Handicap(G1) 2nd Haskell(G1) at 3.
4rth fastest derby 2:00 1/5 with a  Mile split of 1:34 4/5, his fourth race in 6 weeks.

The Triple Crown Bonus started after Buck\'s passing of the Preakness and Belmont.

Lifetime 15 starts in 13 months. Back when race horses raced.

Retired in August of 3YO season.

[Silver Charm]

I think I know where Ritchie is going with Spend a Buc and there is good reason. 5 of is 6 races at 3 were in New Jersey where Lasix was allowed but back then not in New York. As a 2YO he grew up at Calder, River Downs and little Meadowlands. He almost became a Poster Child for Garden State Park and Jersey Medication rules.

To your other point the other Top 3YO that year was 2YO Champ Chiefs Crown who ran a total of 21 times before retiring at the end of his 3YO season. All 3 Triple Crown races, twice at Saratoga, 3 times in the Belmont Fall Meet against Older horses and capped it off with the BC Classic at Aqueduct.

[beazley]

Obviously worth: Easy Goer. 3 Derby prep wins including very fast Gotham, flashy Belmont, 2 Triple Crown seconds, Travers , Woodward, Whitney,  Gold Cup and finished with a second in BC Classic. 6 G1 wins and 3 G1 seconds. Oh wait he didn\'t win. Just proves it is horse of the \"year\". Chrome won in a weak year. Who else gets it last year? Connections sealed the deal with the G1 on turf for 4 G1 wins (all against 3yo). But still that\'s 4 G1s. Not too shabby.

[Footlick]

First race as a 3 yr old was an experiment to see if he would rate.  It didn\'t work.  He ran 9f in 1:45 4/5 if I am not mistaken in one of his preps at GS.  Bled badly in the Haskell.  Came back to win the Monmouth Inv over older horses in stakes record time.  Retired with the discovery of more chips, I think.  Could be wrong there.  The horse was an impressive front runner.  If people want to slight him, they can.  But his two loses came with valid excuses.  And he ran a wicked first 6f in the Jersey Derby and when they came at him he held them off. Creme Fraiche then won the Belmont after losing to Spend A Buck.

[Footlick]

Compare the field that Rachel ran against to the field that, say, Summer Guest had to run against.  And look at the difference in distance.  Not all Woodwards were the same calibre, but Rachel\'s performance none the less was very, very brave.

[Tavasco]

As fans I think we want a clear cut and dominant HOY winner or even a great rivalry where one of the rivals has a distinct edge. That wasn\'t the case in 2014 consequently c/b source of resentment.

A BC win sure would help his legacy but (due to his celebrity) we will never see a fair price. Yet I would like to see him go in either the dirt/turf mile this fall. Unfortunately he\'ll probably show up in France next.

On a more positive note, his award may have helped promote thoroughbred race horse ownership to the uninitiated and every little bit helps.


An aside the 4th race @ Del today 2 y/o Filly MSW 5F. The #1 horse (my choice) breaks good and gets out quicked by three horses and shuffled back. Oh s,,t I\'m thinking and she is kind of smallish. Then a fourth horse passes her and she gets maneuvered to the outside runs around all of them on the turn draws even at the head of the stretch and takes off to win by 7 from the 2nd place horse whose ahead by several over third. Wow I think I\'ve seem something really special. The final time comes up 58.4. What? Horses work faster than that. but visually very impressive. Hard to reconcile, love to hear TG take on the performance.

[toppled]

I can think of a couple of reasons I don\'t have a high opinion California Chrome.  

My opinion is that he wasn\'t even the best 3YO last year and if Shared Belief hadn\'t been injured, Chrome wouldn\'t have won any of the Triple Crown races.  

His owner\'s totally classless rant after the Belmont.

[P-Dub]

toppled Wrote:
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> I can think of a couple of reasons I don\'t have a
> high opinion California Chrome.  
>
> My opinion is that he wasn\'t even the best 3YO
> last year and if Shared Belief hadn\'t been
> injured, Chrome wouldn\'t have won any of the
> Triple Crown races.  
>
> His owner\'s totally classless rant after the
> Belmont.


Love and Irving were out.  Doesn\'t diminish the Dubs title at all.  You play or race whoever shows up. Staying healthy is part of it.

An owner\'s rant, one he\'s apologized for several times, should have nothing to do with the horse on track.

[richiebee]

P-Dub Wrote:
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> You play or race whoever shows
> up.

Bayern showed up three times and beat Chrome twice.

[P-Dub]

richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> P-Dub Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > You play or race whoever shows
> > up.
>
> Bayern showed up three times and beat Chrome
> twice.

Not disputing that. I\'m not defending the HOY decision either.

Just saying, you race/play the teams/horses that are on the schedule.

Duke didn\'t have to play Kentucky, is their championship tainted?

[johnnym]

Woodward was the race that ruined her..

[moosepalm]

P-Dub Wrote:
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> Just saying, you race/play the teams/horses that
> are on the schedule.
>
> Duke didn\'t have to play Kentucky, is their
> championship tainted?


Agree with you that you can only beat who shows up, unless you purposefully schedule the Little Sisters of the Poor or enter stakes races at Finger Lakes.

As for Kentucky, they barely eked out a win over Notre Dame, and lost fair and square to Wisconsin.  They were just one of five or six teams who could have won it all.  Duke earned it because they got hot at the right time.