Zito: Commentator passing BC; Targets '09 season
 

Coming back too slowly from Mass Cap.. Will return for 8yo year..

http://www.drf.com/news/article/98869.html

like if it was at Belmont he wouldnt be up to it?

Did you ban pg1985 again?

Would they have bothered working him yesterday if they weren't at least considering it? Seems to me Farmer wanted to give it a shot so they worked him and he wasn't ready.

It's the right move.. Give him all the time he needs to recuperate..

The older male divison will be horrendous again in 09... he'll have another good year on the track and another Whitney win...

The best form of his career part doesn't matter a whole lot here being that he will be laid up until 2009.

Man talk about proper management of a horse putting them in the right spots at the right times - 20 starts lifetime 13 wins 7 years old.

I don't know about that. He runs best when given the proper time.

Anybody that thinks Nick wouldn't like to take a shot in the BC Classic with Commentator isn't really thinking. What trainer wouldn't take a shot with a horse under 10:1 in a $5 Million race that could well earn his horse Horse of the Year with a victory?

The simple fact is he needs real time between his races to do his best running and the BC comes a little too soon for Commentator. Obviously, polytrack and California are part of the equation, but even with all that, if this horse was absolutely prepared he would be going. His connections are well aware of what's at stake.

or maybe the work yesterday told them he wasn't coming back well, which is why they shelved him. he indicated he was tired, they're doing the right thing, regardless of what they may have been considering. i'd have been surprised had he shown up on the west coast for the bc, even if he worked like gangbusters. that surface is not inspiring confidence in many people.

As hard as it is for me to say this, this is 100% the correct decision

I don't get it.

If the BC was the ultimate aim, why 'risk' running in SUF if the horse needs extra time between races?

And, given the EASY time of it he had at SUF, why the extra time to recover?
Here's a case where a horse (physically) bounced.

Clearly they need to add a 9f race.
They probably need a 10f one for the fillies too.

Commentator = Lava Man?

Just see a lot of similar qualities, while good horses, despite their records I never felt either falls into the great category.

Lava Man couldn't compete outside of Southern California. Commentator has run huge races at Saratoga, Belmont, Keeneland, Churchill and Suffolk.

Now, Lava Man ran some very nice races, none as fast as quite a few Commentator ran, and Commentator has run fast races at more than a few distances, thus I just don't see the comparison.

Dont forget Gulfstream........LM did run a 120 beyer ONCE, in his first HWGC win.
Lava Man is a perfect example of why many beleive that Cali racing is just not up to par with the east coast.
The funny thing with LM is that his trainer seems to have a real niche for shipping east to pick up graded stakes.

I think people tend to get a bit fuzzy headed about Commentator, but c'mon man, that's crazy talk.

They've never been in the same league, and as for the rest of your post, I really don't see similarities.