12/27 (SA): San Gabriel (G2), CA Champion (R)
 

7th Race - California Breeders' Champion S.

FOR TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLIES BRED IN CALIFORNIA OR CALIFORNIA SIRED; 7 Furlongs Dirt. Purse $100,000.

1 Teddy's Promise 2 F L 119 Rosario Joel Hofmans David E.
2 Noise Of The Crowd 2 F L 115 Talamo Joseph Moger, Jr. Ed
3 California Nectar 2 F L 117 Valenzuela Patrick A. O'Neill Doug F.
4 Screaming Regal 2 F L 115 Espinoza Victor Kruljac J. Eric
5 Bathing Beauty 2 F L 115 Gomez Garrett K. Sise, Jr. Clifford W.
6 Warren's Flyer 2 F L 117 Pedroza Martin A. Gutierrez Jorge
7 Going For A Spin 2 F L 117 Bejarano Rafael Hollendorfer Jerry



8th Race - San Gabriel S. (Grade 2)

FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS AND UPWARD; 1 1/8 Mile Turf. Purse $150,000

1 Proudinsky (GER) 7 H L 120 Valenzuela Patrick A. Ascanio Humberto
2 Unusual Suspect 6 H L 123 Nakatani Corey S. Abrams Barry
3 The Usual Q. T. 4 G L 123 Espinoza Victor Cassidy James M.
4 Jeranimo 4 C L 120 Bejarano Rafael Pender Michael
5 Violon Sacre 5 H L 118 Rosario Joel Biancone Patrick L.
6 Medici Code (GB) 6 G L 118 Pedroza Martin A. Vienna Darrell
7 Expansion 5 H L 118 Gomez Garrett K. Asmussen Steven M.
8 Meteore 4 C L 118 Quinonez Alonso Mandella Richard E.
9 Spurrier 5 H L 118 Gonzalez Alex Baffert Bob
10 Riviera Cocktail 4 C L 118 Smith Mike E. Drysdale Neil D.

That was some ride by Rosario on Biancone's horse. Takes the horse completely out of his game, puts horse on lead, fades to last. You really have to wonder what goes through these pinheads brains at times. Horse is 2-2 at the distance closing each time. Biancone would have been better off bringing Fragoso back in to ride the horse. Doubt you'll see Rosario riding for Biancone anytime soon after that disaster.

I hope Joel can manage to win a race or two under those dire circumstances.

Go watch the race. For Rosario's sake I hope Biancone doesn't own a gun.

Are you saying that because he took him to the lead? I certainly don't know if that was discussed before the race but there was no speed and Rosario might have just been taking a shot with what he thought would be a way to get the win.

In all actuality, Violon Sacre was just a listed/G3 type horse who has gone out west and been beaten by stronger fields.

They have strong grass fields out west? Who knew.

Go look up who Violon Sacre ran against at Mth and Bel wise ass.

There was some speed on paper. Proudinsky was going to lead. Cassidy said on tv earlier that he had no idea how The Usual QT would handle the soft going , and that they would be pressing on the lead. So there was some speed to run at. I highly doubt that Biancone said "let's take this horse off his normal game (stalking), the way he has run his best in the past, and gun to the lead".

If Rosario was "taking a shot", which was most likely, it was a horrendous decision given the horse's past. Take the horse back and make a late run (like Bejarano did on the winner). If you get beat riding your horse like he should be ridden , so be it. But to do what he did was braindead.

Basically Rosario got outridden by Bejarano...PVal....Espinoza...and every other jock in the race.

Rosario is a terrific rider and most likely took a shot with a change of tactics on an overmatched horse. He had no realistic shot regardless.

It's entirely possible he actually, in theory, outrode the other riders. He just fired an empty gun.

No realisitic shot? Horse was 2-2 at the distance. Speed figs were right up there with every other horse. Horse had a rough trip at 4-1 vs similar last out at Hollywood (which was hilariously missed by the comment/chart caller at DRF...shocking). Horse had one of his best (if not best) races on a yielding turf.

The favorite (The Usual QT) had never run on anything but a firm turf and was a bit of a mystery running on yielding/soft course (which the trainer did say earlier in the day as well), and was coming off two very tough races.

Proudinsky is like 20 yrs old.

The horse who won is a nice horse, but was really not much better on paper.


Otherwise you are right...VS had no shot.

He was beating the likes of War Hoot with perfect trips. He was never much horse and was out of his league in this race.

Out of his league? I disagree. The Usual QT was out of his league, but was a big question mark on the soft turf. I don't think any of the other horses in the race were out of his league.

Hindsight's 20/20 but he had ground to make up on Proudinsky and Meteore and Jeranimo was coming off a win in his turf debut where he ran down a GI winner from last year who was also GI placed this year.

I understand your point that he was possibly not given a great chance to win with the tactics employed but I still think that was a decision that Rosario didn't make on his own.

VS's last race was a bit of a toss. Fragoso stayed on the inside and had absolutely nowhere to run...steadied a bit as well. The comment in the DRF "saved ground....no rally" was absurd. Then again...the guys who write the comments can rarely be trusted.

I just think taking a horse out of his running style is always a huge mistake. If it was Biancone's decision then my apologies to Rosario. Then Biancone is the moron.

Just curious...why don't you think it was Rosario's decision?

I could certainly be wrong but I just get the feeling that was something that was discussed just because it was such a departure from his normal running style. He had never shown "speed" at all and to see him on the lead was surprising to me. We'll probably never know but Violon Sacre will be best served by going back to the east coast and running in 60k or so listed stakes.

I don't know.....he has now had excuses in both his races out west. I'd give him one more shot. If he runs a clunker with a decent trip then sure..ship him back to NJ for the spring/summer.