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#1
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Horsey All Decade Team
1st team, 2nd team, 3rd team, 4th team by division.
2yo Male: War Pass, Macho Uno, Stevie Wonderboy, Street Sense 2yo Female: Tempera, Storm Flag Flying, Halfbrideld, You 2yo Turf Male: Barbaro, Peace Rules, Interactif, Cowboy Cal 2yo Turf Female: Dreaming of Anna, J'Ray, Fantastic Filly, Riskaverse 2yo Male Sprinter: Officer, Came Home, Afleet Alex, Roman Ruler 2yo Female Sprinter: Cashier's Dream, You, Hot Dixie Chick, Gold Mover 3yo Male: Smarty Jones, Tiznow, Point Given, Bernardini 3yo Female: Rachel Alexandra, Rags To Riches, Xtra Heat, Surfside 3yo Turf Male: Kitten's Joy, Conduit, High Chaparral, Rock Of Gibraltor, 3yo Turf Female: Banks Hill, Ouija Board, Goldikova, Six Perfections 3yo Male Sprinter: Caller One, Squirtle Squirt, Lost In The Fog, Cajun Beat 3yo Female Sprinter: Xtra Heat, Indian Blessing, Madcap Escapade, Lady Tak Older Male: Ghostzapper, Mineshaft, Medaglia D' Oro, Congaree Older Female: Zenyatta, Azeri, Riboletta, Sightseek Older Turf Male: Fantastic Light, Leroidesanemeaux, English Channel, Kalanisi Older Turf Female: Ouija Board, Golden Apples, Voodoo Dancer, Intercontinental Older Male Sprinter: Kona Gold, Midnight Lute, Swept Overboard, Fabulous Strike Older Female Sprinter: Xtra Heat, Honest Lady, Informed Decision, Kalooken Queen 2003 was the glory year for older males for going long ... you don't realize realize quite how spectacular they were until you see what followed them up and what was just before them. The 3-year-old males are a brutal group to rate. A good case could be made for anyone of seven or eight. |
#2
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Good to have you back DrugS.
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#3
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Well done list, but War Pass was the best 2-year-old male of the decade? No mention of Vindication?
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I wasn't a big fan of his going into his 3-year-old season .. but that was more because I didn't like the way he projected as a triple crown series prospect. However, it would be extremely foolish to deny him the honor of decades top 2yo. I think he's one of the easiest choices. He was undefeated, his win in the Champagne was sizzlingly fast. He won the Breeders Cup Juvenile in 1:42.67 - Indian Blessing needed 1:44.73 to soundly defeat Proud Spell that same day. Respectable precocious middle distance horses like Kodiak Kowboy and Tale of Ekati ran 3rd and 4th .. beaten 16.75 lengths and 17.50 lengths .. in an 11 horse field. Just a mind boggling performance against the clock. War Pass's 113 Beyer that day was higher than the 112 Beyer Hard Spun ran for finishing 2nd in the BC Classic that day .. both races used the exact same variant. As for Vindication .. he's in the discussion for the 3rd or 4th spot. Like War Pass, he was also 4-for-4 at two, and with two stakes wins. He won the Grade 3 Ky Cup Juvenile over a terrible field in very slow fashion - but had to overcome some trouble. In the Breeders Cup Juvie ... Vindication had a great trip and needed 1:49.61 to score. By comparison, Storm Flag Flying won the Juv Fillies by a half length in final time of 1:49.60 - Hold That Tiger ran 3rd by 5 lengths to Vindy - but had an extremely tough trip. I think Toccet had a good case to steal the Eclipse from Vindication. He won 4 Graded Stakes as a 2yo at or beyond a mile. He took the Champagne, Laurel Futurity, won the Remsen over Empire Maker, and beat Kafwain in the Hollywood Futurity. He was a complete no show in the BC Juvie though - basically fading after a few furlongs. |
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His races at AP as a 2yo were fairly unimpressive, and though he ran a very good race in a 3rd place effort at Keeneland on a surface he never liked, his CD race was the only truly superb effort of his season in my opinion. I'd take Vindication's four races as a 2yo over Street Sense's four races. Good list though DrugS. It makes for some good conversation. |
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He was the president of the anti Vindy fan club. He disliked that horse like PG1985 loves Giant's Causeway. It was almost pathological. |
#7
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I also think Declan's Moon should be mentioned, though he always was overlooked for skipping the BC. |
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A lot of excellent 2-year-olds come back and flop at 3. Just as some very moderate 2-year-olds will bloom into sensational 3yos and older horses. Go back and read the press clippings about Pyro's 3yo return race... they might seem laughable now ... but he did run a really great race in his 3yo return. War Pass might have been moved up a lot by the slop .. but his Champagne was still gigantic - and he just crushed in every race. The 3yo version of him was a total cripple. |
#9
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No Randy Moss?
__________________
"but there's just no point in trying to predict when the narcissits finally figure out they aren't living in the most important time ever." hi im god quote |
#10
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__________________
All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind. ~ Joseph Conrad A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right. ~ Thomas Paine Don't let anyone tell you that your dreams can't come true. They are only afraid that theirs won't and yours will. ~ Robert Evans |
#11
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Mineshaft older male....Nothing else matters.
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#12
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What is this a Frankel tribute list? A lot of Frankel's |
#13
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Riboletta's best races rival any of the females in this decade....Easily better than Azeri.
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#14
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should Saint Liam be in there?
__________________
" I may leave here empty handed, but you aren't going anywhere " |
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#16
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__________________
" I may leave here empty handed, but you aren't going anywhere " |
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#18
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He wouldn't be totally outrageous though. |
#19
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Hes was beat in his only head to head with Rock Hard Ten, I think Saint Liam was 3-5 and Rick 3-1. |
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