One of the greatest 11.25 length defeats by a filly in history

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Instead of opting to concede an easy lead to Rachel Alexandra - which Borel tried to force him to do by floating him out - Johnny V. - no doubt following instructions - decided to go on a suicide mission with Life At Ten. Those two quickly opened up 15 lengths on the rest of the field.







I just wish I had the tools to make pace figures for the half mile instead of the first six furlong - because the pace figures probably would have been in the 130's... and that doesn't even account for the ground loss on the first turn.

Life At Ten's four races this year coming into today look like this...



I realize she won a Grade 1 race by dueling Unrivelled Belle into sound defeat - I realized she toyed with the field and easily won the $750,000 Del Cap at 10 furlongs last time out ... but make no mistake, her performance today - finishing 3rd and beaten only 11.25 lengths by Persistantly while running a Beyer in the low 70's was without a doubt her single best race this year all things considered.

She stepped up and ran huge today.

[randallscott35]

Old school Bailey suicide mission to defeat another horse rather than winning.

[Dahoss]

Todays race was like a replay of Storm Flag Flying winning the PE. A suicide mission gone wrong.

[smuthg]

i realize the guys on TV know nothing, especially Gary Stevens, one of the worst trainers in modern history, but all I heard leading up to the race was that Johnny V couldn't rate Life at Ten and if he did they'd both be worn out and have nothing left for the stretch.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

Old school Bailey suicide mission to defeat another horse rather than winning.

Eddington still has nightmares.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Instead of opting to concede an easy lead to Rachel Alexandra - which Borel tried to force him to do by floating him out - Johnny V. - no doubt following instructions - decided to go on a suicide mission with Life At Ten. Those two quickly opened up 15 lengths on the rest of the field.

I just watched the race again to reconfirm what I thought I saw during the live running of it. Where exactly does Borel ever urge her to the front? (Maybe ever so slightly out of the gate.) Typically horses on 'suicide missions' are, very visibly, urged. In fact, it's clear in the run to the 1st turn, and in the run around the 2nd turn on the headon, that there's quite a bit of slack on the reins. In other words, Borel is long reining rather than restraining her. So, she was given her head and was going nicely as Borel never made the effort to either urge her or restrain her. She did it all well within herself and just flat out collapsed late.

Looks like they either didn't tie her tongue down or didn't do a good job of it, as she's got it out during the entire running of the race.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

I just watched the race again to reconfirm what I thought I saw during the live running of it. Where exactly does Borel ever urge her to the front? (Maybe ever so slightly out of the gate.) Typically horses on 'suicide missions' are visibly urged. In fact, it's clear in the run to the 1st turn, and in the run around the 2nd turn on the headon, that there's quite a bit of slack on the reins. In other words, Borel is long reigning rather than restraining her. So, she was given her head and was going nicely as Borel never made the effort to either urge her or restrain her. She did it all well within herself and just flat out collapsed late.

Looks like they either didn't tie her tongue down or didn't do a good job of it as she's got it out during the entire running of the race.

Was the same way in the last race.

[Cannon Shell]

It looked to me like the two jocks thought it was strictly a 2 horse race and rode to simply try to beat the other. I enjoyed seeing it but Shugs horse clunked up to win.

And the idea of a tongue tie is to prevnt the tongue from being pulled back into the throat which can cause interference with the breathing mechanism, hanging out is of no signifigance since they breathe through their nostrils.

[Round Pen]

[quote=Cannon Shell;689701]It looked to me like the two jocks thought it was strictly a 2 horse race and rode to simply try to beat the other. I enjoyed seeing it but Shugs horse clunked up to win.


Absolutely 100% Correct

[Danzig]

[quote=Round Pen;689708]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

It looked to me like the two jocks thought it was strictly a 2 horse race and rode to simply try to beat the other. I enjoyed seeing it but Shugs horse clunked up to win.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Absolutely 100% Correct

i thought cannon was correct also. they completely ignored the other horses. it cost both of them.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

And the idea of a tongue tie is to prevnt the tongue from being pulled back into the throat which can cause interference with the breathing mechanism, hanging out is of no signifigance since they breathe through their nostrils.

No doubt. However, shouldn't it be tied down sufficiently so that the horse can 'focus' on running, rather than paying with its (significantly extended) tongue, as RA was doing?

[the_fat_man]

Some interesting post race comments:

'Calvin Borel, rider of runner-up Rachel Alexandra (No. 2): “She just got outrun. I had everything my way, and she just got outrun.
“After we put away Life At Ten at the quarter pole, I didn’t feel any acceleration and I got worried. She wasn’t really there. I knew if anyone was running behind us, we were in trouble. If you can’t take the losing with the winning, you can’t be in the game.”

'Shug McGaughey, winning trainer of Persistently (No. 3):“I thought that [Rachel Alexandra] might be a little vulnerable going a mile and a quarter, and I knew we’d run a mile and a quarter. I knew we would run a mile and a quarter. Her female family runs a long way.....We were just lucky enough to pick up the pieces.”

' John Velazquez, jockey aboard third-place finisher Life At Ten (No. 4):
“That was a speed duel. I thought my filly would be on the lead, [Calvin Borel, jockey aboard Rachel Alexandra (No. 2)] would rate in second, but he sent her out and got in the lead and all that did was create more problems for my horse because now she was engaged. But I wasn’t going to take her back; I just left her alone. I wasn’t going to go back either, so I just held my position and left it alone. The half-mile pole came and I thought she was dead and then the three eighths pole came and she was done. Nothing left"

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

No doubt. However, shouldn't it be tied down sufficiently so that the horse can 'focus' on running, rather than paying with its (significantly extended) tongue, as RA was doing?

You tie it down as deep in the mouth as possible. The part of the tongue that you see isnt signifigant. It is really a non issue.

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

It looked to me like the two jocks thought it was strictly a 2 horse race and rode to simply try to beat the other. I enjoyed seeing it but Shugs horse clunked up to win.

And the idea of a tongue tie is to prevnt the tongue from being pulled back into the throat which can cause interference with the breathing mechanism, hanging out is of no signifigance since they breathe through their nostrils.

[Smooth Operator]

As we said many months ago … RA is just like her old man … a good 9f runner … but clearly vulnerable at ten.


Gotta luv classic distance races

Almost always expose the PRETENDERS…

[VOL JACK]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Instead of opting to concede an easy lead to Rachel Alexandra - which Borel tried to force him to do by floating him out - Johnny V. - no doubt following instructions - decided to go on a suicide mission with Life At Ten. Those two quickly opened up 15 lengths on the rest of the field.







I just wish I had the tools to make pace figures for the half mile instead of the first six furlong - because the pace figures probably would have been in the 130's... and that doesn't even account for the ground loss on the first turn.

Life At Ten's four races this year coming into today look like this...



I realize she won a Grade 1 race by dueling Unrivelled Belle into sound defeat - I realized she toyed with the field and easily won the $750,000 Del Cap at 10 furlongs last time out ... but make no mistake, her performance today - finishing 3rd and beaten only 11.25 lengths by Persistantly while running a Beyer in the low 70's was without a doubt her single best race this year all things considered.

She stepped up and ran huge today.

I told my wife (you knows little and cares even less about Horse racing) while watching the race that I don't understand why Jocks decide to make the the horse to the out side of them go way wide in the first turn.
Yes it comprimises the outside horses chance of winning but, it also causes the inside horse to concede a ton of ground to the closers who are tucked in behind galloping along hugging the rail.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Instead of opting to concede an easy lead to Rachel Alexandra - which Borel tried to force him to do by floating him out - Johnny V. - no doubt following instructions - decided to go on a suicide mission with Life At Ten. Those two quickly opened up 15 lengths on the rest of the field.







I just wish I had the tools to make pace figures for the half mile instead of the first six furlong - because the pace figures probably would have been in the 130's... and that doesn't even account for the ground loss on the first turn.

Life At Ten's four races this year coming into today look like this...



I realize she won a Grade 1 race by dueling Unrivelled Belle into sound defeat - I realized she toyed with the field and easily won the $750,000 Del Cap at 10 furlongs last time out ... but make no mistake, her performance today - finishing 3rd and beaten only 11.25 lengths by Persistantly while running a Beyer in the low 70's was without a doubt her single best race this year all things considered.

She stepped up and ran huge today.

Let's just pretend that this race was a match-race between Rachel and Life and Ten. Rachel would have obviously been the favorite. But what would the over/under have been in terms of margin of victory by Rachel? It would have been somewhere around 4 lengths or maybe 5 lengths at the absolute most. Life and ten ended up getting beat by Rachel by 10 lengths. So how can you act like Life at Ten ran well? How can you like act like she outperformed expectations? She totally underperformed.

If it would have been a match-race, we would have known that these two fillies would pretty much go head and head. If I would have offered you Life at Ten plus 9 lengths, I'm sure you would have taken that bet in a second. And you would have been extremely disappointed with her performance just like everybody else would have been, myself included. I don't know how you can act like she ran well when Rachel beat her by 10 lengths. Life at Ten totally underperformed expecations and it's not as if anything unexpected happened. If it would have been a match-race, the race would have probably unfolded pretty much identical to the way it happened on Sunday.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Let's just pretend that this race was a match-race between Rachel and Life and Ten. Rachel would have obviously been the favorite. But what would the over/under have been in terms of margin of victory by Rachel? It would have been somewhere around 4 lengths or maybe 5 lengths at the absolute most. Life and ten ended up getting beat by Rachel by 10 lengths. So how can you act like Life at Ten ran well? How can you like act like she outperformed expectations? She totally underperformed.

I judge performances in relation to the running line on the form in which they produce. That involves watching trips, understanding pace, and understanding every horse involved in the race.

I'm not impressed at all when a horse loafs on an uncontested lead - and wins some 750K 10 furlong Grade 2 stakes race for their 6th win a row.

I am impressed when the same horse gets hooked up in a duel with a better horse - is being herded and pushed out through the first turn - and stops to run a Beyer in the 70's and loses dismally to a Persistenly. Those are the kind of performances that I'm a fan of.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

A tale of two trips with Life At Ten and Persistently ...

From finishing 11.25 lengths behind her last time to finishing 8.75 lengths in front of her today. You have a 19 length reversal.

That's basically the joy of dirt racing .. the supposedly fluky nature of it. The fact that one extremely poor tactical decision can cost a horse a city block of ground versus a benefiting rival.

As opposed to synthetic races .. where it basically mostly just boils down to whoever can finish and early speed is often almost worthless on most versions the surface.