12/26-27 (SA): Malibu, La Brea, Oaks (G1's); Frankel (G3), Logan

[Kasept]

[cakes44]

Storm the Court needs an allowance race, like real bad, unless they are planning on retiring him.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by cakes44

Storm the Court needs an allowance race, like real bad, unless they are planning on retiring him.

Yep, although I would even say that the Malibu would have been a better spot than the Mathis Brothers. He'd get a cutback (I think he won his only sprint start with a rider on his back) and a hot pace. Even if he had little shot on the win end, he might actually have finished with some interest for once.

All in all, Santa Anita has really blown it with their stakes schedule. The Malibu should have had a full field. Horses like Storm the Court, Idol, Kiss Today Goodbye, Strongconstitution and some off-the-turf types would have been in that spot in previous years, especially when the entire Strub series was still in existence. Now there are too many options with the Mathis Brothers and the San Antonio on the same card.

[King Glorious]

I was trying but failed to understand why the announcers were pointing out that Idol would be the first 3yo to win the San Antonio and pointing out that the race has been run since 1935. I don't know the history of the race before 1986 but as far as I knew, it was always a race for 4yo and up. It wasn't until the last few years that they moved it to the end of December and made it for 3yo and up.

Anyway, Kiss Today Goodbye took it in an upset. I thought Idol might be done around the turn but he fought on well and came back to run second.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I was trying but failed to understand why the announcers were pointing out that Idol would be the first 3yo to win the San Antonio and pointing out that the race has been run since 1935. I don't know the history of the race before 1986 but as far as I knew, it was always a race for 4yo and up. It wasn't until the last few years that they moved it to the end of December and made it for 3yo and up.

Anyway, Kiss Today Goodbye took it in an upset. I thought Idol might be done around the turn but he fought on well and came back to run second.

The announcers don't actually follow the sport as far as I can tell and even if they did, Santa Anita is so schizophrenic with their stakes schedule that it would be hard to keep track anyways. This was only the 4th edition of the San Antonio run on this spot on the calendar.

The traditional Big Cap series was the San Pasqual (8.5f, mid-Jan); San Antonio (9f, early Feb); Big Cap (10f, early Mar). The geniuses at the Stronach Group decided they needed a cross-country prep for their bloated Pegasus Faux Cup and inexplicably plucked out the San Antonio and pushed it back to December and shortened it.

Why they didn't simply move the San Pasqual which was already 8.5f and only a couple of weeks past opening day is one for the record books IMO.

At any rate, good to know that most of the horses I mentioned in my earlier post were indeed in top form and should have run in the Malibu.

[King Glorious]

We were deprived of a Triple Crown winner this year. Charlatan is a really, really good horse.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

We were deprived of a Triple Crown winner this year. Charlatan is a really, really good horse.

You continue to be overly enamored by these sprinters simply because they prove to be able to sit the garden trip in small fields rather than being one dimensional frontrunners.

This 7f win proves Charlatan was capable of winning the Triple Crown as much as Gamine's 7f BC proved she was HOY...

Nashville looked nearly as bad as Princess Noor did in the BC.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

We were deprived of a Triple Crown winner this year. Charlatan is a really, really good horse.

This is low quality trolling.

If nothing else, Charlatan proved in the Arkansas Derby he is not a superior distance horse. Up to one mile, however, is a different story.

[Kasept]