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#1
09-18-2007, 03:07 PM
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Bailey vs. Azeri
Below, I have included links to videos of the 2004 Go For Wand and the 2004 Personal Ensign from Saratoga.
I think Azeri was the best mare I ever saw race, and these races illustrate why. In her entire career, Azeri never lost a two-turn race in which she was sent to the lead. Her only vulnerability was when another horses set fast fractions ahead of her, and she was forced to chase. So yes, she did need the lead. But it was not as if she needed to slow things down. She went the opening 3/4 in under 1:10 in the 2002 BC Distaff, for example. If I was the owner of Roar Emotion, I would have never allowed Jerry Bailey to ride another of my horses after what he did in the 2004 Personal Ensign. Bailey, without a doubt, rode that race NOT to give Roar Emotion a chance to win, but to prevent Azeri from winning. Bailey went the opening 3/4, at Saratoga, in a 10 furling race, in 1:09.1. Insanely fast, and incredibly stupid. Why did Bailey do that? Because by the time that race was run, he had seen way too much of Azeri's rear end throughout his career. He lost to her aboard Imperial Gesture in the BC Distaff. He lost to her aboard a Frankel filly (Wild Spirit?) in the Apple Blossom. He lost to her aboard Sightseek in the Go For Wand. And he decided he had had enough. So he made sure Azeri would have nothing left for the stretch of the Personal Ensign. Yet she still lost by only a mere length. Roar Emotion was last by about 20 lengths, if I remember correctly. Again, I think Azeri was a great one. I saw her last win in the Spinster at Keeneland, and it is one of my favorite racing moments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnw4NfZ8d3s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUOVm...elated&search= 
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#3
09-18-2007, 03:41 PM
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Roar Emotion was a one way speed horse. If anyone deserves criticism it was Pat Day who sent Azeri into the duel with the hopeless Roar Emotion. Blaming Bailey borders on insane. What was he supposed to do....take a speed horse back to concede the race to Azeri?
That was a terrific performance by Azeri.
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#5
09-18-2007, 03:59 PM
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So you think Bailey sending Roar Emotion through 3/4 in 1:09 and change at 10 furlongs was smart? I'm not saying he should have conceded the race to Azeri, but what he did gave Roar Emotion ZERO chance of winning. It reminds me of how he rode Smarty Jones in the Belmont, even though he wasn't on Smarty Jones. Day didn't ride Azeri well that day. That's true.
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#6
09-18-2007, 04:01 PM
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Bailey rode Roar Emotion exactly as she figured to be ridden. It was Day's job to deal with it, and Lukas's, and they failed to do so.
Smarty Jones lost the Belmont because eventually Stewart Elliot was forced to make actual riding decisions on that horse. Not surprisingly he failed miserably.
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#7
09-18-2007, 04:07 PM
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Bailey's decision to go that fast was insane, and he did it because he was more concerned with Azeri than his own horse. Period. If he was trying to ensure the best possible finish for Roar Emotion, the last thing he would have done was run a hole in the wind. Sightseek, Wild Spirit, Imperial Gesture....all horses that lost to Azeri with Bailey aboard.
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#8
09-18-2007, 04:11 PM
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Call me back when you find JFK's real assassin.
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#9
09-18-2007, 04:30 PM
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#11
09-18-2007, 04:33 PM
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And I pretty much know who killed Kennedy  I'll give you a hint: it wasn't Lee Harvey Oswald.
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#12
09-18-2007, 04:42 PM
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Who knows what kind of instructions Lukas gave Day before the race. But based on the video, it does not look like Day did a very good job. HOWEVER, that does NOT mean Bailey didn't do a stupid thing. Also, can we confirm where Bailey was on November 22nd, 1963?
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#14
09-18-2007, 06:38 PM
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I am in agreement with both sides. Bailey conceded the race alright. He just didn't concede it to Azeri. He did everything in his power to make sure that his own filly wouldn't win though and to me, that's not professional. In my opinion, u are supposed to do what u can in order to give your horse it's best chance to win. Sure, in this instance, it was to go to the lead because that was Roar Emotion's running style and trying to take her back and making her chase Azeri would have been giving up too. But I would have expected a veteran hall of famer like Bailey to slow it down a little. By going that fast, it was pretty obvious that he was deciding that he didn't care where his horse finished, just so long as Azeri didn't win. It reminded me of when Woody Stephens sacrificed Forty Niner in the 1988 Preakness by telling Day that his only job was to make sure Winning Colors didn't win, his own chances be damned.
At the same time, Day is also a hall of famer and should have adjusted better to what was unfolding in front of him. My opinion is that it was unprofessional what Bailey did and stupid what Day did. Azeri's greatness was shown by the way she nearly overcame both obstacles to win.
__________________
The real horses of the year (1986-2020) Manila, Java Gold, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Go for Wand, In Excess, Paseana, Kotashaan, Holy Bull, Cigar, Alphabet Soup, Formal Gold, Skip Away, Artax, Tiznow, Point Given, Azeri, Candy Ride, Smarty Jones, Ghostzapper, Invasor, Curlin, Zenyatta, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Havre de Grace, Wise Dan, Wise Dan, California Chrome, American Pharoah, Arrogate, Gun Runner, Accelerate, Maximum Security, Gamine
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#15
09-18-2007, 07:20 PM
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__________________
The real horses of the year (1986-2020) Manila, Java Gold, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Go for Wand, In Excess, Paseana, Kotashaan, Holy Bull, Cigar, Alphabet Soup, Formal Gold, Skip Away, Artax, Tiznow, Point Given, Azeri, Candy Ride, Smarty Jones, Ghostzapper, Invasor, Curlin, Zenyatta, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Havre de Grace, Wise Dan, Wise Dan, California Chrome, American Pharoah, Arrogate, Gun Runner, Accelerate, Maximum Security, Gamine
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#16
09-18-2007, 07:45 PM
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OMG. Roar Emotion had no chance of contending in that race regardless. It was a five horse field so the conections got a paycheck nonetheless. Pat Day
was a fool to chase a wicked pace and Storm Flag Flying just benifited from that. A seven time eclipse winning jockey does not sacrifice his horse to prevent others from losing.
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#17
09-18-2007, 08:15 PM
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Bailey's said it himself, the best jockeys are the ones that can ride two horses at the same time. Their horse and the other guy's. He was "riding" Azeri as it were and I'm sure he tried to every time he faced her. 9 times out of 10 she still beats him because she's just that good.
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#18
09-18-2007, 08:50 PM
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#19
09-18-2007, 08:53 PM
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#20
09-18-2007, 09:02 PM
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I heard Vic Stauffer posts here........
For people who didn't get to follow Azeri through her career.... She had the speed of <S>Ruffian</S> Pool Land The heart of <S>Lady's Secret</S> Critical Eye And the class of <S>Personal Ensign</S> Heritage of Gold And unlike Heritage of Gold - her acronym wasn't HOG.
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