Curlin in race #5 at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday!

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I think there is something interesting at Gulfstream Saturday concerning racing's newly anointed " greatest trainer " ( by racing's personally anointed " racing genius " ). Understatement debuted on February 7th at 6F and won impressively for trainer Todd Pletcher, who unlike previous years, has few, if any, hopefuls for the TC races. Just three weeks later Understatement is going right from that 6F race to a 1 1/8 mile race which has the feel of a Florida Derby prep for this horse.....which of course, if successful, would be a KY Derby prep for Understatement. Thus, we are now to believe that the many years of developing even a reasonable foundation for a horse was completely wrong, and that rushing one from a three quarter mile race to distance races in a mad dash to make a " big " event is actually the proper way to handle a thoroughbred.

Todd Pletcher is a very good trainer, with an incredible operation, but even if you want to completely pin this on an overzealous owner, it is a bit head scratching. How many good horses have been ruined this way? I don't know the answer....but I know that number had exponentionally increased in recent years. Coincidence?

Good call BTW. I didn't know that you knew about that stuff. The truth is a lot of trainers make moves like this, and you know it. Take Curlin for example or Bellamy Road. Racing a mile and a quarter off of a huge layoff is not my idea of a good training job. Racing Curlin in 5 races in 15 weeks is not my idea of a good training job, even though Curlin was able to withstand it because he is a freak. Moves like that ruin a lot of horses. Moves like the one Pletcher made with that horse ruin a lot of horses. Racing horses back too soon when they just run a really hard race ruins a lot of horses. Take Indyanne or Magnificence for example. Does this mean these guys are bad trainers? No (even though Asmussen or Headly wouldn't ever get near my horses). It just means that they may be recieving a lot of pressure from clients, or they may get a little bit too overzealous.

I've even seen Mandella make moves with horses that were puzzling, and he is a great trainer. He loves his horses, and I truly believe that he does what he thinks is best for them. Probably my favorite trainers are Frankel and Tagg.

I can't deny that Pletcher is the best trainer in the country right now. He wins, and wins, and wins. Sure he makes mistakes...all of them do. All of them have ruined horses for one reason or another...whether it be poor judgment on their part or going with what their clients say so they don't lose the client. But, Pletcher wouldn't be at the top if he wasn't great. He wouldn't have gotten the caliber of horses that he did and the clients that he did in the first place if everyone didn't think he was an outstanding trainer. He has proven results.

I am hardly a racing genius. In fact, I don't know anyone that is a racing genius. It is impossible for me to consider anyone a genius in horse racing because most aren't even right 50% of the time. Another attempt to be picking...

I don't dislike you at all, but I really don't understand you sometimes or why you make the remarks that you do....