Sharp Cat, & Wagon Limit over Skip Away and Gentleman

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Here's Sharp Cat in the '98 Beldame..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlMKutqdw5k


That was the final start of her career and the final start of a perfect 4yo season - certainly one of the best individual performances ever by a female race horse. The Beyer fig was a 119. I think very few of even the great male horses in history would have had a shot with her that day. I say that because of the 45 and 1:08 pace and the condition of that track.


And on that same card was when Skip Away met his waterloo in the '98 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Skip Away came into the race off of 9 straight Graded Stakes win .. had run an avg Beyer of 117.27 over his last 15 starts .. remarkable considering Cigar only exceeded a 117 twice in his career - and one of those two times was with just a 118.

Coming in - Gentleman had never once lost a race if he had the lead after the opening quarter (4-for-4 with 3 Graded Stake wins) but he typically stalked paces. He was a scary good horse when right - once winning the Grade 1 Pimlico Special over Skip Away with a 126 Beyer. Taking the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup by 4 with a 121 Beyer next out - and taking the Grade 1 Pacific Classic by 3 with a 121 Beyer in the following start. A three race stretch with an avg Beyer of 122.66 and a trio of Grade 1 wins.

They go head-to-head the whole way through a 1:09 3/5 half and setup Wagon Limit. This will look like a monumentally stupid ride by Bailey on Skip Away .. but if you give Gentlemen a tactical edge on a track like that you probably can't beat him no matter how great the horse under you is. And if you severely compromise your own horse to improve your chances of beating Gentlemen .. you're still supposed to beat the rest of those because Skip Away is Skip Away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drDSIeXDrAw