Early Venue Thoughts August 15th

[Real Quiet]

Both Saratoga and Woodbine are offering a million dollars in purses. Thoughts on the prospective venue are encouraged. Any other venue choices are welcome. Kind of early for weather and field sizes but let's get started here.

[JolyB]

Congrats on your back to back wins RQ. Either of those two venues sound great - it's nice to have such good alternatives from which to choose.

Any card that includes the Alabama has to be a good one - it is a top of the line race at the Spa year in and year out ever since 1872. This year's edition is no exception since it may serve as a prep for the Kentucky Oaks [although it is sort of unusual to run 1 1/4 miles to prep for a 1 1/8 mile race]. I understand that Swiss Skydiver is planning that route. The co-featured Saratoga Derby should also be interesting; I think that Decorated Invader will be back after his Hall of Fame Stakes victory on opening week.

The Woodbine group of stakes races could provide an equally viable alternative, although two of them are restricted to Canadian breds and with border closures I'm not sure whether any horses not based in Canada will be able to participate.

[DonGuido]

Maybe a break from The Spa would do us all good??? Nice repeat RQ!!!

[Real Quiet]

Thanks Joly and Don. If I win two points contests in a year it's about average. Two in a row at Saratoga is surprising considering I can't crack an egg in the ROI. Great point about Canada and it's borders. They are a lot tougher than the US and a case in point is the NHL and the Toronto Blue Jays. Hopefully full fields will help us decide but today a full field is 7 horses.

[cal828]

Quantity or quality? Saratoga likely to have the latter and Woodbine, the former. Although, I imagine the Saratoga Derby will be a nice big field as turf races often are. You might consider supplementing with the Pegasus at Monmouth, but I have no clue how many will show up for that or what bearing it might have on the Kentucky Derby, if any. Tiz The Law looking like a veritable Godzilla. I am thinking the only way he will lose is if he beats himself by a stumble at the gate or some other bad racing luck. Hopefully, not like we saw in last year's rendition.

[JolyB]

Originally Posted by cal828

Tiz The Law looking like a veritable Godzilla. I am thinking the only way he will lose is if he beats himself by a stumble at the gate or some other bad racing luck. Hopefully, not like we saw in last year's rendition.

I noted that Tiz the Law earned a 109 Beyer for his performance, and Gamin got a 108 for her dominating 7f blowout. I had thought that Art Collector ran a visually impressive performance at Ellis on Sunday, but perhaps he didn't beat much and only earned a 100 Beyer. If Gamin can stretch her speed to 1 1/8 miles, the Oaks/Derby double might have a very tiny payout.

By the way, a factor weighting in Saratoga's favor is the continued good TV coverage offered by Fox Sports 1 and/or 2 for those whose cable package includes it. So much more enjoyable than TVG.

[cal828]

^^^
Hard to say how much more is there with Art Collector. He wasn't really challenged in his last two so maybe there is a lot more there, but looks to me like he and anybody else will need it against Tiz.

If I had to choose today, these are the ones I like:

1 Tiz The Law
2 Art Collector
3. Honor AP
4 .Caracaro
5. Dr.Post
6. Max Player
7. King Guillermo(but I wish he had run in another prep)

Not crazy about either of the Bafferts, but he is the GOAT so hard to ignore.

[RUFFIAN]

“Gamin got a 108 for her blowout performance “
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GAMINE
Is she likely to go to the Derby...
Has there been any mention of that?

LOVE “INTO MISCHIEF “

[cal828]

I don't think so. At least not that I have seen or read anywhere. Just a bit of speculation that she might be the only one that could give Tiz some competition. Also, she would need points.

[JolyB]

Originally Posted by RUFFIAN-333

“Gamin got a 108 for her blowout performance “
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GAMINE
Is she likely to go to the Derby...
Has there been any mention of that?

I'd say that there is zero chance of Gamine in the Derby. Among other things she doesn't have any Derby qualifying points, and they are relevant unless there are fewer than 20 runners who want to enter [a possibility this year]. Baffert has other likely Derby entrants and has never hinted at her running against the boys, especially at a distance she has never tried. I'm pretty sure that she is Oaks bound [a distance she also has not yet tried].

[RUFFIAN]

“that she might be the only one that could give Tiz some competition.”
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YEP AND I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT

[Plenilune]

This writer would like to see Gamine go up against Tiz the Law in the Preakness. Hmmm...

https://sports.yahoo.com/opinion-tiz...122601493.html

Give the link a moment to open.