Is there any air left at Santa Anita?

[Hwjb]

The defeat of Curlin had nothing to do with the surface, more the fact that he isn't quite the horse he was, coupled with being taken on by better horses than he's faced before. Simple, really, and no excuses.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Hwjb

The defeat of Curlin had nothing to do with the surface, more the fact that he isn't quite the horse he was, coupled with being taken on by better horses than he's faced before. Simple, really, and no excuses.

i disagree. that surface helped the top two finishers immensely. and i think curlin yesterday was the same horse he's been. no shame in losing to the top two, and taking nothing away from their wins-but do you really think the outcome would have been the same without pro-ride?

[Hwjb]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i disagree. that surface helped the top two finishers immensely. and i think curlin yesterday was the same horse he's been. no shame in losing to the top two, and taking nothing away from their wins-but do you really think the outcome would have been the same without pro-ride?

Beforehand I struggled to envisage Raven's Pass seeing out 1m2f. Johnny G and he proved me wrong in a big way, showing himself the tip-top performer he's promised to be for a long time. Curlin ran his race, not quite as well as 12 months ago, but the balance of evidence suggests that he's not quite the horse of this time last year, the surface surely immaterial. He was simply coming up against a better calibre of horse than he's faced this season.

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by Hwjb

The defeat of Curlin had nothing to do with the surface, more the fact that he isn't quite the horse he was, coupled with being taken on by better horses than he's faced before. Simple, really, and no excuses.

I agree almost with all you said, but the "better horses he faced" statement is questionable....somewhat.

[Hwjb]

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

I agree almost with all you said, but the "better horses he faced" statement is questionable....somewhat.

When did Curlin last face a horse (let alone three) rated in the 130s? I'm going to suggest not for a long time, perhaps ever.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

I agree almost with all you said, but the "better horses he faced" statement is questionable....somewhat.

that was by far the best field Curlin faced this year.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

that was by far the best field Curlin faced this year.

yeah, it was.

[SilverRP]

Originally Posted by Hwjb

The defeat of Curlin had nothing to do with the surface, more the fact that he isn't quite the horse he was, coupled with being taken on by better horses than he's faced before. Simple, really, and no excuses.

Would Raven's Pass even had been in the race if it was raced on dirt?

[letswastemoney]

Ventura would have never been in that race if it were real dirt.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by SilverRP

Would Raven's Pass even had been in the race if it was raced on dirt?

what does that have to do with anything? Would Goldikova been in the mile if it was not on turf?