DRF Stakes Trip Notes

[NTamm1215]

These are absolute gold. I haven't read them regularly but this week's are incredible.

Garden City:

In an effort to go as overboard as possible about Winter Memories' effort very little was made of Hungry Island getting a completely different trip than she had in her last four starts (all victories). She was without cover the entire way and asked to make a 5 wide move on the turn. She also broke a length or so slowly, which I'll forgive them for excluding. The writers of these "trip notes" offered the following: HUNGRY ISLAND sat comfortably well off the early pace, went five wide on the far turn, but lacked the same late punch she had when she won last month’s Lake Placid, capitalizing on Winter Memories’s bad trip.

How about Pinch Pie? Sure, she was over her head given the class of the turf races she had previously run in but she was given no opportunity whatsoever to run in the stretch. This is what they wrote: "PINCH PIE showed at least a little initiative moving up to be forwardly placed after the first quarter, but could not kick on." If that's what you deduced from the race Pinch Pie ran then you are not a trip handicapper and writing something called Trip Notes is a task that's over your head.

WOODBINE MILE

Clearly they were getting tired as only four horses are included in these notes. Nothing is made of the finishing positions of the horses who Courageous Cat contested the pace with early. OK, that's understandable if you don't view pace that way. But, how about this gem for Right One? RIGHT ONE was settled patiently in midpack, had to steady a bit while awaiting room in the stretch, knifed through an opening to gain a brief advantage in deep stretch but was outgamed by the top two late. You mean, the horse who saved ground the entire way, had a clear path with a furlong to go, passed the leader and hung? Right One was awful yesterday. Dance and Dance is not discussed in the trip notes. Breaking two lengths slowly and being completely stymied in the stretch doesn't constitute a troubled trip, right?

If you were unsure who may be responsible for these Trip Notes, it was him:

[Dahoss]

That's amazing.

On a similar note, did you happen to notice the "closer look" for the Woodbine races yesterday? They were written as though the person doing them just started following horse racing yesterday. Probably my favorite comment had to do with Shared Account. It read:

"Once in a while a runner with pps which look suspect in relation to others in the field, brings a joker to the game; take this mare; longshot material we suspect but a second look finds her winning a grade one in a large field at Churchill last November (yeah it's called the Breeders Cup idiot); another glance finds her missing by a head in a grade one at Saratoga, the Diana, last summer; works do not reveal much but trainers stats sure do (23%) as does the bank account of $1.5 million; she is the sleeper of the bunch."

Who is this supposed to help exactly?

I agree about Pinch Pie. That horse had no room/oppurtunity to extend to a full run at all during the stretch

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

That's amazing.

On a similar note, did you happen to notice the "closer look" for the Woodbine races yesterday? They were written as though the person doing them just started following horse racing yesterday. Probably my favorite comment had to do with Shared Account. It read:

"Once in a while a runner with pps which look suspect in relation to others in the field, brings a joker to the game; take this mare; longshot material we suspect but a second look finds her winning a grade one in a large field at Churchill last November (yeah it's called the Breeders Cup idiot); another glance finds her missing by a head in a grade one at Saratoga, the Diana, last summer; works do not reveal much but trainers stats sure do (23%) as does the bank account of $1.5 million; she is the sleeper of the bunch."

Who is this supposed to help exactly?

Who wrote that?

It had to be in jest....right?

[hockey2315]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Who wrote that?

It had to be in jest....right?

Bud Williams. . . It feels like it has to be in jest, but I don't know--maybe not.

If it were written by Art Gropper, I'd guess he was 100% serious. How that guy (who I know nothing about) is paid to write about horse racing/handicapping is beyond me.

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Who wrote that?

It had to be in jest....right?

I thought it was at first also, but after looking at his comments for the rest of the race and the Northern Dancer I'm pretty sure it's serious.