Stephen Foster H. - Grade: 1 POST

[ArlJim78]

Watched the replays of Buzzards last two races last night. I've got to tell you that he looks super sharp right now and is running with something in reserve. He has blossomed into another level it would appear. I like Brass Hat but with the Dubai return to deal with and BB's current awesome form I think might be singling BB on Sat. I don't like Love or Money in this race at 9F, but with his kind of speed he could always be a threat to hit the board.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

when PP returned his first race back he was rank and ran on the lead, a style he was not familiar with, he always closed within the last 100 yards. he was taken to the front by bailey for some reason. CN gave him a lot of weight as i recall.
further at 10f CN didn't even get close to him in the PC

PP got a terrible ride that day. He wasn't rank. It was jockey error. It was Mike Smith who rode him that day. As Secretatriat said, PP liked to come from well off the pace, but that day he was battling it out on the lead with two other horses. There were three of them going head and head. Smith ackonwledged that he gave a bad ride and blew it.

[Gander]

Mike Smith has blown a lot of rides in his day. How they let him anywhere near this wonderful horse's back is beyond me. He blew Choctaw Nation away in the Pacific Classic.

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

PP got a terrible ride that day. He wasn't rank. It was jockey error. It was Mike Smith who rode him that day. As Secretatriat said, PP liked to come from well off the pace, but that day he was battling it out on the lead with two other horses. There were three of them going head and head. Smith ackonwledged that he gave a bad ride and blew it.

ya whatever

[dr. fager]

for what it's worth, here's what Mandella had to say. I do remember Smith admitting error but I can't find it. Boy, I opened up a can of worms by just stating I don't like horses the 1st back from Dubai.

"I feel as good about him as you could feel about a horse," Mandella said. "A horse of his stature, you always hate to get one beat. But things didn't work out quite like I expected. I take a little bit of the blame. I put some speed in him that I didn't think he took quite so serious, but he did. It got him a little rank and turned his game around the wrong way. But I don't see any problem with him coming into the Classic in great shape."