Eddington/Bailey

[MaTH716]

I'm guessing that might have been discussed at some point around here, but what the hell, I'll throw it out there.

With the talk of race riding going on for the upcoming Belmont, I went back and watched a replay of 2004. I remember all the talk and outrage regarding Bailey on Eddington, but was he really that big a culprit that day? I think Solis on Rock Hard Ten really hurt Smarty more by being near the lead (not figuring & keeping Smarty wide) and then making a very premature move with 6 furlongs to go, pressing Smarty and keeping him off the rail (which might have been a good thing, I'm sure Andy could probably remember if the rail was good or bad that day).

Eddington looked like he was taken back right after the start and then started to move up after Smarty did clear. But Eddington really never got within a head of Smarty. Elliot looked like he was already intent on getting to the front after being 3 wide for a .48.3 half when Bailey made his so called push. I don't know why Elliott decided to go there, but I really don't think Eddington had much to do with it. Also, Eddington began to toil very soon after Bailey's push. Bailey obviously didn't do any favors for his own mount, but how much did he really hurt Smarty?

I knew Elliott was probably the biggest factor why Smarty didn't win and he has been taken to task for it. But after watching the race again, I certainly think that Solis and Rock Hard Ten definitely did more to hurt Smarty than Bailey on Eddington did.

Any thoughts?

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

[GPK]

FFS...do some work already.

[slotdirt]

I don't know, but I can't believe Ten Most Wanted finished up the track by in excess of eight lengths to Funny Cide in the Derby and managed to come back to beat Funny Cide in the Belmont. Clearly, he had no chance. Ahem.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

I don't know, but I can't believe Ten Most Wanted finished up the track by in excess of eight lengths to Funny Cide in the Derby and managed to come back to beat Funny Cide in the Belmont. Clearly, he had no chance. Ahem.

LOL

[slotdirt]

Ten Most Wanted was a nice horse. As was Rock Hard Ten. I can see the confusion!

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Ten Most Wanted was a nice horse. As was Rock Hard Ten. I can see the confusion!

Weren't they both the so-called wise guy horses?

[miraja2]

I certainly agree with you that the whole "Bailey cost Smarty the Triple Crown" argument is a bunch of hot air.
As for who deserves the blame, I'd say Birdstone deserves the most blame....and I'm not just trying to be a smart ass when I say that.

Birdstone was a good colt.

The idea that someone had to screw up (Servis or Elliot) or do something nefarious (Bailey or Solis) in order for Birdstone to beat Smarty that day presupposes that Smarty was actually a much better horse than Birdstone at 10f+ on a dry racetrack. I'm not sure that's the case.
Birdstone certainly couldn't handle a wet surface like Smarty could. But on a dry racetrack, was Smarty really that much better than Birdstone? I'm not so sure. And at the 12f distance, I think its entirely possible that Birdstone was simply the better animal.

[KirisClown]

To say Solis or Bailey conspired to make sure Smarty Jones didn't win is ridiculous.. You'd have to assume that they knew for certain someone behind them could beat Smarty Jones, an undefeated horse that had just won the Preakness by a double digit margin..

Bailey or Solis just make good scapegoats..

[Perrault Robbed]

From what I can tell, the horse didn't want to go 12 furlongs. The horse running this Saturday, however, strikes me as the steady eddie type who want to run all day long. He reminds me quite a bit of Bet Twice.

Rosario made a mid-race move on IHA in the Santa Anita derby and IHA didn't blink. I was fooled by that race going into Kentucky. I thought he was too cheap to beat 18-19 horses on the dirt at Churchill, and I thought no way on earth O'Neill is winning the Derby; that clown can't ship a horse to win on dirt anywhere west of the Rockies. Yet here he is! Go bleeping figure!

If there was no Alysheba, Bet Twice would have won the Triple Crown. This horse was fortunate enough to not draw a Alysheba type in the series. From the looks of things, he's home: he will track Paynter just like he tracked Bode, and he will thrive on the distance as BT did. From the look of things, the only way he gets beat is if the Matz horse is a Belmont Park freak and goes Easy Goer on him.

From the looks of things, however, is almost never how they really are. Pastor blasts homosexuals through the press and slinks off into the night to buy a boy with congregational money. Behind closed doors, the Pacifist of the year wishes nothing but ill will on black people and beats the **** out of his wife. Point guard smokes crack all day, suits up in the evening and quarterbacks a National Championship victory over a seemingly invincible opponent.

I watch Belmont from out here on the west coast and think to myself that is a completely different game they got going over there. I watch my co-patrons at the local racebook get buried trying to find winners at that track. Here in lies the rub. This bleeping court jester of a trainer is at the wrong track on the wrong coast and the one time he sent this horse to New York, he didn't run a step.

His saving grace? Like the last i don't know how many Belmonts [outside Curlin vs. RtoR] he catches a bad field.

[alysheba4]

Originally Posted by miraja2

I certainly agree with you that the whole "Bailey cost Smarty the Triple Crown" argument is a bunch of hot air.
As for who deserves the blame, I'd say Birdstone deserves the most blame....and I'm not just trying to be a smart ass when I say that.

Birdstone was a good colt.

The idea that someone had to screw up (Servis or Elliot) or do something nefarious (Bailey or Solis) in order for Birdstone to beat Smarty that day presupposes that Smarty was actually a much better horse than Birdstone at 10f+ on a dry racetrack. I'm not sure that's the case.
Birdstone certainly couldn't handle a wet surface like Smarty could. But on a dry racetrack, was Smarty really that much better than Birdstone? I'm not so sure. And at the 12f distance, I think its entirely possible that Birdstone was simply the better animal.

....i agree, its the 3 races in 5 weeks......its to tough and that is what will happen the 9th. i think the preakness was EXTRA TOUGH, IHA gave everything he had to get in the winners circle. i am tossing him.

[pmayjr]

What adds fuel to the Bailey accusations, had to do with Wimbledon's injury. That was going to be his Derby mount. After the injury knocked Wimbledon out of the Derby, wasn't it reported that Bailey approached Servis about letting him ride Smarty?

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by alysheba4

....i agree, its the 3 races in 5 weeks......its to tough and that is what will happen the 9th. i think the preakness was EXTRA TOUGH, IHA gave everything he had to get in the winners circle. i am tossing him.

What did you do after Smarty won by daylight? Afleet Alex had about as tough a Preakness as you're gonna find and he comes back to take the Belmont. Seems like the ones that win by too much at Pimlico and don't get a gut check in the process have had trouble 3 weeks later.

Originally Posted by pmayjr

What adds fuel to the Bailey accusations, had to do with Wimbledon's injury. That was going to be his Derby mount. After the injury knocked Wimbledon out of the Derby, wasn't it reported that Bailey approached Servis about letting him ride Smarty?

That was my understanding. I'm sure, though, that there are many top prospects that Bailey's agent tried unsuccessfully to get him on. For every Smarty Jones, there are plenty that didn't do squat on the track after all, and we didn't hear about it. They might've thought it was worth it to try to usurp Stewart Elliot's spot because every so often connections decide not to dance with the one they've had up to that point.

[dalakhani]

Hennig was not happy with Bailey's ride and Bailey never rode Eddington again. Bailey actually broke out the stick on the backstretch although he claimed at the time that he just tapped him on the shoulder to wake him up.

Race riding is a part of the sport and it always has been. Obviously, letting Smarty run his race wasn't working out so well. The idea of pressing smarty early with a horse like RHT or Eddington would make sense to me being that they both seemed bigger and better bred to go longer.

If Smarty was good enough, he would have won.

[pointman]

The problem I had with Bailey's ride was that he was riding to beat Smarty, not to win. If I owned Eddington I would have kicked Bailey in the nuts when he got off the horse.

[Revidere]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Hennig was not happy with Bailey's ride and Bailey never rode Eddington again. Bailey actually broke out the stick on the backstretch although he claimed at the time that he just tapped him on the shoulder to wake him up.

Race riding is a part of the sport and it always has been. Obviously, letting Smarty run his race wasn't working out so well. The idea of pressing smarty early with a horse like RHT or Eddington would make sense to me being that they both seemed bigger and better bred to go longer.

If Smarty was good enough, he would have won.

If I'm not mistaken, Bailey never rode for Hennig again either.