It was a good race, especially the last 10 seconds or so. I was really pulling for Paynter, since I rated him above Union Rags at the distance AND because he led all the way. My complete order of finish was posted on Thursday. Suffice it to say, scratching IHA, I managed to get my next 5 in 1-4 at the finish line. The one I missed on was Dullahan who ended up 7th.
I am happy enough for Union Rags. He finally got a clean trip and looked like the horse he was thought to be at the beginning of the year.
Note to Bob Baffert: the next time you have a heart attack and then get kicked in the head by one of your horses within a couple months time, forget about any big races. Take your horses and go home for a breather. In case you forgot, Baffert trains Bodemeister who finished second in both the Derby and the Preakness AND he trains Paynter who finished second in the Belmont... there is no Triple Crown of seconds, but Bob gave it a good try! And second pays more than chump change!
MOUNTAIN SUMMIT WHOODLES
A blog mainly about WHOODLES with some DOODLE stuff too!
A few thoughts and ravings about dogs, dog breeding and the people involved with both!
Plus some other things.
Website: http://mtsummitwhoodles.com
BLOG email: msblog@fastmail.fm
Showing posts with label The Belmont. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Belmont. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Oh Well
Yesterday, after the announcement, I pouted the rest of the day. Pouting for me involves sleeping... the older I get, the more often I find myself in the fetal position on my bed in mid-afternoon. It is less stressful than ranting and raving and doesn't upset the dogs nearly as much. I got up just in time to make a run into town before the bank closed. The teller looked at me and said "You don't look happy. What's wrong?" I told her "They scratched my horse for the Belmont tomorrow." Her mouth formed an "O" and in a shocked voice she said "Oh no. That's terrible! Do they know who done it?"
It was a MUCH needed laugh!
I've made my peace with Fate. Sort of. And I changed my mind about pouting this afternoon instead of watching the race. It's on tv. But it just doesn't have the oomph it should have.
Esther
26 days old and a tech prodigy!
She has started missing her mom (and looking for me to occupy her time) whenever she is awake when I let Peri out. She is also starting to pull mom's ears and tail and generally demand attention. Peri is being good with her although I sometimes catch a bored expression on her face when she has to play puppy games.
It was a MUCH needed laugh!
I've made my peace with Fate. Sort of. And I changed my mind about pouting this afternoon instead of watching the race. It's on tv. But it just doesn't have the oomph it should have.
Esther
26 days old and a tech prodigy!
She has started missing her mom (and looking for me to occupy her time) whenever she is awake when I let Peri out. She is also starting to pull mom's ears and tail and generally demand attention. Peri is being good with her although I sometimes catch a bored expression on her face when she has to play puppy games.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Two Days to Go
The Belmont is on Saturday. The final leg of the Triple Crown. Thirty-four years since Affirmed won it in 1978. Four years since the last time a horse went into the Belmont after winning both the Derby and the Preakness (Big Brown... who is the first and only horse to win those first two and leave the gate of the third and not even finish the race.)
I'll Have Another is now considered the leading 3 year old of the season. Of course, if he hadn't won BOTH of the first two TC legs he'd just be thought of as ONE of the promising 3 year olds. He is facing a number of opponents whom he has already beaten... Dullahan, Union Rags, Optomizer... and a few he hasn't run against, for a total of 11 other 3 year old boys. Once again, IHA has gotten an outside post position... 11... which is just fine. And his jockey, the young and inexperienced Mario Gutierrez, is riding 5 horses on Belmont's Friday card. He is hoping to get a feel for the Belmont track which is different than other tracks he's raced on because it is bigger, making it harder to judge where he is relative to the finish line. If he screws it up, he'll won't be the first jock to stop a Triple Crown from happening, but it is hardly something he'll want to remember late nights 20 years from now.
The rules at Belmont Park and the powers that control racing in NYC right now... NOT the racing commission, but the mayor and his crew who took over a few months back... have SEEMED to conspire against IHA, Doug O'Neill (his trainer) AND racing fans who hunger for another Triple Crown winner. (A number of people have whispered/shouted that it is conspiracy against California horses, but I do not share that opinion... sometimes a coincidence, or a series of them, is just a coincidence or a series of them.) Another is not going to race with his customary flair strip. O'Neill says it's no problem; he uses them on ALL the horses he trains and IHA is not a bleeder. Every one of the Belmont colts has been isolated to a specific barn on the Belmont grounds and had to be in residence there by noon yesterday. Usually that is not a requirement... some horses, like Another, arrive early and usually stay in whatever barn they're housed in from the start and some horses arrive on the day the race is run... but supposedly this new rule is for security purposes as well as allowing race officials to keep a close eye on medications, etc that each colt gets (and an even closer eye on Doug O'Neill who is facing a 45 day suspension in CA.) And finally... I hope... one of the unions at Belmont Park has worked the last 2 years without a contract and is threatening to go on strike tomorrow. Regardless, the race is on Saturday and it will all be over but the shouting 2-1/2 minutes later.
My prediction for the order of finish, based as much on wishful thinking as anything else, is:
I'll Have Another
Paynter
Dullahan
Union Rags
Street Life
Atigun
and the rest of the field.
I'll most like watch the race in the bedroom instead of the tv room. The dogs in the bedroom have heard me jumping up and down and yelling at the tv... don't want to frighten Emy's kids in the tv room!
I'll Have Another is now considered the leading 3 year old of the season. Of course, if he hadn't won BOTH of the first two TC legs he'd just be thought of as ONE of the promising 3 year olds. He is facing a number of opponents whom he has already beaten... Dullahan, Union Rags, Optomizer... and a few he hasn't run against, for a total of 11 other 3 year old boys. Once again, IHA has gotten an outside post position... 11... which is just fine. And his jockey, the young and inexperienced Mario Gutierrez, is riding 5 horses on Belmont's Friday card. He is hoping to get a feel for the Belmont track which is different than other tracks he's raced on because it is bigger, making it harder to judge where he is relative to the finish line. If he screws it up, he'll won't be the first jock to stop a Triple Crown from happening, but it is hardly something he'll want to remember late nights 20 years from now.
The rules at Belmont Park and the powers that control racing in NYC right now... NOT the racing commission, but the mayor and his crew who took over a few months back... have SEEMED to conspire against IHA, Doug O'Neill (his trainer) AND racing fans who hunger for another Triple Crown winner. (A number of people have whispered/shouted that it is conspiracy against California horses, but I do not share that opinion... sometimes a coincidence, or a series of them, is just a coincidence or a series of them.) Another is not going to race with his customary flair strip. O'Neill says it's no problem; he uses them on ALL the horses he trains and IHA is not a bleeder. Every one of the Belmont colts has been isolated to a specific barn on the Belmont grounds and had to be in residence there by noon yesterday. Usually that is not a requirement... some horses, like Another, arrive early and usually stay in whatever barn they're housed in from the start and some horses arrive on the day the race is run... but supposedly this new rule is for security purposes as well as allowing race officials to keep a close eye on medications, etc that each colt gets (and an even closer eye on Doug O'Neill who is facing a 45 day suspension in CA.) And finally... I hope... one of the unions at Belmont Park has worked the last 2 years without a contract and is threatening to go on strike tomorrow. Regardless, the race is on Saturday and it will all be over but the shouting 2-1/2 minutes later.
My prediction for the order of finish, based as much on wishful thinking as anything else, is:
I'll Have Another
Paynter
Dullahan
Union Rags
Street Life
Atigun
and the rest of the field.
I'll most like watch the race in the bedroom instead of the tv room. The dogs in the bedroom have heard me jumping up and down and yelling at the tv... don't want to frighten Emy's kids in the tv room!
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