Your site just threw me off while I was still writing!!! LOL Anyway, I agree, it's a shame that the Grade 1 races, especially with a purse of $750,000, if that can't draw some runners, what will get them there! I agree with someone else who suggested it seems trainers/owners want soft spots and they run away from competition. You do have a valid point, especially about the Grade 1 races. They should be over-subscribed, if anything, you would think. Anyway, good luck to Mr. Commons in the American, and my filly, Aqsaam in the Sheepshead tomorrow!
Sorry you are having a bad day, Brian! You should be pleased your Mr. Commons has a nice field of 11 in the American coming up tomorrow. One of my favorite new horses is a filly by the name of Aqsaam, and she's running in the Sheepshead Bay S at Belmont tomorrow in a FIELD OF FOURTEEN!!
I guess I'll Have Another is going to have to win the Belmont by at least 15-20 lengths before he gets any real respect! Jeeeeeez! Some people sure are hard to please!
Brian, thanks for your candor about how little you bet, and that your main interest is the sport itself. I have felt somewhat guilty because my love of the sport is overwhelming at times, and I rarely bet. My account balance at TwinSpires is the same now as it was a year ago. I absolutely love the sport, and make no apologies for it, while at the same time there are much needed changes I fight for whenever I can in various forums. My vow this year, though, is to learn to bet, to understand a little more about intelligent handicapping (I'm aware that a dart board is not a proper handicapping tool). I'm considering several options on that front, but, do you have any suggestions as to where a bright and eager student should go to learn about betting on the horses? Love your commentary, always, love your site (and it is getting faster to load!). Cheers and on to Belmont!
Beautifully said....my sentiments exactly! The Shack is Back!!! What a horse! What heart he has! As Dale Romans says, "He's still the big horse in the barn!" Yes he is....indeed he is!
P.P.S.: I'll Have Another has over 3200 Facebook fans, twice as many as Bodemeister, and more than Hansen, more than Animal Kingdom! I would say that IHA's story is resonating with a lot of people!
As footnote, I don't think the race set up perfectly for IHA. I think it was a talented little jockey who got the job done, who MADE a perfect trip, as opposed to getting a perfect trip. Jeeeez. no horse in the history of that race has ever won from the 19 hole! Everyone complains about some of the other horses bad trips....this was textbook taking a terrible gate position and turning it into a positive. Other horses in history have had terrible trips and have won anyway. I get a little tired of the complaining about "bad trips". Good horses and good riders can overcome bad trips (i.e., Alysheba in the 1987 Derby, Afleet Alex in the 2005 Preakness, etc., etc.)
Sorry, I guess I run around in a different circle in the Social Media, but I have heard nothing but high praise for I'll Have Another. Andy Beyer notwithstanding, and luckily his voice is not as important as it used to be, maybe for some of the reasons you cite. The lack of appreciation for this colt really started as a yearling, when he sold for only $11,000 because, as one quote put it, he had a slight conformational flaw, and he has passed over. Then he sold for $35,000 as a 2 yr old in training, luckily to connections who appreciated him and for some all around nice people. It's really the feel-good story, for me anyway, of the Derby season. Bodemeister sucked up a lot of the oxygen -- deservedly so -- with his scintillating Ark Derby performance, and the ever-popular and successful Bob Baffert -- a story unto himself. But, in interview after interview, the connections for I'll Have Another have drawn more and more fans to them for their total lack of pretension, for their humility, and their little jockey we all just want to hug! Even Lava Man added to the fairy-tale aspect to the story of IHA and his connections. As time goes on, as we progress through the rest of the TC races, we shall see if the glow continues for this horse. But, I, for one, think appreciation for this horse will become more widespread. As a footnote: I could not believe Andy Beyer said “This group of 3-year-olds appears even worse than the weak crops of 2011, 2010, and 2009, with the notable exception of Bodemeister, whose effort on Saturday was so good that the defeat didn’t even sting Baffert.” ~Andy Beyer. What was this guy drinking? Everyone at all levels of the sport has done nothing all season but praise this group of 3 yr olds as being one of the deepest in years! Can’t believe no one at the DRF or even the Post (I guess his editor would be at the Post) didn’t point this out to him so he wouldn’t look so ridiculous!
At the rate that Bob Baffert is going, they better tie down the furniture at Oaklawn!
Another amazing thing about MMM's TC run is he basically ran as a two year old against older horses; also, for a horse of his size, it is a testament to his trainer, Kathy Ritvo, that she kept him sound throughout that ordeal. He hit 17.2 h last year, and Kostas (Dream Team) says he has grown to a strapping 17.3h!! Horses this big seem to require a lot of care and attention. I just love this guy! He was my "cinder(f)ella" last year with his story and that of his trainer. Great special interest stuff that's good for the sport. Go Moochie!