How to ruin a grade 1 horse, by Samantha Siegel

[bdw0617]

I don't think i have ever felt this bad about a horse in my entire horse racing following career. I love this horse. some horses, manufacture graded stakes wins, and some horses just have pure talent. this horse is the latter. rail trip, is a very very good horse. he's a legit grade 1 caliber horse. or at least was. he broke the track record in the gold cup.

this time last year, he had never finished off the board in his entire career. he had won almost a million dollars and was carefully campaigned by ron ellis, who obviously knew the horse very well.

Samantha Siegel, let a bad ride by Rafael Bejerano in the HGC, and horse racing politics, get in the way of common sense, and within days sent the horse to rick dutrow.

since, the horse has not been a shell of himself. I am sitting here watching the Whitney and watching ramon "nurse" his speed going 24 -48-1:13 splits. This is a horse,l that hadn't been worst than first at every pole, a la seattle slew, in every race hr an in up until the grade 2 san diego he lost. a year ago;, 2 years ago rail trip would have ran this field in the ground, he is FAST and he can run long.

so instead of bidding your time after z left the scene and now, enjoying the fruits of our labor and patient and being the unquestioned best handicap horse, you are toiling to the back of the pack against crappy grade 1 fields you would have toasted a year ago.

just admit you screwed the pooch and send the horse back to ellis.

Somewhere he has to be laughing his butt off.

[Sysonby]

Ellis still trains for them so I doubt he is laughing much.

Also the decision wasn't Samantha's, it was her father's. She was as shocked as anyone.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/ ... id=5384035

[bdw0617]

whoever the decision was it was not a good one. that horse is a shell of his former self.

[Sysonby]

Consider the source. I'm still waiting for Mace Siegel's plan to save California racing.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/06 ... 0100706-10

[Crystal]

I find it comical one can toil in the back of the pack in "crappy" G-1 Company.. I think I may like a horse who once toiled in G1 company and is ready to be dropped down and pick up a check, rather than one who the owners have the idea that horse is "brillant, and NEEDS to be in G1 company" but never showed any talent..

[ratherrapid]

good post. i had same thoughts as race was going on as at one time RT would have taken that field. who knows the reason though for the fade. we should ask Dutrow

[bdw0617]

good post. i had same thoughts as race was going on as at one time RT would have taken that field. who knows the reason though for the fade. we should ask Dutrow

i mean don't get me wrong, lol like the old mad TV skit, i have lowered expecations now. I am not expecting some 1973 belmontesque performance out of rail trip or anything but this is a horse that broke a track record.. IN A GRADE ONE RACDE, at 10F, but now he is running up the track in a race in which they almost break 50 seconds for the half mile, going 9F.. i mean they hit the turn, and he just hit a brick wall. very disappointing. he's better or was better than that.

at one time rail trip would have absolutely pulverized that field. not that long ago.

[Tappiano]

Actually it was not Samantha who changed trainers and in fact knew nothing about it until after the horse had been put on a plane. I do not know what her father was thinking but she was not happy in the least. I think that the original thought was send him east to try him on the dirt, but maybe the reality with a horse like this is that he peaked two years ago?

[bdw0617]

that is defiantly a possibility but i do not believe in coincidences, and the second he left ellis his form tailed off.


he was never the soundest horse on earth , but he has a world of ability

[ElPrado]

The word is definitely, not defiantly.

[endspurt stables]

I don't think i have ever felt this bad about a horse in my entire horse racing following career. I love this horse. some horses, manufacture graded stakes wins, and some horses just have pure talent. this horse is the latter. rail trip, is a very very good horse. he's a legit grade 1 caliber horse. or at least was. he broke the track record in the gold cup.

this time last year, he had never finished off the board in his entire career. he had won almost a million dollars and was carefully campaigned by ron ellis, who obviously knew the horse very well.

Samantha Siegel, let a bad ride by Rafael Bejerano in the HGC, and horse racing politics, get in the way of common sense, and within days sent the horse to rick dutrow.

since, the horse has not been a shell of himself. I am sitting here watching the Whitney and watching ramon "nurse" his speed going 24 -48-1:13 splits. This is a horse,l that hadn't been worst than first at every pole, a la seattle slew, in every race hr an in up until the grade 2 san diego he lost. a year ago;, 2 years ago rail trip would have ran this field in the ground, he is FAST and he can run long.

so instead of bidding your time after z left the scene and now, enjoying the fruits of our labor and patient and being the unquestioned best handicap horse, you are toiling to the back of the pack against crappy grade 1 fields you would have toasted a year ago.

just admit you screwed the pooch and send the horse back to ellis.

Somewhere he has to be laughing his butt off.

Welcome back Rail Trip. I will have an Ellis exacta


Los Angeles H.
6 Furlongs | Open | 3 Year Olds And Up | G3 STAKES | Purse: $100,000

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER CLAIM $ EQUIP. MED.
1 Rail Trip J. Valdivia, Jr.
120 Lbs R. Ellis - L
2 Dancing in Silks M. Gutierrez
114 Lbs A. Saavedra - L
3 Sway Away M. Garcia
117 Lbs J. Bonde - L
4 Centralinteligence J. Rosario
114 Lbs R. Ellis - L
5 Don Tito K. Krigger
115 Lbs J. Sadler - L
6 Camp Victory J. Talamo
118 Lbs M. Mitchell - L
7 Roman Threat R. Bejarano
118 Lbs B. Baffert - L
8 M One Rifle M. Smith
115 Lbs B. Headley - L

[endspurt stables]

Dang that Roman Threat is a fast horse!

[zinn21]

endspurt wrote:

Dang that Roman Threat is a fast horse!

Ditto.. That guy just rolled.