Fountain of Youth
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster
Fountain of Youth
High Fly and Bandini both looked like colts making progress at the right time in this one. The Florida Derby should be pretty interesting.
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher...You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." C. S. Lewis
hi Mahubah
A pretty fair assessment I would say...although Bandini seemed to finish a bit more impressively in the last 100 yards than High Fly...regardless...neither the fractions nor the final time (of 1:49.70) were much to write home about...but it was a 1 1/8 mile Fountain of Youth...and hopefully they'll improve.
In High Fly's favor though was the fact that he did win by 3/4L carrying 120 lbs while Bandini carried only 116...arguably a significant swing.
Regardless...they'll both have a very fresh Closing Argument to deal with in the Florida Derby. With that in mind...I agree with you...the Florida Derby should be "interesting."
However...on the west coast it seemed clear that Declan's Moon is on his game and arguably at the head of the whole 3-year-old class (at least right now). His win in the 1 1/16 mile Santa Catalina G2...was another sparkling victory to add to his undefeated resume.
I thought his performance (particularly after a bit of downtime)...was extremely impressive...and when you consider that Declan's Moon carried 122 (compared to his east coast rivals High Fly 120 and Bandini 116) it seems difficult right now to sense a chink in his armor.
Declan's Moon continues to look and act like a very special race horse...and seemed to easily shift into another gear around the eight pole when cruising by Spanish Chestnut and Going Wild...then pulling away from his rivals down the stretch to a decisive 2 length win. And he seemed to have plenty "left-in-the-tank."
I'm lookin forward to seeing how BC Juvenile winner Wilko fares in his quest for the classics...and I suggest that he's a very good one...and not to be taken lightly.
We should have plenty of excitement and hopefully some great racing in store for us all.
Best to you.
Respectfully
A pretty fair assessment I would say...although Bandini seemed to finish a bit more impressively in the last 100 yards than High Fly...regardless...neither the fractions nor the final time (of 1:49.70) were much to write home about...but it was a 1 1/8 mile Fountain of Youth...and hopefully they'll improve.
In High Fly's favor though was the fact that he did win by 3/4L carrying 120 lbs while Bandini carried only 116...arguably a significant swing.
Regardless...they'll both have a very fresh Closing Argument to deal with in the Florida Derby. With that in mind...I agree with you...the Florida Derby should be "interesting."
However...on the west coast it seemed clear that Declan's Moon is on his game and arguably at the head of the whole 3-year-old class (at least right now). His win in the 1 1/16 mile Santa Catalina G2...was another sparkling victory to add to his undefeated resume.
I thought his performance (particularly after a bit of downtime)...was extremely impressive...and when you consider that Declan's Moon carried 122 (compared to his east coast rivals High Fly 120 and Bandini 116) it seems difficult right now to sense a chink in his armor.
Declan's Moon continues to look and act like a very special race horse...and seemed to easily shift into another gear around the eight pole when cruising by Spanish Chestnut and Going Wild...then pulling away from his rivals down the stretch to a decisive 2 length win. And he seemed to have plenty "left-in-the-tank."
I'm lookin forward to seeing how BC Juvenile winner Wilko fares in his quest for the classics...and I suggest that he's a very good one...and not to be taken lightly.
We should have plenty of excitement and hopefully some great racing in store for us all.
Best to you.
Respectfully
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Stellaspeed
- 2yo Maiden
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:46 pm
- Location: Virginia
Bandini
We have our fingers crossed for Bandini. His dam Divine Dixie is a half sister to our horse Mr Katowice.
Fully agree that neither of these colts looked as impressive as Declan's Moon -- sounds like Going Wild also turned in quite a nice effort although no threat to the winner. But the big thing at this time of year is making progress over the next couple of months. Too early to pick a Derby winner yet.
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher...You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." C. S. Lewis
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Stellaspeed
- 2yo Maiden
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:46 pm
- Location: Virginia
Mr Katowice
FOS, thanks for the kind words about Kato. He's been the second string QB behind Binalong, but the few babies he has on the ground are gorgeous. I think he'll be the starter pretty soon !
Randy said he should get about 20 mares this year. He's a big good looking rascal, and I think he should do well in Michigan.
Randy said he should get about 20 mares this year. He's a big good looking rascal, and I think he should do well in Michigan.
hi Stellaspeed
Considering his stakes-caliber speed...and huge female family (including a fantastic update)..."Mr K." might be a standout in Michigan. And being a half-bro to the very-well-supported Stormy Atlantic cannot hurt either.
When the word gets out that (as you wrote) "...the few babies he has on the ground are gorgeous..." he could take off.
Best to you.
Respectfully
Considering his stakes-caliber speed...and huge female family (including a fantastic update)..."Mr K." might be a standout in Michigan. And being a half-bro to the very-well-supported Stormy Atlantic cannot hurt either.
When the word gets out that (as you wrote) "...the few babies he has on the ground are gorgeous..." he could take off.
Best to you.
Respectfully
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wilf
- Breeder's Cup Contender
- Posts: 1882
- Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2004 10:50 am
- Location: Ocala, Florida.
Its funny that last year we were all looking for pretenders to the throne that might develop into the real thing at derby time whilst under our noses was a certain Mr JONES who was happily going about his business of winning races with aplomb. I was as guilty as the next guy especially as I watched Smarty battle through every race with a not-so-smooth action. Fast forward to Declan and here I go again, somebody give me a kick in the ass, pull me aside and tell me that real racehorses just do their job quietly and professionally and at the end of the day are still unbeaten.....Will I ever learn?
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kimberley mine
- Breeder's Cup Contender
- Posts: 1811
- Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 8:43 pm
wilf wrote:Its funny that last year we were all looking for pretenders to the throne that might develop into the real thing at derby time whilst under our noses was a certain Mr JONES who was happily going about his business of winning races with aplomb.
Yes, but Smarty's trainer was deliberately keeping him under the radar. And aside from Smarty, the 3yo class of 2004 was a rather sad bunch plagued by injury and inconsistency.
In this class so far we can a large improvement in consistency if nothing else. Declan's Moon is the obvious example, but Spanish Chestnut, High Fly, Bandini, Going Wild, and all the rest of the bunch are all performing at least at the same level (if not stripping fitter) with each race.