The big winners at Santa Anita Park on Saturday:
The European delegation headed by Raven’s Pass, upset victor of the Breeders’ Cup Classic over Henrythenavigator with Americans Tiago third and erstwhile best-horse-in-the-world Curlin fourth.
The domination of the Classic by European horses was but a fitting end to the storyline that spanned the day, beginning with Muhannak’s win in the Marathon, Goldikova’s explosive turn of foot that carried the French filly to victory over Kip Deville, last year’s winner, in the Mile, Donativum’s Juvenile Turf win over Westphalia in the Juvenile Turf, the first Euro-exacta of the afternoon, and Conduit’s win in the Turf with Eagle Mountain second, the next of what would be three.
Apparently while we were paying attention to American racing and wondering about Curlin and Big Brown running against one another most of the really good horses were racing in Europe and if their connections considered the synthetic surface at Santa Anita a leveling of the playing field in this county, they were, as they say in England, spot on.
The other big winner on Saturday: Undefeated Zenyatta, who was a monstrous winner of Friday.
If the Europeans were dominant on Saturday, the best filly in the world, denied the larger stage by the sex-based realignment of races in the second year of the two-day Breeders’ Cup format, made her case for the Horse of the Year title in the Ladies Classic, the race formerly known as the Distaff. It was loud, strong, convincing and in light of Curlin’s unplaced finish in the Classic, there will be great support for her candidacy. She dispelled the only argument possible – that she is a product of the synthetic California surfaces – at Oaklawn Park, in Arkansas, last spring, where she won convincingly on dirt.
It is difficult to argue with perfection.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
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8 comments:
Hard to disagree. but........ going to Dubai, Kentucky, Belmont, Saratoga, Belmont and then out to California is a bit harder then making one trip to Arkansas and then racing in your home track.
Both deserve it.
Did the rich and stupid get what they wanted?
Having the BC on that fake 140 degree surface proved nothing.
Only that they sent themselves up to be embarrassed by the Euros.
Ahh, good old Kentucky Blueblood stupidity. I am really enjoying it.
Horse of the year is RAVENS PASS...way to go Keeneland genuises.
To me, there is one way Zenyatta can get Horse of the Year, and that is to come back in the Hollywood Gold Cup (Grade 1, $250,000) at 1 1/2 Miles on turf December 6 and win that race impressively. An impressive enough win in that race on the grass over males might be enough in my opinion to overtake Curlin for Horse of the Year.
I did not know she ran on dirt at Oaklawn and won. Yes she should be HOY. The over all were better this year anyway.
Love you Curlin!
Paul,
Great coverage as usual. Did you take the rubber band off the bankroll and invest in a breeders cup race? I respect your wagering discipline refusing to wager with a guess attachment regarding the racing surface.
Jack Z.
down with Keeneland, you are an **^^%$hole. It would be a bogus Breeders Cup if the world did not participate in them, the conditions were the same for all. You might be embarrassed by the Euros I am not, but YOU are an embarrassment to yourself. Go back to the hole you slithered out of.
P.S. I ment "girls over all were better anyway."
Paul,
So many subplots at the BC:
The above comment on the track temperature is so important and has been so ignored. Where is PETA when you need them?
Avioli and his buddies got in bed with the Euros and they got the result that they wanted. The risk is that the BC becomes a Cal thing and only on artificial turf.
The Eastern establishment needs to counter with five or six dirt races at NYRA or Churchill on the same day for those connections that abhor the artificial surfaces.
ESPN's coverage was abysmal. An average of 8-10 camera angle shifts per race. It was impossible to follow your horse.
Rare quarter splits being shown gave the viewer no hope of following pace in the race.
America's love affair with the British, South African and Austrialian accents should end. Trevor had a bad day, which he has had before. Tom Durkin is great, but there are any number of competent race callers out there if Tom is so objectionable to the BC people.
The mutual handle turned out to reflect the dissatisfaction with the BC scenario. See Steve Crist's analysis in the DRF.
ESPN bought the hype approach for the broadcast-self promotion and catering to the casual fan and forgetting the dedicated fan. Those two entities do not have to mutually exclusive.
Thanks for your good work.
Alydarjk
Actually:
I thought the Pro Ride played honest, and the Euros who did win on Synthetics for the most part had past experience over it. That will be very important to remeber for the '09 BC.
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