Stephen Foster Recap

by TCI 332 days ago

Jon and Joel “Go Purple” with the set to transition into Breeders’ Cup mode. They discuss the impact of the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on the older male division, and preview this weekend’s Grade 1 Mother Goose for 3-year-old fillies.

Watch it. Comment.

TCI Top 5 Classic Older Males

Rank Name Comments
1 Game On Dude Californian romp shows he’s as good as ever; Undefeated at SA – the site of this year’s Classic
2 Wise Dan Distance is a concern, but he’s without question one of the most talented horses in the country
3 Mucho Macho Man Think he’s sitting on a big summer in NY and willing to throw out his Alysheba effort
4 Ron the Greek Who would’ve thought he’d get good enough at 5 to win the Big Cap and Stephen Foster?
5 To Honor and Serve Has stamina beyond a mile; Eager to see him stretch back out in the 9-furlong Suburban

through 6/22/2012


- More posts: 2012 Breeders' Cup, Featured Horse Racing News

Discussion

  • Joe Polander

    Joel – Glad to see the BC prep races beginning. As fun as the KY Derby is, it is just 1 race. The BC is 9 races. A bettor’s delight. Good horses can be had at hefty odds. What do you think of Succesful Dan? I see you feel Wise Dan has distance concerns at 1 1/4. Do you see Succesful Dan being a better prospect  stretching out to 1 1/4 vs. Wise Dan? Of the 3 year olds, I believe that the improving Paynter could be a major threat come Nov 3. Bodemeister is a comfirmed threat. Would love to see Royal Delta go vs. the boys. She could get some revenge for Zenyatta vs. the colts. the BC season is heating up,like the summer weather, I really enjoy watching race replays of major races and analysis of the horses such as what you and Jon do. Keep up the good work!

    • Joel Cunningham

      I agree Joe! The Derby is special, but it is just one race as you say. The Breeders’ Cup is different, but it is certainly a horse-racing lover’s euphoria with so many championship races.

      What I love about profiling horses at this stage of the year is you’re trying to compare developing 3yos with older horses in all divisions to forecast what will happen when they face each other at the end of the year. Personally, I also love trying to sort out which dirt horses will be Sprint, Dirt Mile and Classic contenders…some true one-turn horses will not like the two-turn Dirt Mile this year, but 6 furlongs will be too short for some…the Classic will be too long for some, but will horses like Shackleford still point for it or the Dirt Mile instead? What will Zayat do with Bodemeister if Paynter keeps getting better?…will Paynter be the 1 1/4-mile horse for the Classic, and Bode maybe a Dirt Mile contender? I could go on and on…but THIS is exactly why it’s never too early to look at the Breeders’ Cup..it is what 99% of people with a good horse are pointing for as a goal to end the year.

      Honestly, I really like the quality of both of the “Dans”. I am primarily a Ragozin player and both have fantastic number patterns. But I do think both may top out at 1 1/8 miles in terms of a max distance that they can fire their best race. Since there are not many 1 1/4-mile races for them to try before the BC, we may not know before the Classic is run…but my guess is the extra 1/8th of a mile would be very testing for both against that level of competition.

      Thanks for the kind words as always Joe. We’ll stay at it!


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