Belmont 2008
Order of Finish
1. Da' Tara
2. Denis of Cork
3. Anak Nakal
3. Ready's Echo
5. Macho Again
6. Tale of Ekati
7. Guadalcanal
8. Icabad Crane
9. Big Brown
Successes: I correctly pegged Denis of Cork and Ready's Echo. They finished in exactly the places I predicted. Also I pretty much pegged places 5,6,7,8...just flip my last two up to the top of the board and move the others down.
Surprises:
1. Big Brown...This is one where the information was out there to be digested, but it had become too difficult to act upon. Big Brown is not bred for distance. The Derby 1 1/4 mile should have been a stretch for him, but he finished both the Derby and Preakness galloping out firmly. It gave people a solid reason to discount his breeding. Big Brown didn't get the Big shot last month. He had been taken off the steroid, winstrol. Could that have reduced Big Brown's endurance? Big Brown was agitated earlier in the day. He was kicking his stall and general in a state of extreme unease. Was the heat getting to him? Taken as a whole with hindsight, there was information out there to steer a person away from Big Brown....but that hype machine was so very strong.
2. Anak Nakal: I've been waiting for this son of Victory Gallop to finally show up on the board all year. Finally! I had given up on him. But "Shoeless" Nick Zito knew better.
3. Da' Tara: Where the heck did that come from? This is a horse that had never won a graded stakes race. I knew he had the pace and would likely be out front early; however, I figured he'd fade away. What I failed to give weight to was his pedigree. Being the son of Tiznow, he certainly was bred to get some distance.
Surprises:
1. Big Brown...This is one where the information was out there to be digested, but it had become too difficult to act upon. Big Brown is not bred for distance. The Derby 1 1/4 mile should have been a stretch for him, but he finished both the Derby and Preakness galloping out firmly. It gave people a solid reason to discount his breeding. Big Brown didn't get the Big shot last month. He had been taken off the steroid, winstrol. Could that have reduced Big Brown's endurance? Big Brown was agitated earlier in the day. He was kicking his stall and general in a state of extreme unease. Was the heat getting to him? Taken as a whole with hindsight, there was information out there to steer a person away from Big Brown....but that hype machine was so very strong.
2. Anak Nakal: I've been waiting for this son of Victory Gallop to finally show up on the board all year. Finally! I had given up on him. But "Shoeless" Nick Zito knew better.
3. Da' Tara: Where the heck did that come from? This is a horse that had never won a graded stakes race. I knew he had the pace and would likely be out front early; however, I figured he'd fade away. What I failed to give weight to was his pedigree. Being the son of Tiznow, he certainly was bred to get some distance.
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