Posted on 06/05/2010 2:41:36 PM PDT by Bad~Rodeo
NEW YORK- Horse racing's final Triple Crown event, The Belmont Stakes, is taking place this Saturday and one of the favorites - for second place - is a horse named "First Dude."
Yes, that's First Dude, as in the nickname of the former First Gentleman of Alaska Todd Palin, husband of Tea Party darling and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
A big, long-striding horse, the Preakness runner-up is owned by Don Dizney
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
I won’t.
I think you need to take your own advice. Although in your case you need to be deprogramed like some cult member.
Besides, that mouth of yours, if you talk this way in public, is going to get you a broken nose or worse. No, I'm not offering to break it....that isn't my way. Heated words are as far as I go.
Before deciding that this crop of 3 y os is ordinary, I went and checked the numbers.
Belmont Stakes day came up sunny and hot. It was also windy, reportedly drying out the track and leaving it deeper than usual. I’m dubious about that claim, based upon the winning times:
6th race Woody Stephens Stakes-Gr 2 7 furlong track record: 1:20.17 Left Bank 2002
22.28 44.82 1:09.53 final time 1:22.64 D’Funnybone
8th race True North Handicap-Gr 2 6 furlong track record 1:07.66 Artax 1999
22.29 45.60 57.66 final time 1:09.63 Bribon
9th race Acorn Stakes-Gr 1 (fillies) 1 mile track record 1:32.24 Najran 2003
23.61 46.86 1:12 final time 1:37.44 Champagne d’Oro
11th race Belmont Stakes-Gr 1 1 ½ mile record 2:24 Secretariat 1973
24.15 49.19 1:14.94 1:40.25 2:04.97 final time 2:31.57 Drosselmeyer
I believe comparing the earlier winning times to the pace and winning time of the Belmont indicates that this field either did not have the genetics or the training for 1 ½ miles. I went back and looked up all of the winning times of the modern era of Belmont Park, after the present grandstand was built in the 1960s (the Belmont was run at Aqueduct for several years) and noted all the winning times of 2:30 or slower:
2009 Summer Bird 2:27.54
2008 Da’ Tara 2:29.65
2007 Rags to Riches 2:28.74
2006 Jazil 2:27.86
2005 Afleet Alex 2:28.75
2004 Birdstone 2:27.50
2003 Empire Maker 2:28.26
2002 Sarava 2:29.71
2001 Point Given 2:26.56
2000 Commendable 2:31.19
1999 Lemon Drop Kid 2:27.88
1998 Victory Gallop 2:29.16
1997 Touch Gold 2:28.82
1996 Editor’s Note 2:28.96
1995 Thunder Gulch 2:32.02
1994 Tabasco Cat 2:26.82
1993 Colonial Affair 2:29.97
1992 A.P. Indy 2:26.13
1991 Hansel 2:28.10
1990 Go And Go 2:27 1/5
1989 Easy Goer 2:26
1988 Risen Star 2:26 2/5
1987 Bet Twice 2:28 1/5
1986 Danzig Connection 2:29 4/5
1985 Creme Fraiche 2:27 1/2
1984 Swale 2:27 1/5
1983 Caveat 2:27 4/5
1982 Conquistador Cielo 2:28 1/5
1981 Summing 2:29
1980 Temperence Hill 2:29 4/5
1979 Coastal 2:28 3/5
1978 Affirmed 2:26 4/5
1977 Seattle Slew 2:29 3/5
1976 Bold Forbes 2:29
1975 Avatar 2:28 1/5
1974 Little Current 2:29 1/5
1973 Secretariat 2:24
1972 Riva Ridge 2:28
1971 Pass Catcher 2:30 2/5
1970 High Echelon 2:34 3/4
There aren’t many of them. I do recall the condition of the track in 1970 as a sloppy horror.
The pace of this year’s running was slow enough so that a front-running horse of high quality should have been able to coast in front. Certainly no one came from far back today (was anyone surprised by this?). Someone had to win it, no matter how slowly they went. Alas, I am beginning to think that this year’s crop is a lackluster bunch.
Thoroughbreds travel a lot these days, and except for a few places on earth, notably Germany, the bloodlines are frequently much the same. There are some stallions breeding mares in the northern and southern hemispheres during the same year, with large crops running in both places.
Here’s the interesting part. The Epsom Derby –the original Derby—was run today at a mile and a half on an undulating turf course. The stretch provides a “searching” uphill finish. This year, the Epsom Derby was faster than the Belmont for the first time, while lowering the stakes record by 0.99 second. Record times from Mahmoud’s win, set in the middle of a severe drought, are shown:
2010 Workforce 2:31.33
1995 Lammtarra 2:32.31
1967 Royal Palace 2:33.36
1936 Mahmoud 2:33.80
There is a lot of blather about Thoroughbreds reaching a plateau. The English data say something else.
“Right, I need to “cork it” just because you don’t agree with me.”
No, you need to cork it because you are a self important fool needlessly irritating good people with your pontifications.
"Sola Stalker", your new name.
Good Lord, people. You all can turn a horse race thread into a vendetta.
Think about growing up.
Glad to know Track is there. I’m sure he now knows what a kook the guy is, and if the stalker turns up on the doorstep once again, Track will give him the boot- but good!
“Sola Stalker”, your new name.
OldDickHand is yours! :-) In your case though, it is verbal masturbation.
I have been - just now- looking over your, extremely numerous, posts for the past several days. On some issues, I find you humorous. Others, you do appear to be a conservative. I was amazed that on many issues you actually appeared to know what you are talking about - and they weren’t legal issues. However, you have the disturbing tendency to be arrogant and pompous in your posts, when you should adopt a more patient and mentoring tone. You remind me of another attorney I used to know. He actually refered to himself in the third person like he was royalty. You seem to be this type....by the way....although exceedingly irritating, this attorney I speak of was also exceedingly intelligent, as I suspect you are as well. However, I sense your ego is easily bruised. Are you missing the Navy where you could make all those junior officers, yeoman, legalmen, and others fear and dread you? Oh well, no use insulting someone I have never met, nor would want to meet. OldDickHanD I will truly be leaving you alone now. Some of us actually still matter and serve the nation....you are just some self important has been (or never was). Stew in it. You just don’t matter anymore, and you probably never did. So, keep on attacking real men like Dr./LTC Lakin....he may not be as “smart” as you, but he still matters.
Great pics!
ThE Breeder’s Cup is exactly four months away.
I was referring to last year’s BC Classic race where
Smith won aboard Zenyatta. It’s on youtube.com along with other great stuff of Zenyatta’s.
The horse took his picture?
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