Posted on 06/09/2012 6:34:26 AM PDT by ETL
ELMONT, N.Y. — New York Racing Association officials were hopeful the Triple Crown bid today by I’ll Have Another would lure a record crowd, more than the record 120,139 who jammed Belmont Park to see Smarty Jones try to cap the Crown, but fail, in 2004.
Although I’ll Have Another has been scratched from the Belmont because of an injured tendon, fans still will see the Derby and Preakness winner. With jockey Mario Gutierrez aboard, I’ll Have Another will lead the post parade for the Belmont Stakes.
"NYRA asked us if we’d be interested, and we told them we’d be honored," said Doug O’Neill, I’ll Have Another’s trainer. "It looks like it’s on. Mario will get on him, and Lava Man will chaperone. (I’ll Have Another) will just lead the post parade, and then he’ll go right off."
Dr. Larry Bramlage, American Association of Equine Practitioners’ on-call veterinarian, said leading the post parade won’t exacerbate I’ll Have Another’s injury.
"It is absolutely of no concern for sub-maximal injury, but would be a concern at a mile and a half at full speed," Bramlage said. "Therefore, I have no concern for his appearance on the racetrack at the head of the Belmont field."
ADJUSTED MORNING LINE: Belmont Park’s line-maker has released an adjusted morning line based on the 11-horse Belmont Stakes field that remains after the scratch of I’ll Have Another.
In the new line, Dullahan is the 9-5 favorite. The early second choice in the adjusted line is Union Rags at 3-1, and Paynter comes next at 7-2.
The other adjusted early odds are Street Life, 8-1; Optimizer, My Adonis and Atigun, 15-1; Unstoppable U, 20-1; and Ravelo’s Boy, Five Sixteen and Guyana Dweej, 30-1.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 (scratched)
12
source for Past Performance: Daily Racing Form, via BelmontStakes.com:
http://www.belmontstakes.com/racing/default.aspx
This is a profoundly stupid move on their part.
It’s also ‘tacky’ in my view. It’s like your ex-wife showing up at the wedding of your future wife.
It is, but I suppose Belmont officials wanted to let all those people who paid good money to attend to at least see the horse.
I bet $100 on I’LL HAVE ANOTHER this morning. I know, but you should see the odds.
My pick: $20 triple box (total cost: $120)
Dullahan, Union Rags, Street Life
Now if I only had the money to bet! Lost my butt in the Preakness with “Went The Day Well”. And I had him to show! He closed like the wind in the Derby despite having all sorts of traffic problems. Didn’t do a thing in the Preakness.
Soooo...how much money was wagered (and lost) by suckers who bet that horse would win the triple crown?
Lol! They must be ASTRONOMICAL!
You mean pre-Triple Crown wagers for a particular horse winning all three races? Like pre-season baseball odds for winning the World Series?
In my opinion, it would have been more appropriate if he was walked around the paddock prior to the other horses coming out. It doesn't look right him 'upstaging' the current field by being on the track with them for the actual race.
Fugue for Tinhorns from Guys and Dolls
NICELY
I got the horse right here
The name is Paul Revere
And here’s a guy that says that the weather’s clear
Can do, can do, this guy says the horse can do
If he says the horse can do, can do, can do.
(Benny starts singing his part at this time, while Nicely continues:)
Can do - can do - this guy says the horse can do
If he says the horse can do - can do, can do.
(Rusty starts singing his part as the time, while Nicely and Benny continue:)
For Paul Revere I’ll bite
I hear his foot’s all right
Of course it all depends if it rained last night
Likes mud, likes mud, this X means the horse likes mud
If that means the horse likes mud, likes mud
Likes mud.
I tell you Paul Revere
Now this is no bum steer
It’s from a handicapper that’s real sincere
Can do, can do, this guy says the horse can do.
If he says the horse can do - can do - can do.
Paul Revere. I got the horse right here.
BENNY
I’m pickin’ Valentine, ‘cause on the morning line
A guy has got him figured at five to nine
Has chance, has chance, this guy says the horse has chance
if he says the horse has chance, has chance, has chance
I know it’s Valentine, the morning work looks fine
Besides the jockey’s brother’s a friend of mine
Needs race, needs race, this guy says the horse needs race
If he says the horse needs race, needs race, needs race.
I go for Valentine, ‘Cause on the morning line,
The guy has got him figured at five to nine
Has chance, has chance, this guy says the horse has chance
Valentine! I got the horse right here.
RUSTY CHARLIE
But look at Epitaph. he wins it by a half
According to this here in the Telegraph
“Big Threat” - “Big Threat”
This guy calls the horse “Big Threat”
If he calls the horse “Big Threat”,
Big Threat, Big Threat.
And just a minute, boys.
I’ve got the feed box noise
It says the great-grandfather was Equipoise
Shows class, shows class.
This guy says the horse shows class
If he says the horse shows class
Shows class, show’s class.
So make it Epitaph, he wins it by a half
According to this here in the Telegraph.
Epitaph! I got the hore right here!
And, yes, the people who run Las Vegas would not think twice about injuring a horse if it meant a big payday.
Thanks for the post.
Racing needs its heroes. This is a class move. The casual fans may not understand it, but the game’s breeders, owners and jocks all appreciate what a loss it is that we don’t have a triple crown contender or winner again this year. This horse has captured the hearts of many.
Again, in my opinion, this is really a class move. I bet before the end of the day, you’ll hear others in the game say the same. I’ll Have Another’s connections would be skewered by the left if they raced today and the colt was injured.
Oldplayer
A walk around the paddock prior to the other horses coming out would be more appropriate, in my view.
BTW, one of my first jobs as a teen was walking horses at Belmont. This was back in the mid-70s. Got to meet Secretariat’s groom “Shorty”, to see up close and ‘pet’ racing greats Ruffian, Cannonade, Little Current, Forego.
Those are my picks also, and I’ve been neck-deep in handicapping this race since the Preakness.
I knew the lion’s share of IHA’s money would go to Dullahan,
and will be real interested to see how the rest of it gets
spread around among Paynter, UR, Street Life,etc. I hope Street Life remains a moderate “longshot” at around 8-1
because that will at least ensure a modest triple payoff.
But we need at least one real longshot in there for fourth
to make a decent superfecta. That could be Atigun or My Adonis. The day Street Life was announced for the Belmont
I looked up his PPs and got very excited. I have been touting him for at least two weeks, and only lately, in the last 3-4 days, has he been getting some buzz among the experts-—like long articles in the Daily Racing Form,He will be getting more today as race-time approaches, so his odds may go down further-—his original morning line two weeks ago was 15-1! He is set for a big effort today-—even though I doubt he could beat Dullahan, if the race is run without hitches or glitches (it should be-—the 1 1/2 mile distance pretty much ensures any horse in temporary trouble can get out of it without losing too much ground).
Interesting to note that the ONLY horse remaining in the Belmont field who raced in the first two TCrown races is
OPTIMIZER, who has had miserable performances in all his graded stakes races, with no real excuses. But I even put him fourth in some of my superfecta tickets.
One thing is sure-—without IHA in the race the exotic payoffs will be a bit more decent than with him in it, winning or placing second.
The odds of I’ll Have Another winning all three Triple Crown races prior to the Derby would have been well over 100-1. He was 15-1 when he won the Derby. Imagine, if there were such bets, and there probably were, how those folks feel today who held tickets. Then again, Dullahan and Union Rags would certainly have not been ‘pushovers’. Excellent longshot pick here is Street Life. Could surprise in the stretch with his good late speed.
Dullahan, a consistent and quality closer, had problems at the break in the Derby and also was bumped, yet still closed a lot of ground in the stretch missing by less than 2 lengths. Serious contender here.
Union Rags, another excellent closer, also had problems in the Derby (neither him nor Dullahan ran in Preaknesss). He was ‘squeezed’ and had to take up, yet was beaten only 7 lengths by the winner, I’ll Have Another.
Newcomer/longshot “Unstoppable U”, undefeated in only 2 starts, will likely set the pace in the Belmont. Speed holds up better than most people expect in this marathon 1-1/2 mile event.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.