[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

Having watched all of the races since Canonero II, I observed the following. For the 1.5 mile race the jockey/owner/trainer thought that the horse was invulnerable and pushed the horse too hard for a mile-and-a-half stretch. This jockey should probably hold the horse back until the last quarter-mile or so. All of the horses who had a chance at a Triple Crown faded toward the end of the race.

[PGalt]

Thanks, interesting observation. Thanks for the charts and commentary, ETL.

[nomorelurker]

Except for Secretariat (hope I spelled the name right). May be your races are after that.

[SAJ]

Canonero II was injured in the Preakness, remember. Big Sports Illustrated cover after the Belmont, headline: CANONERO SHOULD NOT HAVE RUN.

Maybe the injury did not affect Can's Belmont, I don't know...but he was not the same horse in that race. BTW, if I'm not mistaken, Canonero II was the LAST horse who was in the mutuel field to win any Triple Crown race (don't argue about being in the field; I have my ticket framed and sitting right in front of me (g!))

Must respectfully disagree with your "all of the horses who had a chance...", etc. Looked at Secretariat's final quarter in the Belmont recently? Remember how Wide World of Sports had to PAN the camera back up the stretch to see the rest of the horses? Was it 30 lengths, or 36, I can't quite recall now.

FReegards!