Posted on 06/10/2018 6:55:24 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
Long shot Restoring Hope's run in Saturday's Belmont Stakes is being questioned by some competitors, who suggest the horse might have been used to block other horses from catching stablemate Justify on his way to the Triple Crown.
Bob Baffert trains both Justify and Restoring Hope, which went off at 37-1 and then broke fast to the front and settled into second place for much of the race, just off Justify's shoulder, before falling to eighth at the finish.
Mike Repole, who co-owns fourth-place finisher Vino Rosso and last-place finisher Noble Indy, and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez both found fault with the ride by Florent Geroux aboard Restoring Hope.
"It baffled me," Repole told the Daily Racing Form. "I would have thought Baffert would have wanted Restoring Hope nowhere close to the pace.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
Soros firm was minority owner with only 15% interest. RHope impeded no one, go back and watch the race again.
Justify led from the post. Crybaby losers.
Soros firm was minority owner with only 15% interest. RHope impeded no one, go back and watch the race again.
Justify led from the post. Crybaby losers.
Ridiculous, there are always sprinters in every long race. There was plenty of room for Gronk to go from last to second. And Justify left lots of room on the rail. The two horses you could say were near Restoring Hope fell back and were not in the show. So Justify just plain out ran everyone. And Gronk may have lost by keeping too far back for the first 3/4s of the race.
His mother was a mudder.
ML/NJ
One of the NBC commentators asked BAffert Saturday about Restoring Hope’s odd run and he said that Restoring Hope’s only chance was to try to get out front quickly. (However, Justify was leading from beginning to end.)
The owners of the other horses think that’s the reason they lost. Maybe Justify is just a superior horse.
“One of the NBC commentators asked BAffert Saturday about Restoring Hope’s odd run and he said that Restoring Hope’s only chance was to try to get out front quickly.”
Baffert damn sure didn’t put his horse Restoring Hope in the race to beat his Triple Crown threat. He put him to help his horse that won. No other reason on God’s green earth to run him. He’s also an ass for not admitting the obvious. This happens all the time when a trainer has other horses in the same race. It’s usually not this obvious.
Taht’s a traditional racing practice. Ever heard of a pace horse? It’s a horse you put in a race to set a pace, run the other contenders out of gas, and help your other entry win the race by wearing out the competition.
Sometimes, however, the pace horse sets a pace so good that nobody, including your other entry can catch him. Citation was one such. he was entered in the Derby as a pace horse for Coaltown, but set such a good pace that he won.
How is this different?
I know it’s an accepted practice but great horses don’t need any help. It’s their natural instinct to take charge. The Belmont was a strange race. It was almost like all the horses knew their place, including Justify. He went to the front, but not by much, the others never challenged him and he basically coasted to the win, not having to expend hardly any energy. Just a strange looking horse race.
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.