[Nepeta]

He might have relished the surface but that doesn’t mean he could win a race on it. And having not run a race on it prior nobody knew. And then he lost to a horse that won the Peter Pan there a month ago. If you want to win the TC win at Belmont FIRST, the pattern is pretty well established.

How do you explain Go and Go?

Won the Belmont here after being shipped from Ireland:

Belmont Park 6/9/1990 8 Belmont Stakes - Gr. 1 1
Leopardstown 5/12/1990 80920 Weight For Age Stakes 4
Phoenix Park 5/2/1990 80927 Weight For Age Stakes 1
Gulfstream Park 11/4/1989 8 Breeders' Cup Juvenile - Gr. 1 8
Laurel Park 10/21/1989 10 Laurel Futurity - Gr. 2 1
Curragh 9/9/1989 83054 Weight For Age Stakes
Curragh 8/19/1989 82906 Weight For Age Stakes 1
Galway 7/31/1989 82757 Maiden Weight For Age 1
Curragh 7/2/1989 82566 Maiden Weight For Age 6

Not only did Go and Go not have a race over the Belmont surface, he had been running on European turf courses, dealing not only with the turf but with the European style of running, dawdling most of the race then all out at the end.

[discostu]

Didn’t win the TC.

[Nepeta]

continued...

Ruler On Ice (2011) did not have a race at Belmont prior to winning.
Summer Bird (2009) no race at Belmont
Sarava (2002) no race at Belmont ....