RAGS TO RICHES just did the same thing. She was the best horse coming in, other trainers referring to her as a freak, and talk that under different connections she very well may have stepped up and run against the boys in the Derby. The sloppy track changed some people's ideas, but RAGS TO RICHES still went off as the 9-5 favorite, and as the race played out the best horse showed that she is the best horse no matter the track conditions. A fairly dominant win over a really good field.
Best horse won easily: could she have run with the boys?
DREAMING OF ANNA got caught up in a speed duel on the front end and just used up too much effort to have enough left when it was go time in around the far turn & stretch. HIGH HEELS ran pretty good race and did come in 3rd, so I cashed a ticket, just didn't turn a profit. She got beat by two really great horses, and in hindsight it's silly not to bet OCTAVE across the board going forward- she finished 2nd for the 5th race in a row and has two wins and 6 seconds in her 8 career races. That is as solid as it gets.
So congrats to RAGS TO RICHES. I will continue a longstanding tradition of toasting her with all of my adult beverages tonight. Todd Pletcher has the Oaks under his belt, and with 5 of the 20 horses in tomorrow's race, he's got a great chance to win his own personal Oaks-Derby Double.
3 comments:
This is not a beef with you, Kanu, but damn I am getting tired of every other good horse being labeled as a 'freak.'
One of the most important things that makes a horse a freak is very modest breeding--in other words, part of their freakishness is that their quality is incomprehensible, given their bloodlines--and, under no circumstances would Rags to Riches qualify, being by A.P. Indy out of a Deputy Minister broodmare.
The ultimate freak of all time is Seattle Slew, who not only came from nothing, but has been a pretty amazing sire.
Smarty Jones is another recent freak, given that Elusive Quality was pretty much a nothing sire (and even then, he had Mr. Prospector as a grandsire). But true freaks are few and far between.
Congratulations on the winning ticket, it's always nice to start the weekend off with some cash.
Thanks man.
The "freak" tag actually came from Baffert in his prerace interview today with Jeanine Edwards. I don't necessarily think of RAGS TO RICHES as a freak, just clearly the best 3 year old filly at the moment.
You know that I save the freak tag for special occasions- the last time I really used it was for Smarty Jones in 2004, and you were standing right next to me in the paddock at CD when I was drunkenly shouting "There's your winner- he's a freak!" to anyone who would listen in the paddock area, and then I went on to win with him across the board and also hit my trifecta for $712. Smary wa a straight up freak- RTR is not.
The question of the moment is: Is Curlin a freak?
Shit, we'll find out tomorrow, err, today.
yeah- it was nice to cash a ticket, but since I laid $19 in the Oaks and collected $9 it's not that great after all...
It feels a bit odd to not be sending you $10 for a losing ticket and a glass. Oh, well, maybe I can buy the boys somthing instead. :)
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