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Post by Isabelle on Mar 23, 2018 2:40:01 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP FILLY AND MARE TURF* - 10F T 3yo Fillies/Mares Only G4+
FIRST Lissome
SECOND Celebrity
THIRD Scintilla
FOURTH Excalibur's Stone
FIFTH Melusine
Lissome won here from her overall experience and tenacity. It took me a while to really sort out the top three, and although she had a layoff this year with a good chunk of her wins not HOTY in her lifetime, I found her ability to remain consistent over her career in both levels go to her favor. She was able to sit behind Celebrity, with Excalibur's Stone not pushing too much, giving her a unchallenging ride until the end. This is where I saw her able to endure with the quality she's been competing with up till now.
Celebrity got a huge wake up call here today from Lissome and Scintilla, and she only nabbed second by a whisker. She is younger, but has grown into a formidable filly this season. She held the lead for the majority, but Lissome burned her out in the last furlong. She was able to keep ahead of Scintilla by the nick, who would have gotten her if this had been one or two furlongs longer of a run.
Scintilla is a fighter, and it was very hard to decide between her and Celebrity. I feel that Scintilla prefers just longer furlongs, that's not to say she can't and hasn't won at 10F, but I felt Celebrity had the 10F card more in her pocket. She has had a full and prosperous career, you've done wonderfully with her.
Excalibur's Stone I don't feel has found her stride yet. She needs some time to confidence boost and grade up in undercards. When she is consistently in the top three she can return to HOTY. I suggest for a year five she spend most of it in undercards with a bit of HOTY grade specific, then if she is showing some promise push her more into HOTY or give her a HOTY only six year old season to see if she fires up. I think she still has a lot of promise, just keep her out of HOTY until her record has improved.
Melusine found herself completely exhausted. I'm not sure if you realize it Frosty, but she raced 24 times last year and this is her 23rd race this year. Without a break at all in basically two years, I felt she could not handle the fresher competition here. If you decide to bring her around for another season, please give her several months off to recover. She has been pulling back for you wonderfully this season after a drop down to undercards for some confidence, but I feel she crashed out here due to her relentless racing.
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Post by Cruisey on Mar 23, 2018 8:06:47 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP TURF SPRINT* - 6.5F T 3yo+ G5+
WIN Optical Illusion
PLACE Amaris
SHOW Seattle Lightning
fourth Simba
A hot pace was set by the youngster Seattle Lightning today which forced Optical Illusion to sit in a position he wasn't too fond of. Using his previous track experience, he was able to sit back and save his energy for the fight against Amaris in the home stretch.
Seattle Lightning & Simba: Despite their age differences, I feel like they're really on par with each other and it was really hard to separate the two of them. Seattle Lightning's HOTY back-class from his 2yo season gave him the extra edge to compete with the top two and to be placed over the palomino stallion, but it was a dual right until the finish.
Amaris has blossomed into something really lethal and I definitely think she's gearing up for an insane senior season.
Optical Illusion came back from a lighter 3yo season with vengeance and it really does show in his performance. Everyone deserved a win here but he had enough drive to kick it ahead of the fiery filly in the last few strides.
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Post by ripley on Mar 23, 2018 17:02:42 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT*
6F T 2yo G5+
Win. Everlasting Gift
Place. Final Velocity
Show. Twilight Reign
Fourth. Miss Abilene
Everlasting Gift has been a fierce runner all season and 6F is right in his wheelhouse. He got the jump on Final Velocity and kept going even when that rival threatened in the last furlong.
Final Velocity is developing very nicely and I expect her to be ultra tough at three when it's time to prepare for the sprinter filly races.
Twilight Reign and Miss Abilene are close together, but Twilight Reign's success at 6F gave her the edge over her stablemate.
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Post by ripley on Mar 24, 2018 7:30:59 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP TURF MARATHON*
12F T 3yo+ G4+
Win. World Dominion
Place. Eternally Smoldering
Show. Laddie Luck
Fourth. Prometheus
Fifth. Genuine Risk
World Dominion: We had a Kentucky Open winner and two Belmont Turf Classic winners in this field, making it perhaps one of the strongest fields ever of the Breeders' Cup Turf Marathon. He sat a brilliant trip just behind Genuine Risk and Laddie Luck and got the jump on Eternally Smoldering down the lane. He powered through the wire two lengths in front. If you bring him back at 5, World Dominion might just experience an Abastor-esque handicap year.
Eternally Smoldering: This one definitely had the pedigree to get 12F. He previously beat World Dominion in the Dusk To Dawn Stakes at 12F and then came back to win the World Colt Cup. You've campaigned him amazingly well Isa. I think his success will teach you a lot going forward. He'll be an excellent older horse come Y18. Definitely nom him for some three year old awards.
Laddie Luck: I really love this horse and think you have a top turf runner come Y18. He could be a prime candidate for the Breeders Cup Turf next year. I didn't see him necessarily getting the 12F against the top two today, but you've done extremely well with him all season. I'd definitely put him up for some three year old awards.
Prometheus: He has had a very lovely season, but I see him as still developing. With the majority of his season spent in three year old only races, Prometheus was surprised by the faster trip. He could be quite the force as a four year old and I'm curious which way you plan on going with him.
Genuine Risk: Although he is a quality colt, he was underprepared for this level of competition. Genuine Risk simply did not have the stamina to keep up with the other horses. He needs to be kept within his grade until he advances to the grade one level.
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Post by ripley on Mar 25, 2018 11:26:29 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP JUVENILE*
9F D 2yo G5+
Win. Aristaeus (neck)
Place. Charmed Weapon
Show. Flashbang
Fourth. Samaritan Hero
Fifth. Virtuoso
Aristaeus: Although, he has only run 9F once before in his career, it was a winning performance. Charmed Weapon kept closer company than usual and nearly surprised the confident winner. Aristaeus is definitely the class of the division, but all below him will be potent as the distances lengthen and they mature. Congratulations on winning with a champion!
Charmed Weapon: He's a sharp colt and nearly got the job done as this race fell right into his wheel house. I could see him being a male Hellfire for you, Cru. Maybe by concentrating on the 8-10 range, he'd make a nice run in the Derby. I would definitely say his female family leans toward middle distances and Cascabel, on his sire's side, is similar in that regard.
Flashbang: He's a swell horse who will definitely mature as he ages. I could see him coming back and being very potent in next year's series. Congrats on developing a top dirt two year old, Scotia.
Samaritan Hero: His running style and the description you have for it don't match. His running style says front runner, but his description talks about a horse that closes. I like him a lot, but he has always struck me as a distance runner. He's been a bit off form and seems a little overraced with 21 starts. I would definitely rest him and bring him back in February to prepare for whatever series you intend to run him in.
Virtuoso: He's a very nice horse who I see coming around as a three year old and up. He didn't stand out in this field where they have battling continuously against each other all season long.
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Post by Cruisey on Mar 25, 2018 12:01:37 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP FILLY AND MARE TURF SPRINT* 7F T 3yo+ Fillies/Mares Only G5+
WIN Summer Romance
PLACE Athena's Desires
SHOW Game Over
fourth Sweet Like Sugar
fifth My Kingdom Come
Well. This was a nightmare lol.
Summer Romance: She has definitely blossomed wonderfully into a very competitive mare. She was right in her element today stalking Athena's Desires the whole race, not letting anyone take her spotlight.
Athena's Desires: I still really like her xD She ran hard from the get-go, but you could tell she would have preferred a much shorter race. I look forward to seeing what she can produce in the breeding shed!
Game Over: Can easily be crowned one of the top female sprinters of her age group and it showed today being the youngest and running against some of the best older mares. It was a tough feat for her, but she stuck with them and just barely fell short of the wire. I think she will have a fantastic older season.
Sweet Like Sugar: I really didn't like placing her out of the money for this one, because all five mares were so close in talent. She did absolutely nothing wrong today except get a little caught up in the middle of the field. If you're campaigning her next season, she will definitely bounce back from this experience in no time.
My Kingdom Come: Another horse I really didn't want to place where she is. I can see she loves this distance, but she was shuffled around the middle with Sweet Like Sugar and wasn't able to get that final sprinting close she hoped for. She ran a formidable race and has done well all season.
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Post by kenren on Mar 25, 2018 17:19:58 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF*
WIN Wild Annie (2 lengths)
PLACE Tisiphone
SHOW Wings of Angels
fourth Socialite
Wild Annie showed incredible form in this race, taking it from gate-to-wire while exhibiting tremendous patience. The other runners, all versatile, stayed close to the moderate pace - however, Wild Annie got everything her way, ignoring the pressure from behind, and made an early move that the others gambled would be too early. However, she showed stamina to hold off the later, quick-footed charge of Tisiphone, who could not close the distance once Wild Annie escaped.
Wings of Angels and Socialite are both incredible horses that may have been a little outmatched today (and by a little I mean a little), but they both have very nice resumes going into their classic seasons. Congrats everyone on a great year!
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Post by kenren on Mar 25, 2018 17:56:50 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP DIRT MILE*
WIN Hysteria
PLACE Hellfire
SHOW Coincidence
fourth Roussong
Roussong is on the rise, but he found the top three a bit too much to handle this time around. However, you've given him some incredible class this year, and I expect if you put him in G2 races early he'll be at G1 very quickly and he'll have a full arsenal to hit the top races with!
As far as the top three, how do you even begin to differentiate between such strong milers? First of all, I found that Hellfire was cleverly rested for this race. But that alone isn't enough to give her the edge over the others. Coincidence and Hysteria have both excelled at the mile distance this year, with Coincidence rolling off of a win Nov Wk 2. Hysteria, on the other hand, is coming in off of a loss. But that was unarguably a distance she wasn't fond of. So you can see, this wasn't an easy race to place. I can't point out one specific thing that separated them, but a decision had to be made, and I'm happy with the conclusion I came to. Congrats guys!
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Post by kenren on Mar 25, 2018 18:30:25 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP DISTAFF*
WIN Fire Goddess (nose)
PLACE Adrasteia (head)
SHOW Headstrong (nose)
fourth Rise Me Gold
fifth Flaming Confidenza
Flaming Confidenza didn't have a season that could prepare her for this race.
As everyone knew it would be, it was extremely hard to separate the top horses. Any of these four could have taken this race, and they all deserved to take this race with the years they've had. As you can see, it was a thrilling charge to the end - four across, separated by noses. Fire Goddess pulled a bit of an upset, perfectly positioned behind the fast pace created at the front, and she took full advantage to snag it at the end. She's been breathing down Adrasteia's neck all year and clawing for the top determinedly, and she put the hammer down at just the right time. I know this won't make me popular, but I hope you'll still love me anyway (after all, BC races aren't HOTY awards, you know?). I can't tell you guys anything to do differently with them, because there's nothing TO do differently. Rise Me Gold, by the way, is going to KILL next year. She was just slightly overshadowed this time around because she spent half of her year running against 3yos, and is still working to find her footing in open company. I fully expect her to come out winning next year. This was just the toss of the dice this time around, and I wish all of these horses the best in whatever comes next!
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Post by Rendezvous on Mar 25, 2018 19:02:15 GMT -6
What happened to three year olds being able to compete with older horses lol
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Post by cavallo on Mar 25, 2018 20:07:44 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP FILLY AND MARE SPRINT*
WIN Artemis' Glory
PLACE Melodious
SHOW Sugar Demon
Artemis was just perfection in this race. Melodious and Sugar Demon were neck and neck in this race, but Artemis had them in the end and claimed her victory. Melodious should definitely run another season, in my opinion. She's poised to be a powerhouse for you. Sugar Demon was only a whisker behind Melodious and gave a stunning performance as well.
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Post by kenren on Mar 25, 2018 20:35:59 GMT -6
Rendezvous they can. If she'd been winning in open company since getting out of the 3yo races it would be different, but she wasn't winning at the highest open level yet like the others were.
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Post by Sammy on Mar 26, 2018 16:48:46 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP MILE*
8F T 3yo+ G4+
WIN: Breaking Point (nose)
PLACE: Cyclonaria
SHOW: Dancing on Nails
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Post by Sammy on Mar 26, 2018 17:54:31 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP JUVENILE FILLIES*
9F D 2yo Fillies Only G5+
WIN Icarus Flight
PLACE: Foxy Passion
SHOW: Amnesty
4th: Kallisto
5th: Authentic Aura
This race was tough from the beginning these fillies are amazing. I had to place two out of the money and that was hard. Authentic Aura is an incredible filly however she couldn't catch a break this race.
Kallisto has wonderful potential and do not let this race get you down, she was on a draw with Amnesty and Authentic Aura the whole race and couldn't get passed Amnesty to challenge the top two.
The top three were certainly a hard bundle Foxy almost got the win until Icarus surprised her at the end of the last stretch.
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Post by cavallo on Mar 26, 2018 21:28:20 GMT -6
BREEDER'S CUP CLASSIC*
WIN Fleet Street
PLACE Uno Momento
SHOW Barely Smokin'
fourth Black Thriller
fifth Tiger Heart
What an amazing field! All of these have had amazing careers and records this season. I love how large this was! All of you should be proud of your ponies.
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