Quote:
Originally Posted by f2tornado
I stand corrected. Thank you.
While I agree the track does seem slower, is it also possible the quality of competition isn't as good? I keep hearing about small field sizes at the track which can screw up the pace. Additionally, fields in many of the big races left a lot to be desired this meet.
For some reason, and perhaps coincidence only, the raw time in the Santa Anita Derby was a very strong predictor of Kentucky Derby performance over the past several decades. Horses that used the Santa Anita as final prep and crossed the finish line in under 148.0 were spotted wearing lots of roses in Kentucky while most of the others failed to bring home a trophy. Giacomo was one exception. Pioneerof the Nile came close, albeit against one of the weakest fields I can recall.
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If the competition had somehow gotten worse, we'd be seeing that in shippers performing poorly in my opinion when compared to the odds. I haven't seen that at all with SoCal dirt horses.
Look at My Boy Jack and Instilled Regard, for example.
