Nest Belongs in the Travers
Because Nest (Curlin). The stallion she crashed on Saturday during the GI American Oaks Training Club. But what’s so fun?
Owners Mike Repole, Michael House and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and coach Todd Pletcher have shown that they will think it through. They ran away in GI Belmont S. It was a huge effort and proved that she could handle herself if thrown into the mix with the sport’s best 3-year-old men.
However, there must be a sense of disappointment because she ran so well but lost. Now, there’s an opportunity for a correction, an opportunity that could bring Nest into the conversation when it comes to the Horse of the Year painting. There’s one race out there where she can make history and it’s not Alabama. Nest should go in GI Travers S.
It’s a race that the connections will look at.
“We are aiming for [the Alabama],” Pletcher said Sunday. “I had a short chat [with her owners] though and we haven’t completely ruled out Travers. She shows she can fight herself [males] and we know miles and quarters are right for her. So we will keep it in our mind. I’d say all things being equal, we’ll probably see her in Alabama. “
The Travers is the right call. For one, she can win it. She got 104 Beyer for winning the CCA Oaks, two more than the number Cyberknife (Gunman) received the GI Haskell S. award on the same day. Of those who are keeping an eye on Travers, only her steady friend, Charge it (Tapit), who received 111 Beyer for his victory over GIII Dwyer S., was significantly faster. Nest is in the same range as all the other top ponies.
And, yes, Travers will be a very tough race, but it was much easier on Saturday when Jack Christopher (Munnings) has completed a grueling third in Haskell, all but cementing his status as a horse that doesn’t want part 1 1/4 mile. The race was also lost Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), who defeated Nest in Belmont but was later sidelined.
This has become a sport where few gamblers and sportsmen have given way to traders. But there are still some people who get it, that it’s not always about money and you can’t put a price on challenging yourself and doing something special. Bring Nest to the Travers winner’s circle and you’ve done something that will mark her as one of the greatest characters of her generation. In modern times, no dirty man can beat Travers. Seven fillings have won the race but none since Lady Rotha in 1915. That’s 107 years.
It will take a special time to erase the 107-year history, owners and trainers understand the historical significance of creating such a feat. In Nest, Repole, Eclipse, House and Pletcher, we can have that combination. For them, winning in Alabama would fall into the category of “just another race.” Travers will be much more than that.
A missed opportunity
Fixed-odds betting could one day become a big part of how people bet on the sport, but the slowness the concept is creating is disappointing. It is still only available during races at Monmouth Park and only to customers who are watching at Monmouth.
However, just imagine for a minute, what could have happened last week when fixed odds bets became available and they were available to sportsbook customers through online betting accounts. their.
The Wednesday after the MLB All-Star is the slowest day of the year for sports betting. When it comes to the big four sports, nothing is available. That is usually the only day of the year that happens.
There is a huge gap and maybe racing can one day fill it and fill it in a way that could bring the sport to hundreds of thousands of sports bettors coveting the action on Wednesday. . But that cannot happen until more progress is made, starting with the advent of fixed odds and making the product available on sports betting sites. This is something that everyone needs to get behind.
Juan Vazquez and Fake News
The New York Game Commission came out last week with a buzzing press release that Juan Vazquez has been barred from horse riding in the state until January 26, 2025. That sounds like the announcement that today. is Sunday.
The New York regulators did nothing more than honor the reciprocal agreement that exists among all horse racing states and lasts forever. Vazquez was suspended by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, so New York, and all the others, had no choice but to honor the suspension. It goes without saying to anyone that New York has honored the suspension, and by doing so, it appears that the New York committee is looking to give credit to something they are completely unrelated to.
Because the Pennsylvania suspension didn’t go into effect until a few days after it was announced, Vazquez was able to run six horses in Saratoga after being told he had received an extended suspension after the Pennsylvania regulators allege that a horse he transported from Belmont to Parx arrived in such bad condition with a case of meningitis that it had to be put down. Pennsylvania managers said his actions were “totally negligent, cruel and abusive”, but he is still operating in Saratoga. It’s a terrible optics.
If the New York Game Commission really wants to do something about Vazquez, they should take steps to prevent him from continuing to operate in Saratoga.
About Jack Christopher
So Jack Christopher is not a horse that runs two laps a mile eight. At least he’s definitely not looking at line one in Haskell. But that doesn’t mean he still can’t have a sensational conclusion to his 3-year campaign. He is still a very fast horse. Coach Chad Brown can now look at races like the GI Allen Jerkens Memorial and, possibly, the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint, where we can see what could be a show of wits between Jack Christopher and Jackie’s Warrior (Music by Maclean).
“We tried!,” began a tweet Saturday from Liz Crow, who bought the pony for his owner. “Jack Christopher doesn’t want nine hairpins. Let’s cut him back once and we’ll enjoy the ride from there.”