Fabulous Strike is out.
That stinks. Hope it’s not anything serious.
Fab Strike
It is a lung infection - the trainer/owner don’t think they can do him justice, i.e., get him healthy & then get him prepped for a race of that quality, in the time available.
He’s a gelding, so no fears of him retiring to stud & falling off the face of the earth that way. His connections intend to try again next year - 4 or 5 preps & the BC Sprint.
I keep a close eye on this guy. His MA-based owner is a nice man who has been in racing for years & has been generous to new people getting into the game. He deserves to enjoy this gelding’s every success. [Plus, two of our mares are from Fabulous Strike’s immediate family, so in addition to liking his owner, we like what he does for their paper . . . ]
Yes, but “lung infection” is very vague. Could be a simple bacterial infection, or it could be pleuropneumonia. The article doesn’t specify. And I’m a fatalist and tend to assume the worst. 
I’m very glad his connections are being conservative with him, per their own words.
Ok, so that’s 2 down (see Shakespeare thread). What a buMMer.
Zanjero who won the Indiana Derby is done for the year.
The Tin Man will not run in the BC but point for the Citation at Hollywood.
High Finance is pointing for the Dirt Mile (and 70y) where he’ll meet Discreet Cat. Gottcha Gold will beat them both. After the Jerome Daaher was “in” but now he’s “out.”
The winner of the “Arc” Dylan Thomas (who looks for all the world like a Hannoverian) will run in the Turf. Sagara, who finished third will not come.
Excellent Art will come from Europe for the Mile. If Ramonti comes too, it will be a serious horserace. Too bad there wont be any Asian milers.
For the first time in years Nick Zito will send a Champagne winner to the Juvie. War Pass is in.
Nashoba’s Key, a Cal bred 4yo will run in the F/M Turf. She’s unbeaten, a G1 winner on dirt and turf and no one has ever heard of her. If the Euro’s come, she’ll have her hands full but top Euro fillies Mandesha and Peeping Fawn are NOT expected.
Political Force has arrived at Claiborne so I guess he’s done.
Anybody get the workout notifications on HS, SS,and Curlin today?
Their all looking good on paper at least!!!
Smokey Stover, who I had the pleasure of getting acquianted with in FL, worked 5 in 58.2 today. Yet another sizzling work for this horse that I have liked from the get go.
Why? And please don’t say because they have nothing to lose but only something to gain …
Sportinglife.com 10-16-07 “George Set For Classic Bid”
George Washington is on course for another crack at the Breeders’ Cup Classic at the end of the month after connections opted to bypass the Champion Stakes.
No offense but who if anyone thinks he can knock off: Lawyer Ron, Street Sense, Curlin, Any Given Saturday, or even Tiago on the dirt to take the win? Why not go after a turf division and stand a serious chance to win?
George didn’t like the dirt last year, I can’t see him liking it now.
Citronnade is out of the F/M Turf, but Passage of Time may be coming from Europe according to Henry Cecil.
Any COTHer’s going to at the Cup?
He liked it better than Lava Man, Perfect Drift, Lawyer Ron (one of the horse’s it’s apparently inconcievable that he could knock off), Sun King and Flower Alley.
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;2743676]
Why? And please don’t say because they have nothing to lose but only something to gain …
Sportinglife.com 10-16-07 “George Set For Classic Bid”
No offense but who if anyone thinks he can knock off: Lawyer Ron, Street Sense, Curlin, Any Given Saturday, or even Tiago on the dirt to take the win? Why not go after a turf division and stand a serious chance to win?[/QUOTE]
Alright, I’m a little out of the loop, and maybe I’m missing something… but why on earth are they aiming for the classic again instead of the mile? 
Because they already have the favourite in the Mile, Excellent Art, and they think they have a shot in a Classic that doesn’t have standout horses like last year, where he didn’t exactly do badly, and they have nothing to lose with a 4yo with low fertility that they may as well run in the Classic as the Mile as it won’t affect his stud value, and his three races this year suggest he probably prefers a longer distance than the mile, as the two times he raced over 8f he seemed to just be getting wound up by the time the race ended (esp a concern on American Turf courses with their tiny stretches) and in the other one he handled a 1¼m no bother in a somewhat unusual race.
You people are acting like this is a Rick’s Natural Star scenario. It’s not like he’s being thrown in over his head. Racing would be downright boring if people only ever played it safe, I dunno, maybe US racing fans like it that way.
It gives the race added interest, more power to them for giving it a shot.
[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;2744520]
You people are acting like this is a Rick’s Natural Star scenario. It’s not like he’s being thrown in over his head. Racing would be downright boring if people only ever played it safe, I dunno, maybe US racing fans like it that way.
It gives the race added interest, more power to them for giving it a shot.[/QUOTE]
I don’t want to come off like I’m knocking GW and indeed he did better then expected last year (6th) but … it seems like they just don’t know what to do with him so they’ve plugged him into a race, will toss the dice, and hope for the best with a “who knows” type of view. Speed could be insane upfront and cook SS, LR and Curlin with a more steady grass-based horse with a good closing kick able to pick up the pieces.
He becomes the big dark horse in the field to be sure. Still wouldn’t running him at Newmarkt in the Champion Stakes have been a more financially wise move?
There will be clearly horses in the Classic who may have shown merit during the year in at least one race to be deemed worth but lets face it they won’t be anywhere near the finish when the winner crosses the line. “Diamond Stripes” for goodness sakes is entered in the Classic!
To the point of locking up a race I know that Excellent Art is in the Mile, but why not have GW in there too and (from an owner’s perspective) hedge your bet with a 1-2 combination? Or back up Dylan Thomas with GW in the Turf?
As cited by Linny, the pre-entries (160 of them) are published:
http://bc.bloodhorse.com/preEntries2007.asp
Of the 11 races, six were oversubscribed, with 23 pre-entries in the Juvenile Turf, 16 in the Grey Goose Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), 16 in the Bessemer Trust Juvenile (gr. I), 15 in the TVG Sprint (gr. I), 18 in the NetJets Mile (gr. IT), and 15 in the Emirates Airline Distaff (gr. I).
The European contingent …
Aidan O’Brien, as usual, leads all European trainers with five individual horses pre-entered, followed by Jeremy Noseda and Brian Meehan with three each. Familiar names such as Michael Stoute, Andre Fabre, John Oxx, Dermot Weld, and Jane Chapple-Hyman also will be represented.
The latter makes absolutely no sense. If you think having him in the Classic is silly, then having him go 1½m is ten times sillier.
The former, well Coolmore are a stallion producing operation, Excellent Art is a high class 3yo that needs the BC Mile on his resumé much more than GW does and having GW beat EA would be upsetting their own apple cart. And once again, if you’ve been watching his races this year, he may be more effective over 10f than 8f now.
I really don’t see the problem here. Sure they could have stayed home and gone for the Champion Stakes, which seems to be a weak rendition this year. But what is this obsession with playing it safe?
You think SS will be up that close?
Who do you think sets the pace? LR or HS?
Re: any longshots…Don’t forget Arcangues!!! (sorry if I spelled it wrong)
Mememe!!! can’t wait!
If anything I think there will be pace issues in this race. No one is going to want to take the lead so I bet the first few fractions will be pedestrian - unless Awesome Gem or Diamond Stripes are happy front runners.
Hard Spun did fine sitting back in Kentucky off from Street Sense, but that was on poly track where speed kills and the plan was text book. I suspect he’ll be kept closer to say Lawayer Ron who is no plodder but isn’t as rank early on as once was his ‘style’
I suspect Curlin and Any Given Saturday could be setting much of the key pace.
Obviously not lost here is that not only is the BCC money and title on the line but also Horse of the Year. Lawyer Ron likely has won it in the Older Horse category but a victory could snag it for HOY too. If Hard Spun took the victory I’d back him for 3-yr old of the Year - the guy danced in every dance and always was in the money. Street Sense, wins it all, does he take 3-yr old and HOY title? They’d have a decent case - and history on their side - to take it.
