I read somewhere that they’ve bred the mare back at least twice, and CC has two full sisters. I wonder if she’s in foal to the same stallion again for this year? Or has a foal this year?
[QUOTE=Zevida;7561784]
I can’t believe it doesn’t make anyone else’s heart skip a beat! I don’t mind when they ease off when the race is clearly in hand but standing up before the wire makes me so nervous![/QUOTE]
When they’ve got that big a lead? No, doesn’t make me that nervous. If he does it a sixteenth out in the Belmont, I may have a heart attack.
Now, what DID make me nervous was the Woodford-and that was watching it today! Thank God I was at work because I’d have keeled over. Wise Dan’s got guts.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;7562279]
I have two questions: Why would the pros have bet against California Chrome[/QUOTE]
You don’t usually make much money betting favorites, and picking the favorite also doesn’t make you seem smart if he ends up losing. Since so much craziness happens in the Derby, often the pros will pick against the favorite and go for their sleeper pick, there’s more opportunity for a bigger payout if they are right. And they look much smarter if that horse wins than they do if they pick the favorite and the favorite wins.
[QUOTE=findeight;7562211]
The Swaps connection is kind of cool for those why are of a certain age and grew up in So Cal. Anybody who worked for Rex Ellsworth/Mish Tenney and survived truly came up via the school of hard knocks. Lets just say they were…ah…minimalists in horse care and not much better in the treatment of the large number of humans who went through their breeding and training farm out in Chino back in the day. They ran farrier and jockey schools, that way they didn’t have to pay for those services. It was one way to break into the business for some, a not so pleasant experience for others.[/QUOTE]
Ellsworth ultimately ran out of money and his horses starved. He was a real shit and it was very fortunate for Swaps that Spendthrift got him.
They weren’t much better off when he had money. Pretty notorious for years.
[QUOTE=danceronice;7562434]
…Now, what DID make me nervous was the Woodford-and that was watching it today! Thank God I was at work because I’d have keeled over. Wise Dan’s got guts.[/QUOTE]
I am surprised nobody mentioned Rosie’s ride. She got seriously squished between the rail and the two horses next to her not long after the gate. She really checked her horse hard and had a scary few strides trying to prevent him from running over the horse in front of her. I guess that was better than trying to gut it out and make it to the front and risk a crash? At least that how it looked to my with my non-race pro eyes. And Gary Stevens horse tried to swing wide on the far turn, another fun moment.
I did look at California Chrome’s breeding, and I am no Vineyridge :winkgrin: but that pedigree was droolworthy from a sport horse perspective! It is like a Who’s Who of sport horse sires!
