I’ve been on the Justify bandwagon since post #5 of this thread (on April 5th). But now with the Belmont looming, I’m stepping off…and keeping my eye on Bravazzo.
Has there been a list of contenders announced yet?
It changes daily.
Audible off the Belmont trail. Haskell or Jim Dandy may be possible next races…
Hofburg appears to be targeting the Belmont with a work today at Saratoga.
I have been a racing fan (to say the least) since 1984, and while I long ago noticed each numbered saddle cloth had a unique color in nonstakes events, it never occurred to me that the exact same color coding system of red=1, whitee=2, etc. was universal for ALL tracks. It makes complete sense and being an organization/color coding nerd I LOFF it, but wow. Color ( 
) me 34 years of clueless or at least nonobservant there. :lol:
Learn something new every day!
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I really like the color “coordination”. I wish Europe, Aus and Asia tracks would adopt this as well 
They use them in non stakes as well. The Breeder’s cup used to have everyone use purple saddle towels but it was too confusing so they reverted back to the norm.
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I was very disappointed to hear that My Boy Jack will be skipping the Belmont and aiming for a late summer campaign. He had all the makings for a tremendous stretch run at Big Sandy
Is Justify leaving his best form on the track during training hours?
Four furlongs in :46 4/5 is what they call racehorse time, a sizzler of a workout almost bordering on too fast given the task dual classic winner Justify is being asked to pull off June 9. And were this an ordinary charge, said time—and subsequent gallop out of five furlongs in :59 3/5— in the colt’s first workout since his May 19 Preakness Stakes (G1) triumph could spark concern that he was leaving his best form on the track during training hours.
From today’s work at CD.
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Nah, he has plenty of time to recover from that. If it was the day before I would be concerned some. He needs to keep his speed sharp while stretching him out a bit so that is just part of the plan. As long as the horse is working within themselves you are better off letting them go than trying to rein them in.
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I watched live on FB. He did it easily, didn’t look pressed at all by the jockey. I was surprised at the time; it looked slower. He also looked like he easily and willingly would have continued had his rider not pulled up.
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Agree. He did not looked stressed at all. He was running well within himself, without any urging from the exercise rider, clearly would have happily continued. He also pulled up looking like he was coming in from a jog, not a black type work.
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Good horses work fast.
I’m happy to see that work.
I didn’t like how tired he looked after the Preakness but it sounds like he’s recovered well. I’m still not convinced he can go the distance though.
My biggest concern for this horse is distance. does he have the STAMINA. Fast works over four furlongs doesn’t get you over a mile and half on a deep track. He looked whipped at the finish 2 weeks ago. Justify likes to run on the pace behind the leader. Will there be a rabbit in this race? It almost cost Justify the Preakness. I do not think he can run hard like that in the opening 4-6 furlongs and then finish up in front. He’s a fighter, a gritty horse, but he does not have the kick in the stretch that AP had for bob.
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I’ve read a few times in historical books about a trainer working a horse the full distance of a race - really working, not just galloping. Does anybody ever do that anymore? It seems like even when pointing for a quite long race like the Belmont, everybody does 4 or 5 furlongs as a breeze.
Of course, I’ve also read things like how Count Fleet (and Sir Barton, too) ran in the Withers in between the Preakness and the Belmont because they were doing so well that the trainers were worried that the gap from Preakness to Belmont was too long. Can you imagine trainers today saying that? “Well, Justify is just doing so well that I have to race him this week. Can’t possibly wait for that Triple Crown bid in another week and a half, although we’ll be running there, too.”
Different world these days.
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It is a different world, but the idea of working the “full” distance isn’t popular in any sort of conditioning. Marathon runners or Ironman competitors don’t go and train over the full distance, either. What you’d gain in fitness would be offset by the amount of recovery needed. It’s more efficient to train in intervals.
With that said, I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on international racing, but countries who regularly race at longer distances than ours incorporate a whole lot more “cross training” and long and slow work than we do. Longer jogs, hacks, gallops over rolling terrain, etc. Although 12 furlongs, while long for American racing, isn’t a particularly long race in the grand scheme of things. I’ve seen American trainers try to do similar (when they have the ability) in preparation for the Belmont and it hasn’t always paid off because speed and pedigree can still carry a horse to victory at the distance.
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Why do you think there will be a rabbit? Which owner has a closer and also another horse nominated that can serve as a rabbit?
With distance races, they basically gallop along at a really good clip and run really fast for 1/4 mile somewhere in there. They don’t finish up in a blazing time, the winner is just a bit less tired than the others.
