I don’t understand what you are are saying.
Some horses prefer to be in front and some are closers. Some can run in any position relative to the other horses.
Jockeys study the form of the horses in the race. The trainer of the other horses is not a factor in their race strategy.
What I am saying is you would’ve thought someone would’ve gone up with him at some point during the race; they all kind of sat back cool as cucumbers and never once decreased the 1 length lead . Even Baffert’s assistant Jimmy was surprised by that… “I thought there was enough speed that someone would’ve gone with us”. This Baffert on the lead tactic and no one willing to go up and put some pressure on is why his operation has been so successful on some of the biggest stages. You rarely see Baffert winning numerous Grade 1’s from mid pack or with a closer.
Don’t get me wrong; I am thrilled for Medina Spirit’s rags to riches story. He’s as good a horse as any of them out there. Him running around that oval with his ears pricked were reminiscent of American Pharoah and that ease of motion that he had. He’s special and he is as hardy as they come.
But after Bob continues to get away with zero accountability for drug infractions; I have to admit it leaves a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth
OBesos; I like that horse! Even though he finished fifth he looked great coming down the stretch very gamely. Maybe a little cleaner trip in the Preakness or Belmont and he could give it a go. I think he is one to get better as time goes forward.
King Fury: targeting for the Preakness. Was sad to see him miss the Derby but I love the way he was training and his style; looking forward to seeing him progress through 2021 and I hope he makes it to the Travers
The other jockeys were hoping that Medina Spirit would use himself up on the front end–especially since the Derby was a longer distance than any of those horses had previously raced. “Saving” their own horses, they then intended to be ready to sprint to the finish.
In a race like the Derby, it’s not realistic to expect a jockey to sacrifice his own horse’s chance to win in order to put pressure on a frontrunner. This time it worked out for the leader. Most times it doesn’t.
As Laurie B said, they thought he would fade. The only time a jockey will hurt his/her own chances by pressing a front runner is if he/she has been instructed to do so, if his/her horse is part of an entry and is functioning as a rabbit to set something up for the other horse in the entry.
Not sure if that is even done any more.
Which proves my point. The decision to not challenge or to at least run close to Bob’s horse’s flank is the decision that elevates the men from the boys. Baffert repeatedly runs races from the front running position or “right there” and they know that running in this manner is perhaps the only way to win the Kentucky Derby (in most cases). They are willing to take the biggest risk of all and run it from the front. If you can’t leave the gate and control the race; your chances decrease drastically. And this tactic has proved success for his operation time and time again.
It didn’t work for Bob in the Preakness last year when Swiss Sky Diver got a hole on the backside and did exactly what is noted needs to be done to beat a Bob contender. And Baffert’s crew has admitted these things in interviews before; go read them. She got her hole and went up and turned on the jets long before the top of the stretch. Masterful ride
These jocks may see risk in going up to challenge and get tiring horses and it is a risk. But Bob has his big boy pants on and he’s willing to risk running the entire race from the front and taking the cake at the end. Sacrificing some horse right out of the gate to get a clean, controlling ride into the first turn. He did the same thing last year from gate 18 of all gates and a horrible break to add into the mix. It’s masterful, no doubt. It’s just mind boggling no one has taken similar tactics.
The Preakness will be interesting
I am certainly glad you know more than the jockeys and trainers who are on all the non-BB horses… some with multiple Eclipse awards and many, many years of experience. 
As a trainer or owner, I want the jockey to ride the horse how that horse needs to be ridden… on the front, off the pace, come from behind, rail, outside, whatever. The jockey, as with any rider, should ride the horse they are on… not ride someone else’s training style or ride. Just MO.
On this race, on this day, BB’s get out in front and stay there won the race. Maybe next time it won’t work, it often doesn’t… who knows. I’ve seen more than one nice horse get out in front by many lengths and get swallowed up coming out of the far turn onto the stretch.
That is just silly. The derby has not been won by running gate to wire “in most cases”.
The opinions you are espousing show a lack of understanding of how individual racehorses run and how different strategies are used depending on the individual horse.
Do you really believe there is a conspiracy by jockeys and trainers to allow Baffert’s trainees to win? or do you just think they’re incompetent?
You may think that I believe what you wrote but that fact of the matter is I believe otherwise
There is no conspiracy and there is plenty of competence
I just think someone would start to get more aggressive on the Bobby B tactics that have repeatedly proved successful.
I was referring to what you wrote.You’ve written what you “believe”.
People are trying to tell you that the tactics depend upon the individual horse. The jockeys and trainers know what they’re doing, they know their horse.
You are making an assumption. I know the tactics depend on each horse and jockey combo. Those tactics are directed by the trainers. This is not rocket science.
I’m not assuming anything. I am reading your words.
It’s not rocket science but it is much more complicated than you seem to think.
It is not as simple as everyone should run in front, like you think Baffert does. It just doesn’t work that way. Horses run differently and jockeys do have a lot of leeway in race tactics, it’s not solely up to the trainer.
As just an observer, seems to me this was not a strategy to control the race by going to the front and slowing the pace to “ fool” the others. More an example of trying something different, going right to the front and clicking off very consistent furlongs start to finish. BB was probably as surprised as anybody MS just didnt fade. At all. The man can condition a horse. Read he earned a 102 index, talk about peaking at the right time…to me it looked like he would be passed coming off the turn and they did have a chance to get him but he dug in and found more.
EQ, perhaps, had an excuse getting knocked back at the start then having to go farther faster being wide around both turns but thats part of racing too.
Unfortunately he won’t be running. https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/king-fury-to-miss-preakness/ Neither will Essential Quality.
https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/essential-quality-to-bypass-preakness-belmont-possible/
Here is a good synopsis of each horse’s Derby trip. It may be of help.
And when some horse/trainer/jockey gets more aggressive on the BB horse out in front and totally spits the bit after dueling with the BB horse, then what are you going to say? Or the BB horse is the one that spits the bit at the head of the stretch, then what are you going to say?
BB’s horses are often quick out of the gate because he most likely trains them like that after his early years as a QH trainer. For Quarter Horses, the break is everything when the race is a couple hundred yards.
Everyone expected Soup and Sandwich to run the way he did. He was a rank loon in training and was expected to be a pace setter. The only question was if his PP would affect what was expected. t’s a shame he displaced is palate but I would’ve never expected him to hit the board as it was. With a bit more experience I think Soup might be a late bloomer and a fun one to watch later in the year or as a 4 yr old.
As I have said before; there is a lot of risk with BB tactics. That risk is acknowledged. That risk is the reason why so many choose to make other plans and hope BB’s tactics fail. Risk vs reward. Its a horse race.
Baffert’s “tactics” are the same as those of most successful trainers at any level: listen to the horse when he tells you how he likes to run his race, then hope the jockey and racing luck cooperate.
By your logic, Baffert would have instructed his riders to send Zenyatta right to the front and try to stay there. In reality he’d probably have done more or less exactly as John Shireffs did.
Really?
So his Hall of Fame trainer, Mark Casse, entered him expecting to run last?
His top breeder/owner, Live Oak Plantation, went to the Derby expecting to lose badly?
His jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, who had his pick of mounts, purposely chose to finish at the back of the pack?
Yeah, right.
Soup and Sandwich ran the way he did because he displaced, which removed him from contention.
You are certainly an expert at hindsight “predictions”.
You are putting words in my mouth and/or making assumptions.
He was a longshot pick. 24-1 with one 2nd place finish in a G1.
He only finished last because he displaced.
If everyone (your words) expected Soup and Sandwich to run the way he did, then why on earth, as LaurieB asked, would Mark Casse enter him? Why would Gaffalione ride him? Why would Live Oak spend all that $$ to run him?
Out of the field of 19, there were 6(!) horses with worse odds than Soup and Sandwich. Using your logic, Soup and Sandwich should have finished somewhere mid-pack… instead he was making a move toward the front when he displaced.
Given your logic, Donerail at 91-1 in 1913 shouldn’t have even bothered to load in the Derby gate… instead, he won.
Odds reflect the opinion of bettors, nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps yes the hope for some is a G1/Kentucky Derby winner or at least hitting the board. No one hopes to finish last (well, at least I don’t know anyone who does). The race is run to see, as I’ve said before, who on that day and that time has the horse with the best trip and is able to win. As Dan Fogelberg said… it’s a chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance.
Maybe you watched a different race than we did???
If you are such a good predictor of who will win, I’ll bet you’ve made buckets on your excellent predictrions?
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