JC / Railbird

This Is Not

… something it should be possible to write about the G1 Suburban Handicap:

The Suburban drew a … field of eight, all in search of their first Grade 1 stakes victory.

Grade 1 travesty, indeed.
At least the Suburban drew a field big enough for trifecta wagering, unlike the G1 Mother Goose, which attracted only four starters. Despite the tiny field size, though, this is the race of more interest to me — Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell is easily the best 3-year-old running right now and I am very curious to see how Music Note, who I’ve mentioned here a few times before, does in her first stakes start. It’s worth logging into Cal Racing to check out the replay of her May 22 allowance win at Belmont — while the comment line “4 wide, hand ride,” does capture the essentials of her run, the note doesn’t fully convey the easy dominance she displayed, and not for the first time. The A.P. Indy filly won her maiden (in her second start, after debuting in a super key race) very assuredly and also under a hand ride over the Aqueduct inner last November, before disappearing to Dubai for the winter.


3 Comments

Thanks for the link! Can you really bet against Proud Spell, with only 4 horses, the long shot will be like 8-1??? I’m bad at those guessing games.

Posted by patrick on June 26, 2008 @ 11:34 pm

It’s not a matter of whether you can bet against Proud Spell but a matter of if you can bet anyone else.
The value that would have been there on Music Note in even a six-horse field is completely gone in a four-horse field.
Proud Spell will most certainly be an underlay, but with the short field it’s likely everyone else will be too. The only glimmer of hope for value could come in a straight Music Note-Proud Spell exacta, but I’m not holding my breath.
As for the Suburban, it’s weak this year, but so is the whole division. Hard Spun, Street Sense, and even Any Given Saturday could be whooping up on this bunch, but they’re all in a refractory period right now.

Posted by EJXD2 on June 27, 2008 @ 9:01 am

I think Music Note will beat Proud Spell, but the field size is a disgrace. However, what is the point of the race when everyone is pointing to the Delaware Oaks? The Suburban is sad. Whoever thought that the Cornhusker (Praire Meadows) would draw a better field on the same day? NYRA would be wise to re-establish the old Triple Tiara (Acorn, Mother Goose, CCA Oaks) and reinstitute a bonus, this time based on a points system. The Alabama has no business in the Triple Tiara — it doesn’t need it — and no one, clearly, thinks about the prize anymore anyway. So, remind them and return luster to these great races rather than letting them wither on the vine.

Posted by John S. on June 27, 2008 @ 12:18 pm