JC / Railbird

Tough Luck

That really was a hard-luck half-length loss for Gio Ponti in the Million:

DRF Formulator fractions for the 2010 Arlington Million

Faster than the winner Debussy at the three latter points of call in the 10-furlong race, but it’s the final time (and the trip!) that matters …

Another for the so-close file: If not for Blind Luck’s nose in the Kentucky Oaks, Evening Jewel would be an all Grade 1 Omnisurface Star after taking the Del Mar Oaks by a half-length over American Oaks winner Harmonious. Instead, she dominates the 2+ITM chart. Not for long, I’d wager.

“It seems like we have the best 3-year-old filly, right now,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer after Blind Luck won the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga. “[But] I hate to make those kinds of assessments.” There’s no reason for him to feel reluctant, not when his late-running filly overcame an absurdly slow pace (:49.45 for the half, 1:14.81 for three-quarters) to take her third Grade 1 stakes victory of the year. That’s the right kind of tough luck:


2 Comments

Jessica,

Are you saying that Gio Ponti had a worse trip than Debussy? I know Gio Point went six wide at the turn, but Debussy was boxed in mid-stretch behind a wall of horses and had to alter course, regain momentum, and was still able to catch Gio Ponti well before the wire. Forget the fractions, Debussy ran way faster than Gio at the end.

Posted by Steve M. on August 23, 2010 @ 3:01 pm

Debussy’s trip sounds so dramatic in your retelling, Steve. I saw a horse get shuffled back on the turn, bide his time, dash through a convenient hole. I think we can agree, though, that it was close, and that neither had it easy.

Posted by Jessica on August 24, 2010 @ 5:29 pm