Throw This One Out!

by Ed Meyer

posted on February 12, 2009 in General Discussion, Handicapping | No Comments >>

Last week, Pioneer of the Nile was being talked up like a good thing, Stardom Bound was living up to her name, and we have one runner who needs his last race thrown out.

Put a line through Giant Oak’s fifth-place finish in the Risen Star. As mentioned, he had the worst possible trip for a big, long-striding horse with his kind of running style. With a horse like this, the last thing you want is to get stopped, and he got stopped cold in heavy traffic while making a strong move down the backstretch. In a few strides, he was right back where he started at the back of the pack and forced to start his run all over again. When he did, there was a wall of horses in front of him and Edgar Prado had to bring him to the outside to search for an opening. When he finally found a clear lane, he was way out in the middle of the track, and had far too much ground to make up. He still managed to rally to finish fifth, beaten five lengths. He can certainly make that up in the Louisiana Derby with a clean trip.

He still catches my eye, and I look forward to his next visit to the track. Not only to see his ability, but to get a more than fair shake of the odds at the windows.