Weekend Racing Recap
We only had one major Derby prep this past weekend - the Grade II Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, March 17th.
The Todd Pletcher trained Magnum Moon remained unbeaten with a 3 1/2 length victory. It was his 3rd victory this year and put him in company with Justify as horses attempting to break the "Curse of Apollo". Apollo's win in the 1882 Derby was the last time a horse won the Run for the Roses after being unraced as a 2 year old. Magnum Moon's next race will likely be in the Arkansas Derby on April 14th.
The 2nd place finisher was the pre-race favorite Solomini. Combatant was in the Show position with Title Ready and Sporting Chance racing fourth and fifth.
Can Magnum Moon win the Derby? Of course he could. One of the arguments against such horses winning is that by being unraced at 2, a horse lacks the foundation to race 1 1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May. In Moon's case though, he will have 4 races this year prior to the Derby. Contrast that with several horses who likely will have only raced twice this year prior to May 5th. If they raced twice at age 2 does it provide more of a foundation than Moon's races in January and February? After the Arkansas Derby, Magnum Moon will have had 3 races around 2 turns. He certainly should have the fitness for the 1 1/4 mile. The only question is whether he has the combination of speed and stamina. The fact he was unraced at 2 is not the answer to that question.
Horse racing has changed significantly over the years. The great Secretariat raced 9 times as a 2 year old. He first stepped on the track on July 4, 1972 and proceeded to race twice more that month alone. Three races in one month is unheard of now among the top thoroughbreds. Have the horses changed or have the people running the game changed? Perhaps it's a little of both. Either way, the long held assumptions are changing. Remember when horses needed 3 prep races before they could win the Derby? Remember when that last prep race was at most 3 - 4 weeks prior to the Derby?
Will Magnum Moon win the Kentucky Derby? Will Justify win it? I don't know, but I am confident in saying that being unraced at 2 is not a determining factor.
Politics
In light of the President's recent Tweet storm, it's time for me to weigh in.
Let’s pretend for a moment that Donald
Trump is telling us the truth – he is innocent, no collusion. That is great,
but the fact remains that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has
led to indictments or guilty pleas from 19 people and 3 companies.
This includes 4 former Trump advisers, 13 Russian nationals,
3 Russian companies, 1 man in California, and 1 London-based lawyer. The group
includes 5 people who have already pleaded guilty.
Based on that alone, I would rate this investigation a
success. Are we all in favor of law and order? Yes. Do we want to root out
corruption in our government? Absolutely. Do we really want people acting on
behalf of the Russian government interfering in our election process? Of course
not. You see, this is not a partisan issue. It is an issue of the rule of law.
It is an issue of honesty and integrity.
One would think the President would welcome Mr. Mueller’s
investigation if it rids us of people acting against the best interests of the
United States. Should the President fire Mr. Mueller, it raises enormous red flags,
as ending such a productive investigation would be a clear case of obstruction
of justice.
If the President is innocent, as he forcefully maintains, he
has nothing to lose by allowing the unfettered investigation by Mr. Mueller to
continue.
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