There were questions, lots of questions, but one thing that was always known is that Quality Road is one fine horse. At the bottom of this post is the video replay of The Hal's Hope from opening day at Gulfstream Park. I don't know if he's a better miler then a classic distance runner, but he's talented enough for either and this was a good start to his 4 YO campaign. A healthy and hard running Quality Road will make the older horse division very interesting.
Race 8 Gulfstream Park: The Hal's Hope Grade III; 1 Mile on Fast Dirt for 4 YO and Up.
Quality Road came out of the gate very well and struck the lead early. Spin Master and Le Grand Cru were game and went with him through 6 furlongs. At that point You and I Forever ran up the inside and at the top of the stretch Quality Road and You and I Forever were trading strides until about 1/16 to go and Quality Road just powered away. You and I Forever ran a game second and Congressional Page and Harlem Rocker came in soon after. My pre race favorite Le Grand Cru didn't have it when it needed it against the strong pace of Quality Road, even with very moderate fractions and a final time that was a ho hum 1:36:33. The Donn Handicap on February 6th should be an interesting affair anyway, and with this win I'm sure we'll see Quality Road there.
I didn't like what I saw on the tote board and I was content with a simple win bet on Le Grand Cru that didn't work out.
Have Fun, Turk Out!
5 comments:
I love Quality Road and was very excited to see him make such an emphatic statement so early in the year. Also a big fan of Le Grand Cru, I love his physical appearance, so commanding. Great post, really enjoyed it. I just wrote a post about Quality Road and the older horse division for 2010 on my blog after the Hal’s Hope. It would be great to see him continue to excel the entire year!
Thanks Brian. I left a comment at your blog. I appreciate you visiting the Turk and commenting. I agree, the downturn in the breeding industry is a boon short term for horseplayers. Look how many great 4 YOs we have with us from last year still! I'm excited about Mine That Bird. I don't the little gelding is done, especially on a dirt surface. His throat issue at Saratoga really screwed up the second half of his season. I'm a horseplayer but I'm more of a fan these days.
Thanks,
I really like Mine that Bird as well. I thik he'll be able to pull of a really good 4 year old campaign. He's a gelding too, so as long as he stays fit and healthy we could have him around for awhile!!
Hiya Turk !
I just want to point out that I thought Congressional Page ran a top notch race and I'll be putting him on my GoogleDocs as a Horse to Watch.
As for Quality Road, the sky is the limit !
Knight Sky,
I added Congressional Page to my next race watch list too. I undervalued him and he looked pretty darn good in Grade III company. I agree on Quality Road, if he's managed well, he could be a real wildcard. Do you like him better at sprints or routes? I think I like him significantly less at 8.5 furlongs and beyond but I'm not sure thats a rational position yet.
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