The Reason is Clear

(MON) February 17th, 2020

3:24 p.m. It wasn't just me. Yutaka must also have been disppointed with My Rhapsody losing in 4th place in Kyodo Tsushin-hai.

Well, the reason is clear, at least to me. My Rhapsody was simply way too behind in a slow pace race to win. Perhaps Yutaka thought that the horse had outstanding instantaneous speed from the performance of his previous race, but Heart's Cry descendants generally perform well in races run in a tight lap, when it's a stamina-consuming situation. Therefore, Heart's Cry descendants do better when the last 3 furlongs take around 35 seconds. The soft track yesterday must have advantaged the horse in the sense stamina was necessary otherwise, he could have lost bigger.

In a slow-paced race, it would become a huge disadvantage if you take the position in the back, as the horse needs to bring out more than the best of its speed in order to take over the others. Remember Seiun Sky and Special Week. Seiun Sky took the lead in Kikka-sho to wrap up the last 3 furlongs in 35.1 seconds, while Special Week ran the last 3 furlongs 1 second faster in 34.1 and not only wasn't he able to take over Seiun Sky, but finished more than 3 lengths behind. The race was run in average pace not slow, but I thought it was a good example.

The End

Caterpillar