Pussycat Doll wins the Santa Monica Handicap by four lengths "under a moderate hand ride and a long hold late."
In other words, she dusted the field. For most of the race, she loped along behind a pack of four horses, then found a hole at the top of the stretch and zipped easily to the front. She made even-money seem like generous odds.
Her recent Beyer was 106, compared to her nearest rival's 100.
Six points is where Beyers become really significant.
Pussycat's median Beyer figure was 97 over the last five races. Her nearest rival there was second-choice Squallacious, with a 95, but her speed figs were in decline.
Pussycat's money-won in previous races averaged $101,000 per win. That was an almost 50% advantage on her nearest rivals. In confirmation of that class, Pussycatdoll was was the only Grade 1 winner in the field, and had won two at that level.
Her trainer was Bob Baffert, with a 24% record in graded stakes.
Her jocket was Garrett Gomez, at 21%
She had won 2 of 3 races at the distance.
Her early speed was best in the field, at 43+1, a full five ticks better than all but one of her rivals.
She had won twice at Santa Anita.
In short, Pussycatdoll was better than her rivals in EVERY MAJOR CATEGORY...
And that's what it takes to be a true even-money horse.
1 comment:
Well said.
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