The defense never rests - Pace and Cap

Tim Y · 11-27-2008, 12:06 PM

The subtle art of defensive riding seems to be missing these days. One of the master's (Laffit) used to put other riders into blind switches all the time as he did to Alysheba while on Cryptoclearance in Bet Twice's Belmont.

It doesn't always work when the other riders are masters as well: Case in point the 1989 Preakness when Day forced Valenzuela into a blind switch at the half mile pole at Old Hilltop only to see Sunday Silence come around and then force the two of them (Easy Goer and Day) in tight all the way to the line.

Another GOOD, but not great one at it (he holds the record for suspensions at over 250...ONLY GOOD because he got caught more often than the others) was of course Cordero who would PUSH the rules to the point of almost criminality as Codex's Preakness can attest.

It is a subtle and lost art this defensive riding.

11-27-2008, 12:06 PM	#1
Tim Y turf historian Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 6,455	The defense never rests The subtle art of defensive riding seems to be missing these days. One of the master's (Laffit) used to put other riders into blind switches all the time as he did to Alysheba while on Cryptoclearance in Bet Twice's Belmont. It doesn't always work when the other riders are masters as well: Case in point the 1989 Preakness when Day forced Valenzuela into a blind switch at the half mile pole at Old Hilltop only to see Sunday Silence come around and then force the two of them (Easy Goer and Day) in tight all the way to the line. Another GOOD, but not great one at it (he holds the record for suspensions at over 250...ONLY GOOD because he got caught more often than the others) was of course Cordero who would PUSH the rules to the point of almost criminality as Codex's Preakness can attest. It is a subtle and lost art this defensive riding.