I Want Revenge for the Beating I Took at the Betting Windows!

First off, let me just say that I should have seen this coming. When Joe Talamo leaves Santa Anita on the day of the million dollar Big Cap to ride a three year old at Aqueduct, maybe he knows a little more about that horse's chances than I do.

I was certainly impressed with I Want Revenge's run, as he jumped out early and never looked back. Talamo rode a nice race, and had him positioned perfectly for the stretch drive, leaving Mr. Fantasy in the dust. Jeff Mullins had said before the race that he didn't think the colt was gripping the synthetic surfaces in California as well as he would dirt, and obviously, he was right.
Clearly, I Want Revenge has solidified his position on the Derby trail. All signs point to him running again in the Wood Memorial on April 4th.

As impressive as the victory was for him, I think the more interesting questions focus on the other runners in this race, and where they go from here.

Haynesfield, my pick in this one, finished a disastrous eighth, and looked as if he had no punch at all. Usually the speed, he broke late, ran sixth down the backstretch, and was finished by the turn for home. I would expect we'll still see one more try out of him before the Derby, and certainly he was due for a bounce, but that was ugly. I've watched this race three or four times now (gotta love Tivo), and I still can't find any legitimate excuses for him.

Also interesting here was Mr. Fantasy. He gave the winner a good run for a mile, and was separating himself from the rest of the pack before he tired late and got clipped at the wire by Imperial Council. I know there are a lot out there who think this horse is overrated, and he may well be, but I didn't think he ran all that poorly for his first try against this type of competition. In his first two races, he was never asked to dig in late and came home looking at the whip rather than feeling it. I suspect that after this, and some good duel schooling, he might just have a bit more kick in the stretch next time. I'll be interested to see how he plays out.

As usual, I leave the weekend with more questions than answers.

Here's the Gotham replay: