Smoken Up

[aussiebreno]

Smoken Up probably shouldnt have been in the 09 Inters he had a back injury from memory; go back to 08 where he finished top 4; 2nd from memory but remember top 4 as being BAF, Divisive, Safari and him.

Did I just read that right Dazza. Westerm Cam if he comes back will be one to beat. Does that mean you think he will be number 1 challenger to Smoken Up and ITMQ. Or just another stiff opposition like Rohan Home, Captain Joy?

[Mighty Atom]

It doesn't gel with me that a horse with the ability that Smoken Up is showing now it would take 4 attempts to win an ID and when he does he returns a positive. I know he met BAF at his top but he placed third twice.(not even second). He's developed into this speed machine at the age of eight, able to maintain top speed at any distance.Unfortunately any super performance like he produced last night has to be viewed with a little bit of suspicion - Lance has earned it. I think maybe that all the hoopla and accolades flying about is a bit of a" SMOKE" screen to try and influence the stewards and the public regarding his positive swab, depending of course on the second sample. (cynical)

[Ziggy]

He's developed into this speed machine at the age of eight,)

Mighty Atom, Smoken Up wasnt raced as a 2 and 3 yr old, he has only had five years racing and has always shown natural ability. As I stated before he has struggled at certain tracks and Moonee Valley was a track where he wasn't comfortable yet still managed to win many races there. He has matured into a fine racehorse who enjoys the big track. Im sorry but its not that hard to believe IMO.

[aussiebreno]

It doesn't gel with me that a horse with the ability that Smoken Up is showing now it would take 4 attempts to win an ID and when he does he returns a positive. I know he met BAF at his top but he placed third twice.(not even second). He's developed into this speed machine at the age of eight, able to maintain top speed at any distance.Unfortunately any super performance like he produced last night has to be viewed with a little bit of suspicion - Lance has earned it. I think maybe that all the hoopla and accolades flying about is a bit of a smoke screen to try and influence the stewards and the public regarding his positive swab, depending of course on the second sample. (cynical)

Attempt 1: Solid 3rd behind the best ID horse of all time and the reigning Miracle Mile winner
Attempt 2: Was rushed to get there after an injury and results prior and past to that series show he wasnt at his best
Attempt 3: Solid 3rd behind the best ID horse of all time and a horse who won the NZ Cup/Miracle Mile and whatever else he ran in that year.
Attempt 4: BAF well below his best with age catching up. Kiwis a basket case. ITMQ and Mr Feelgood don't have career CV of a BAF or the current season CV of what Divisive and Monkey King did.

This series; although as a spectacle and the overall depth; was easier to win for all horses barring BAF in the past 5 years. Keeping in mind BAF would have won in QLD has Reactor not 'kicked his gig'.

I dont think anything out of the ordinary has occured with Smokens Up form.

[nat]

Hi Mighty Atom

Smoken Up has been a good horse ever since Lance rolled him out at Cranbourne for the first time. As you can see through his history he has been consistent no real surprises for mine the only difference now he is older and tougher and able to hold onto his form longer this is what those Yanks will tell you about their FFA horses they are older, tougher and battle hardened to go those hard miles week in week out. BAF is the best horse we have seen so it's a little hard to see any horse beating him when he was at his peak.

[triplev123]

I don't see the issue with Smoken Up's performances that you do Mighty Atom. For mine he is straight down the line with his sire and most of his progeny but most notably, Smoken Up is just as fast if not faster and IMO he is mentally & physically tougher/sounder than his sire was. While Tinted Cloud was the dominant 2yo & 3yo of his year (1996 & 1997) in his home State he raced in Maryland & so he was up against very little if any genuine competition. It wasn't until he got a few more years on the clock that he really came into his own as a FFA horse at The Meadowlands...albeit sporadically though because if I recall it correctly I think it was due to him experiencing recurring soundness issues, whatever they were I don't know. I'll take a guess and say Suspensory or Pedal bone. The reason I say that is he's a very big, athletic looking horse, he'd be over 16h, probably 16.1, maybe even 16.2?...there's a big old lump of him there anyway. For the most part those that I've seen by him seemed to start up at mid to more often late 3yrs and then onwards from there, athough we've a nice racemare by him that won 1st up in July of her 2yo season & raced successfully through to 5yrs so every rule has exceptions. The Kiwis would likely be able to tell you a lot more about them than I could.

[Mighty Atom]

I must admit, I'm probably allowing my total dislike of Lance Justice to some degree cloud my judgement of the horse.

[triplev123]

Guilty as charged here in terms of not liking certain trainers/drivers and so not cheering their horses on. I do the same. That being said I do however like Lance. He makes some big statements sometimes, he's a Reporter's dream in that regard, but I like him because if he is in a race it is always going to be worth watching, he's going to make it a contest instead of conceding before the gate even folds back. That speak up and then go out there and back it up stuff is good for the sport IMO. Lance puts the zing into otherwise potentially pedestrian affairs...and that's Ok by me.
I've suggested this before elsewhere and I'll repeat it again here. Pre race I'd like to see a lot more of that Professional Wrestling kinda stuff. It's good copy, it's headline grabbing stuff. So & so says my horse is much better than yours and we're gonna go out there and blow you away or whatever. If it's done in the right way it would be terrific.
Football or Soccer or Basketball or Pro Wrestling or whatever you choose is all about the fans picking a team...or in the case of Racing a horse to cheer for & I honetly don't think we have near enough of that in Harness Racing.
Some pre race trackside Mean Gene Okerlund style interviews are just what the Doctor ordered. Minty Man Number 1 could take the Mean Gene role (his hair is starting to thin out pretty badly from his forehead back) and we could get Hayes to shave his scone to the skin & he could revive the role of George 'The Animal' Steele... only instead of trying to eat a foam filled Leather Turnbuckle...Hayes could cut to camera and have a crack at a bucket of those similarly indigestible Deep Fried Prawn Bat things that they serve up out at Menangle. The sky is the limit.

[Mighty Atom]

I won't continue with my" voice of dissent" as I'm probably boring everybody, except to make one last comment. When you make statements like "if Natalie doesn't hand up I'll sit on the outside of her and beat her"( Miracle Mile) and" my horse will run 1.48 tonight" it sounds to me like you've got more sources to draw from than just your horse's ability. Now I don't know for sure but what I have read from comments from N.Z and Oz is that Lance has returned previous unsatisfactory swabs so he's got form. Everybody seems to be keen to have a go at D.J. Thorn and D.Braun about their horses performances, the difference is they haven't returned a positive unlike Lance. As I've said before just because horses return negative swabs doesn't mean their not on something, but until they return a positive we have to give them the benefit of doubt. It can be a problem at times but I've never been one to take things on face value.

[DAZZA]

I must of been half asleep when writing that comment aussiebreno, I dont see Western Cam as the one to beat, however I know the horse has had a very long spell and has always been penciled in as BAF's replacement. If he comes back I just see him as the type of horse who wont be hindered as much by GP and will be a big player. For a horse who was thrown from ordinary metro racing to grand circuit racing very quickly, he has always (to me) shown the potential to go all the way. ITMQ is the early fav and deserves to be, but the 800m track and the 3 heats in a week will make it very interesting.