What is more important? Getting a win, or getting a shot at a really big purse?
It is so very tempting to enter those big purse races, even if you think your horse may be overmatched. You see that $1,250,000 sitting out there and you start thinking that maybe your horse does have a chance, or maybe there will be a really small field.
I like to think that all of my horses are Grade One and Big Purse worthy. But realistically, that is not true.
In 2009, I'm going to make a concerted effort to accurately position my horses in races that are graded comensurate to their ability. I'm not going to be hypnotized by a large purse and get suckered into entering a race beyond my horses ability.
These are the race grades I see my top horses running at this year:
- Union Jack - Grade 1-2
- Nova - Grade 1-2
- Doomsday - Grade 3-4
- Big Easy - Grade 2
- King of the Sea - Grade 2
- Kid Flash - Grade 2-3
- Lady Katherine - Grade 2-3
Union Jack and Nova are both primarily Grade One horses but will run in a lower grade occasionally if a particular race fits into their schedule.
Big Easy and King of the Sea are both very dangerous horses but may be past their prime. Probably not headliners anymore but should do some damage in Grade Two races. They may see an occasional Grade One if the situation is right.
Kid Flash and Lady Katherine are still on the way up. I see them as Grade Two or Grade Three racers in 2009, but they may move up a notch or two depending on how they perform.
Doomsday still has some gas in his tank, but he is running strictly in lower-pursed races this year. He could be a terror in Grades Three and Four. I'm simply not going to throw him out there versus the top competitiors anymore because he's just not up to it.
So, I'm going for the wins in 2009. As I predicted in an earlier post, 20-25 wins this season in approximately 105 starts.
Appropriately graded races and plenty of rest. Yeah, that's the ticket.
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