Off We Go to the North America Cup

I was standing outside last fall at Mohawk after a set of two year old stakes and I was chatting with a friend who was thrilled with the two year old crop - could be the best ever - he said. When he asked me my opinion, I said "ask me next September".

Yesterday we had All Speed Hanover lose a race he should have won. He drifted out and could not get the leader. After last week where he had to be asked it was understandable (the winner last night is a good horse), but he certainly does not look as formidable as the colt who paced wide onto highway 27 to win the BC last year.

The fastest horse this year and an understandable chalk for the Cup (if we were betting yesterday morning), Rock n Roll Heaven, jumped it off at the half. He will have to qualify now, which should not be a problem for him, but it is not exactly the way you want to go into a $1.5M race. Ideal Matters won the race, but he ended it tired. Maybe we did see his bottom last week in Jersey.

One More Laugh won at Yonkers, but it was not exactly stunning.

Fred and Ginger won in a wicked time at the Meadows, but he has not shown he is a superstar or anything.

Sportswriter was poor last night, failing to even hit the board, and has not really regained the form he had in last year's Metro. He was not on our short list here anyway, but he has some talent of course.

Woodstock was flat as a pancake last night and has not looked as good as his qualifiers.

Kyle Major wins races, but he wins races. They are not thrilling or anything, just consistent.

Like most years, some others who have two year old talent, like Rockin Image, have fallen off the radar after a bad race or two.

Is it any wonder why nowadays horseplayers are in awe of horses like the Beach or Rainbow Blue? They are fun to cheer for, because they show up and dominate, race to race and year to year.

So, where are we with this years crop? Ask me in September.