{"id":1309,"date":"2005-12-16T10:52:56","date_gmt":"2005-12-16T10:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=1309"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"oldbtb_1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/?p=1309","title":{"rendered":"Farewell To A Legend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every once in a while, a racehorse comes along that has something extra, that has the ability to transcend wins and losses and enter into the hearts and imagination of the racing public and join the ranks of \u201cgreat\u201d horses.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Make no mistake, I use the word \u201cgreat\u201d in a careful sense: I\u2019m talking about Enough Knock \u201cgreat.\u201d\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Storm Dog \u201cgreat.\u201d\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Cecil Roo, Joe Cayenne, Stormy Prospector \u201cgreat.\u201d\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The legends.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Allied Assault belongs on that list, and some would argue that he belongs at the top of the list.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P>

\u00a0<\/FONT><\/o:p><\/P>

Today, Allied Assault will make his final start, defending a crown that seems so naturally his: for the third year in a row, he will attempt to win the G1 Penn Marathon. \u00a0<\/SPAN>Trainer kingab<\/I> has announced that this will be his final start; he is slated to be retired after the race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P>

\u00a0<\/FONT><\/o:p><\/P>

Fittingly, Sunnybank Memorial and Rain God, Allied Assault\u2019s two tried and true rivals, will be on hand to square off in a rematch of the epic that was the Breeders\u2019 Bowl Turf.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Jupiter\u2019s Moons, a three year old with big dreams and high hopes, instead arrives in Pennsylvania<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> looking to follow Allied Assault on the rarely-traveled path to true greatness.<\/FONT><\/P>

\u00a0<\/FONT><\/o:p><\/P>

A handicapper likely wouldn\u2019t be picking Allied Assault to visit the winner\u2019s circle today, but it\u2019s a dangerous game, betting against greatness: do so only with the greatest of caution.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>That said, lets take a look at the entire field:<\/FONT><\/P>

\u00a0<\/FONT><\/o:p><\/P>

The Penn Marathon<\/st1:place><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/B><\/P>

Grade I
A mile and one half
Firm Turf
$1,000,000
All horses, 3 years old and up <\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P>

<\/SPAN><\/P><\/DIV>

PP\u00a0<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/B><\/P><\/TD>

Horse ID\u00a0<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/B><\/P><\/TD>

Horse\u00a0<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/B><\/P><\/TD>

Owner\u00a0<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/B><\/P><\/TD>

Jockey\u00a0<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/B><\/P><\/TD>

Odds\u00a0<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/B><\/P><\/TD>

Comments<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/B><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

1<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

33922<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

EXBOURNE’S PHANTOM <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

degas <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

J Neat <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

28\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

This guy, while well bred, is at best suited to small stakes or classy allowance races.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s helplessly overmatched when facing some of the most talented horses to travel the turf.<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

2<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

22321<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

RAIN GOD <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

kevoman3 <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

J Piotrowski <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

3\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

Long suspected by some observers to be the most talented of the \u201cBig Three,\u201d he justified his backers when he bested Allied Assault and Sunnybank Memorial in the Breeders\u2019 Bowl Turf.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The only problem was that a member of the younger generation, Horseshoe<\/st1:PlaceName> Bay<\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place>, outdid them all.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>There is no Horseshoe<\/st1:PlaceName> Bay<\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place>, and one would have to logically assume that Rain God is poised to fill his spot and stake his claim as the best, especially since he validated that form when leading home Sunnybank Memorial and Allied Assault in the Japan Classic last time out.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The story, however, is again more complex than that, since the three runners finished 2-3-4, well beaten by the three-year old, Jupiter\u2019s Moons, who is back for another crack at the big guns today.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He always runs his race, but he\u2019s found two horses who ran the race of their lives. <\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

3<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

40608<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

WAY COOL JR. <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

sdmforlife <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

S Goganious <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

9\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

Not that its impossible, its just extremely unlikely that a speed type over 8 furlongs of fast dirt is going to be able to handle 12 furlongs, on the lawn, against the\u00a0 <\/SPAN>best in training.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The odds are ridiculously low in this case, especially with so much stacked against him.<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

4<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

15053<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

CARELESS <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

crazyjoe <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

N Bedford <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

11\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

If a three year old has an impact in this race, it will not be this three year old.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>As a speed influence, he\u2019s most significant here as a de facto pacemaker for the big guns who will be coming late.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

5<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

62822<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

D. C. SAVAGE <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

dandcstble <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

T Sterling <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

29\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

Dancdstble <\/SPAN><\/I>was overheard saying \u201cMy horse has no chance but to finish up the track.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>However, to run in the last race a legend is in, is a dream of itself.\u201d\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He accurately assessed his horse\u2019s chances, and articulated the appreciation we all have for the big horse.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

6<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

24345<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

ALLIED ASSAULT <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

masterab <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

S Camp <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

3\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

And here\u2019s the big horse himself.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>39: 22-11-2, for $9,208,640 and 12 G1 wins.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He comes into this race off of three straight losses, but a loss like he suffered in the Japan Cup hardly seems significant enough to count him out of this one, especially considering how often these big horses have beaten each other over their long shared histories.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Win, lose, or draw, this is Allied Assault\u2019s day.<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

7<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

77537<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

TITLE DUKE <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

johnno1 <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

D Hinnant <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

8\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

Fits squarely into the 2nd<\/SUP> tier of the turf division, but he\u2019s a very obvious cut below the best, and he\u2019s found nothing but the best here today.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Look elsewhere for more vale or more realistic chances, but don\u2019t forget to include this one to possibly step up to round out a trifecta.<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

8<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

85429<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

SUNNYBANK MEMORIAL <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

sunnybank <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

Q Miller <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

3\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

Impressive even in defeat, he\u2019s one of the most popular horses in training, and his rivalry with Allied Assault will not be soon forgotten.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>There\u2019s no logic anymore to picking a winner out of the mess that is the top of the turf division, except to note that there are only four in this field with a realistic chance to win the race, and this is one of them.<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR>

9<\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

6209<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

JUPITER’S MOONS(IRE) <\/SPAN><\/B><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><\/TD>

coolk <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

R Smith <\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/A><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

5\/1<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD>

After playing second fiddle to Horseshoe Bay most of the year, he imitated that more prolific rival by trouncing the \u201cBig Three\u201d last time out in the Japan Cup, which, when taken in conjunction with his Japan Cup, put him squarely in the mix for this one.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s a possible heir to Allied Assault\u2019s position in the turf division, and should he again pull of the win, we would be witnessing a passing of the torch of kinds.<\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Allied Assault a Sentimental Favorite in Rumored Career Finale<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":369,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1309\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}