Just had a chance to really look at Saturday's San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. My initial thoughts matched
what seems to be the common wisdom about the race: that Flashback and Goldencents dueled themselves silly (the first six furlongs were run in under seventy seconds) which allowed Hear the Ghost to swoop in late and pass the tiring duo for the win.
And while there's no denying that the early tactics of the top two choices in the field shaped the race's finish, it would be wrong to diminish Hear the Ghost's victory by simply writing it off as a closer passing tiring rivals. That final half-furlong was run in 6.64 seconds (that's six and three fifths, for all you old timers out there). Pretty standard time for the finish of a eight and a half furlong race.
But look at Hear the Ghost's line. He made up six and a half lengths in that final half furlong. If you subscribe to the old standard of one length = one-fifth of a second, then that means Hear the Ghost was one and three tenths seconds faster than that 6.64. But let's be conservative; lets just knock a second off the time. That means that Hear the Ghost ran that final half-furlong in five and three fifths; that's pretty darn impressive.
I should mention here that Tiz a Minister was also motoring at a pretty good clip in that final half furlong, going from seven lengths back at the top of the stretch to finish just a length behind Hear the Ghost. I believe that it's also worth noting that Hear the Ghost and Tiz a Minister were the only two horses in the field to gain on the lead in that final drive.
Bottom line: don't diminish Hear the Ghost's win as simply a case of a closer passing tiring rivals, as his performance was much more impressive than that.
Peace and Love,
Jimbo
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