Last thursday night saw a lot of trouble: The first Buck Night of the year, the turf racing and Thepointman – were all affected by the rain. In the third event, a rather inexperienced lineup took to the racetrack with two Tony Rengstorf entries. Lambda Nu and Thepointman appear to have worked together for a while, with the latter outworking the former in most of their morning training. Lambda Nu is strictly a front-runner, and one who’d been fading in each of his lifetime starts while still hanging on for three show finishes. One would think a son of Belmont winner Point Given would appreciate a stretch out in distance more than a speedy sprinter (LN), and Thepointman was set as a decent longshot for the night.
When the gates opened, both horses came out fine. However, take a look at the replay – Particularly the first turn.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4iNzBQfELc?rel=0]
While Thepointman didn’t go down, steadying that hard into the first turn took the race completely out of his hands, and left his stablemate alone on the front end with little pressure. It took everything Quote to Cash had in the tank to beat him as the heavy favorite. It appeared that Bobby Walker had all but wrapped up on Thepointman after the trouble and saved his run for another day. I know it’s a stretch but this horse has the breeding to take on a distance of ground and should fare better next time around. Given his lifetime resume it’s safe to say we’ll see a price unless he is dropped to the very bottom rung of the ladder.
Let’s hope for value and a clean trip next time – Thepointman has more to offer than he showed in this troubled race.
This blog was written by Canterbury Paddock Analyst Angela Hermann. Angela Hermann is entering her second year as Canterbury’s Paddock Analyst after previously serving in a similar role at Lincoln Racecourse and Columbus Ag Park. She blogs about both local and National racing.
