Some Help

[creativecause]

So maybe it's just because my dog literally just died a few hours ago (honestly I feel like a total brat posting this, I normally never get this emotional about anything), I don't know, but I really would like some help/guidance on these horses. Normally bad finishes don't bug me too much but I'm a tigen of a bit confused on what exactly to do with these two.

Immortal Flight
So he hit G2 and I've been relatively pleased with him as of late. Everyone keeps telling me he needs more experience in G2 fields and that he likes distance, so I put him in a distance race this week and he got beat by Top Admiral who literally just hit G2. While Immortal Flight has run 7 times after breaking into G2 status and none of them have been wins. Not that I have any problems with him getting 2nd place finishes all the time, and honestly I prefer it to last place finishes, but I really don't know what to do with him.

Chatoyant
He really picked it up after his maiden and now he's in a total slump, since he's hit G4 it's like he's incapable of winning, yet alone placing in the money. He's getting beat over his perfurred distance over and over and over again, and he's won against the competition he's facing. I didn't expect him to win the Eagle Cup, but I definitely didn't think he was going to do as bad as he did. I really don't know what to do with him either at this point, I thought he was going to the breeders cup but now I really don't think it's a good idea at all. 

[Kenren]

First of all I just want you to know I understand exactly what you're going through - we had to put my 12yo lab down last summer and it was devastating. And it already sets you up to be in a worse mood than you generally would be in when you look at results and stuff.

Immortal Flight - He's not doing badly - he's just not doing as well as he did last year, but that's what happens when you move up in grade. When a horse grades up doesn't mean as much as their record and consistency. There's not much else you can do about him, really - just remember that every race brings experience, and eventually those non-winning races will help him get those wins. It's a patience game, and sometimes that's frustrating, but that's just the way it works. Set small goals - just work on getting him those couple of wins left to G1. Even if he only gets those two wins before the end of the year, you have a horse set up to compete in a major way next year. You're not doing anything wrong, but some horses struggle a little more than others when they get to higher grades. If you'd like, you could always do some sort of write-up in The Gallop and try to get his name out a little more.

Chatoyant - I'm having the same issue with Phantasm Frost, so I get where you're coming from. Just keep in mind that the juvenile competition is so incredibly fierce this year, and has been since January. That being said, his record isn't bad. I think it's unfair to say he can't place in the money when he just placed second Sept wk 3 - he's facing big competition, and sometimes it doesn't work out. It's not that he's bad at all, but some of the others may just look better. If you feel like he's struggling in HOTY races, do what I'm doing with Frost and put him in a couple of undercard races to build his confidence back up before trying him in more big races. There are still three months before the Breeders' Cup, and anything can happen between now and then. Don't count him out.

[Sammy]

I am sorry to hear about your dog that's the saddest thing as they are apart o the family

With Immortal Flight do not give up I had the same problem with GS SuperCharged and now he's a G1. Race him in lower card races to get the feel of the higher races once he gets used to it Immortal Flight will do lovely this season. Try focussing on the surface requires more I know he's dual surfaced but do what he's done best at. If needed we can do a thread with him an GS SuperCharged if you wish?

Chatoyant is only a juvenile he's still young and progressing nicely. Again try him in lower card races with a field in which you know he will do well in, or his own age races. Like Kenren said try giving your horses spotlight like making articles in the gallop so people can get a better understanding of them. Chatoyant will do better in his 3 year old season do not give up on him. He's got the bloodlines he will show it next year.

[*Ripley*]

I will focus specifically on Chatoyant as the others have basically said everything about Immortal Flight.

Chatoyant is an excellent two year old and he has only lost two races since his rampage. I think he's doing fine. The juvenile division is very concentrated right now due to a high tide of sprinters and low tide of long distance horses. Juveniles tend to go in and out of favor with judges, some struggle to get in favor at all, so Chatoyant is relatively ahead of the game. The horses he lost to in the Eagle Cup were on the edge of grade three and had more winning experience. He'll pick it up, but someone was going to perform poorly with the amount of horses in that field. Unfortunately, it was Chatoyant. Keep working him, but just be aware that competition is going to be fiercer than ever before as everyone gears up for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Dirt Sprint.

Next year, things should ultimately be easier to grade him up and be prepared for the Sprinter Crown which happens relatively late in the season compared to the long distance three year old classics. That is the advantage of sprinters and milers compared to the long distance runners. At least you have time to develop him into a solid runner.