When Two Out of Three is Bad: Real Quiet

[SWC75]

1998: Real Quiet


Bob Baffert was back in 1998 with Real Quiet, a Florida horse bought from a Columbian owner by Michael Pegram. Kent Desormeaux was the jockey. He was an upset winner of the Derby and won the Preakness by a convincing margin, then lost the Belmont by a nose to the well-named Victory Gallop. Many people thought Desormeaux had taken him out too early so he didn’t have quite enough down the stretch. It seems to me that his moving Real Quiet into Victory Gallop’s lane might have lost him the time needed to win the race. Real Quiet won only 6 of 20 races but placed 18 times with a 6-5-6 record.

 

[br801]

I've never faulted Desormeaux for his ride on Real Quiet. That kind of aggressive move to blow a race apart before the quarter pole wins a lot of races, and has proven successful many times in the Belmont. An ultra-patient, conservative ride sometimes lets too many other horses into the race and often ends in defeat as well. When Desormeaux felt the pressure coming late, I believe he wanted his horse to see Victory Gallop coming, as that often re-energizes a horse for a final surge as well as intimidates the challenger.

Real Quiet was a nice horse in an average crop of 3YOs who was denied the Triple Crown by inches by another nice horse in the last jump. He was not an historically great horse IMO. The racing gods got it right here.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Desmoreaux loses the triple crown a nose and people were complaining about the ride in the Belmont? Nobody has any idea how these horses will respond to the added distance, he put the horse out there gave him a great chance to win and just missed

 

[SWC75]

I just think if he doesn't go sideways, he makes up for that nose and thensome.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I just think if he doesn't go sideways, he makes up for that nose and thensome.

Of course, usually sign that the horse was starting to tire. 1-1/2 distance.

 

[br801]

I just think if he doesn't go sideways, he makes up for that nose and thensome.

Conversely, if Real Quiet doesn't come out a bit into his path (perhaps intimidating him a bit and/or slightly impeding his run) Victory Gallop may have won by a greater margin. We'll never know for sure of course (just as we'll never know how much of Real Quirt's drifting was the result of race-riding by Desormeaux or fatigue at the end of a grueling race). I'm sure the stewards were glad Victory Gallop got up and they didn't have to entertain the possibility of disqualifying a horse from a Triple Crown.