2024 HoF

[brunanas]

Gun Runner, Justify, Joel Rosario Among 17 Finalists For 2024 Hall Of Fame Ballot
https://paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/ ... ame-ballot

The finalists are racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude, Gio Ponti, Gun Runner, Havre de Grace, Justify, Kona Gold, Lady Eli, and Rags to Riches; trainers Christophe Clement, Kiaran P. McLaughlin, H. Graham Motion, Doug F. O’Neill, John W. Sadler, and John A. Shirreffs; and jockeys Jorge F. Chavez and Joel Rosario.

[Tessablue]

[here's my requisite annual post bemoaning the indefinite exclusion of Shared Belief]

[Curtis]

[here's my requisite annual post bemoaning the indefinite exclusion of Shared Belief]

It’s amazing he accomplished what he did given, as the old saying states, if not for bad luck he’d have had no luck at all. Had he won the BCC in 2014, it would have changed history. He would have been one of only three 3yo’s to win the Eclipse in a year in which another won two Classics. Shared Belief would have been in the HOF already. Instead he gets knocked out enough by his prep to keep him from winning and then his injury less than a year later and then the colic.

[BaroqueAgain1]

I will also add my regular lament that Game On Dude never got the respect he deserved. That gelding was so good, for so long, and turned in some tremendous performances, especially the 2014 Santa Anita Handicap where he beat both Classic winner Mucho Macho Man and 3yo champ Will Take Charge. Only because he didn't do well enough in the BC Classics, he got passed over when he should have earned an Older Male Eclipse sometime during his career.
I really hope he gets the votes for the HoF.

[brunanas]

[here's my requisite annual post bemoaning the indefinite exclusion of Shared Belief]

It’s amazing he accomplished what he did given, as the old saying states, if not for bad luck he’d have had no luck at all. Had he won the BCC in 2014, it would have changed history. He would have been one of only three 3yo’s to win the Eclipse in a year in which another won two Classics. Shared Belief would have been in the HOF already. Instead he gets knocked out enough by his prep to keep him from winning and then his injury less than a year later and then the colic.

who were the other 2?

[Cigarillo]

[here's my requisite annual post bemoaning the indefinite exclusion of Shared Belief]

Why do you think he keeps getting passed over?

[Curtis]

[here's my requisite annual post bemoaning the indefinite exclusion of Shared Belief]

It’s amazing he accomplished what he did given, as the old saying states, if not for bad luck he’d have had no luck at all. Had he won the BCC in 2014, it would have changed history. He would have been one of only three 3yo’s to win the Eclipse in a year in which another won two Classics. Shared Belief would have been in the HOF already. Instead he gets knocked out enough by his prep to keep him from winning and then his injury less than a year later and then the colic.

who were the other 2?

1972 Key to the Mint—Riva Ridge won Derby and Belmont
1994 Holy Bull—Tabasco Cat won the Preakness and Belmont.

[Curtis]

[here's my requisite annual post bemoaning the indefinite exclusion of Shared Belief]

Why do you think he keeps getting passed over?

This isn’t my criteria, but I suspect it’s because he only had partial seasons and a short career for a gelding. Compared to Flightline, though, he was Seabiscuit and something tells me Flightline gets in when the time comes. Maybe when (if) Game On Dude gets in, Shared Belief will at least become a finalist.

[Izvestia]

[here's my requisite annual post bemoaning the indefinite exclusion of Shared Belief]

Why do you think he keeps getting passed over?

This isn’t my criteria, but I suspect it’s because he only had partial seasons and a short career for a gelding. Compared to Flightline, though, he was Seabiscuit and something tells me Flightline gets in when the time comes. Maybe when (if) Game On Dude gets in, Shared Belief will at least become a finalist.

Haha, or compared to Justify who won the TC, raced all of 6 times in a career spanning 5 months. But the TC is the holy grail … who had a positive test for a drug in a race that qualified him to be in the Derby. This sport is, something.

[Diver52]

Justify and Kona Gold here. I agree that Shared Belief was a rare talent (I visit his grave when I go to Del Mar) but not sure his body of work should qualify. He was star-crossed in so many ways.

[Danniwolfe]

Then by that flightline should never and justify shouldn't either

[Curtis]

Why do you think he keeps getting passed over?

This isn’t my criteria, but I suspect it’s because he only had partial seasons and a short career for a gelding. Compared to Flightline, though, he was Seabiscuit and something tells me Flightline gets in when the time comes. Maybe when (if) Game On Dude gets in, Shared Belief will at least become a finalist.

Haha, or compared to Justify who won the TC, raced all of 6 times in a career spanning 5 months. But the TC is the holy grail … who had a positive test for a drug in a race that qualified him to be in the Derby. This sport is, something.

Indeed it is…….

[Curtis]

Then by that flightline should never and justify shouldn't either

That’s true, in theory, but it’s a case by case basis. An *undefeated TC winner is going into the HOF. So is an undefeated HOY who was untouched during his infrequent races and ended his career beating a pretty good BCC field for fun. I think the 2011 male foal crop was pretty loaded for current standards. It produced a dual Classic winner who also was named HOY twice. When he was on a break, Honor Code stepped in and was the Champion Older Dirt Male. Tonalist was highly accomplished and then there was Bayern who people will always look sideways at but still was a really, really nice horse. Without hesitation, I would say Shared Belief was the best horse of that crop. Dorf probably wouldn’t have kept him going for years and years despite Shared Belief’s lack of equipment but it would have been fun to have seen him have a full campaign as a 5yo. What’s the old saying, “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts……?” Amend it to say that the little Candy Ride would be in the Hall of Fame.

[Tessablue]

G1 wins at 2, 3, and 4 from 7-10f on two different surfaces, two of them at 3 against elders (including one of this year's nominees, and an extremely rare accomplishment on its own), beat a future HOTY (and Hall of Famer) on the square in one of the best matchups of the modern era. The fact that he achieved so much yet is still viewed as such a sad snakebit "what-might-have-been" story speaks to how good he truly was. As Curtis said, he would definitely be in the HOF (and in more discussions of the best of the best) with a win in that Classic, which is kind of wild, because after the race it was generally agreed-upon that he had no chance to win it and did well just to run fourth. Racing is such a fickle game...

[thinair]

I would trade my vote for a vote for horses and people that should not be nominated anymore...like Rags to Riches.

[Slewfan2]

Gulch never getting in is disgraceful

[Curtis]

I would trade my vote for a vote for horses and people that should not be nominated anymore...like Rags to Riches.

So you mean to say Rags to Riches hasn’t gotten any faster year after year of being nominated? I’m really not picking on her, it’s just odd to me, based upon my understanding—which is usually limited—that there is no limits as to how many finalists can be inducted in a given year. I remember when all I could do was rage against the machine on the interweb about Cougar II. He’d be a finalist one year and not the next. He finally got inducted but I’m pretty sure it was after Charlie passed and maybe even Mary Bradley. My point always was he didn’t get any faster or slower years after even he had passed. He was either a HOF’er or he wasn’t. Similar for Ancient Title who you probably voted for Andy.

[stark]

20 years ago Kent Desormeaux was inducted into the HOF.

Hmmmm, maybe they need to change/update some rules?

Not saying he isn't worthy, nor any horse or trainer that's been overlooked, it's just an odd place imho.

[thinair]

I would trade my vote for a vote for horses and people that should not be nominated anymore...like Rags to Riches.

So you mean to say Rags to Riches hasn’t gotten any faster year after year of being nominated? I’m really not picking on her, it’s just odd to me, based upon my understanding—which is usually limited—that there is no limits as to how many finalists can be inducted in a given year. I remember when all I could do was rage against the machine on the interweb about Cougar II. He’d be a finalist one year and not the next. He finally got inducted but I’m pretty sure it was after Charlie passed and maybe even Mary Bradley. My point always was he didn’t get any faster or slower years after even he had passed. He was either a HOF’er or he wasn’t. Similar for Ancient Title who you probably voted for Andy.

I didn't have a vote then, but my love for Ancient Title is unlimited.

[Curtis]

I would trade my vote for a vote for horses and people that should not be nominated anymore...like Rags to Riches.

So you mean to say Rags to Riches hasn’t gotten any faster year after year of being nominated? I’m really not picking on her, it’s just odd to me, based upon my understanding—which is usually limited—that there is no limits as to how many finalists can be inducted in a given year. I remember when all I could do was rage against the machine on the interweb about Cougar II. He’d be a finalist one year and not the next. He finally got inducted but I’m pretty sure it was after Charlie passed and maybe even Mary Bradley. My point always was he didn’t get any faster or slower years after even he had passed. He was either a HOF’er or he wasn’t. Similar for Ancient Title who you probably voted for Andy.

I didn't have a vote then, but my love for Ancient Title is unlimited.

I’ve said it before but he won two of the most impressive 10f races I was on track to witness, the 1975 Hollywood Gold Cup and the 1977 Del Mar Handicap—which wasn’t really 10f but close enough for horse racing, jazz and government work. The other being J.O. Tobin’s Swaps Stakes. In Ancient Title’s next to last start at age 8 he went 1:08 and change against some pretty salty sprinters at Del Mar. Now back to regular programming.