2018 Breeders' Cup Classic - Accelerate

[@nkv47]

This Horse always had a big Heart..Today he became a real Champion...

[@GBeret83]

@Norm Vance, I couldn't agree more. I frankly didn't think he stood a snowball's chance in hell of overcoming his post position draw and still beating horses of this caliber. Very impressed with Accelerate's performance in the Classic!

[@raquelbarralescamara669]

I always knew that he has a great heart, a heart of a champion, and yesterday he proved it becoming the Classic winner. He overcame the 14 post (14 is one of my favorite numbers 😋) a complete Classic field, one of the best we had in years, and all the people who said that he couldn't do it. I love him so much and I so proud of him... Accelerate 2018 Horse of the Year ❤️🎉🐎

[@razorback9926]

He gets my vote. I can't support Justify because he never raced against older horses. Justify gets Top 3yo, Accelerate gets HOY (on my imaginary ballot).

[@lired70]

@@razorback9926 True, Justify was fresh. He didn't race as a 2 year old! I have to say that the 2018 TC was a disappointment at least for me. Using Restoring Hope to run interference! Justify would have won if he lost! There were millions riding on this horse, and many more millions if he won! Last but not least, he was partly owned by a Chinese Horse Club! I guess BB really needed an insurance policy, so Restoring Hope it was! Kudos, Justify is up there with the rest of the greats! Honestly, call me crazy, however I really liked Bravazo. He got hung up on the rail. Jockey error?

[@antonioduverge3558]

Accelerates jockey is an artist!

[@pochochofinca]

The great Joel Rosario!!!!

[@rafaelrosariosanchez42]

El mejor Joel Rosario okay

[@Wolfeson28]

Yay Accelerate! I was honestly surprised at the number of people writing him off because of the Awesome Again. Yes he wasn't quite his best, but it looked to me like a fluke rather than a clear downward trend, and he won that race anyway. This time he got a good break despite acting up a little at the gate again, and Rosario was able to do pretty much what I expected with him. A great end to a stellar year.

[@raquelbarralescamara669]

Yayyyyy Accelerate!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️🐎🐎🐎🐎

[@williamdunphy352]

Thrilled for Exclerate and John Sadler.

[@brucedanielmusica]

Gunnevera con el mejor entrenador Venezolano Antonio Sano, falto suerte en esta carrera, consiguio mucho trafico y cuando se le despego el trafico ya quedaban pocos metros para la llegada , fue un segundo lugar con sabor a gloria, grande Antonio Sano, orgullo de mi amada Venezuela, grande el puertoriqueño Irad Ortiz que le saca el mejor desempeño a sus conducidos , grande el dominicano Joel Rosario que gano los clasicos que venció a fuerza de medir bien las carreras y no dar ningún tipo de ventaja, saludos a dominicana también por su gran campeón jinete.

[@blackberrybc]

Gran carrera aunque no coincido contigo corrió muy tranquilo últimos 200 trafico normal, faltaron metros para el tren de florida...directo al pegasus 2019 y por el desquite de Dubai

[@dave1283]

Where is the Triple Crown winner Justify???

[@gunloc26]

Yoshida/Mott/Smith...your 2019 Classic Winner!

[@tigerboy1966]

Christophe Soumillon absolutely flogged Thunder Snow. He'd be suspended for that it Europe but I suppose they turn a blind eye to that kind of thing in the States.

[@wellarmed2014]

Well how about you stay in Europe then. And stay off US websites...like youtube.

[@murphy-2875]

@@wellarmed2014 don’t get all defensive 😂

[@blackberrybc]

Gunnevera Venezuela!!!! Tráiner Antonio Sano 50mts more and winnnnner!!!! venezuela is te best....Castellano...Sano...Coa...Cañonero II

[@wesleythreadgill2173]

blackberrybc wishgunnevera would have won dont like accelerate

[@Wolfeson28]

I have to admit, he was the most surprising horse in the race for me. I picked Accelerate to win, but I just wrote Gunnevera off as hopelessly outmatched by most of the field and figured he wouldn't even hit the board. I won't make that mistake again. He actually gave me a brief moment of panic that he might catch Accelerate before I saw how close the wire was.

[@janicewhedbee5199]

Hoping Accelerate won the 2019 Pegasus in January 2019 but City of Light stole it. Accelerate was my darling boy Miss you big guy,enjoy retirement looking forward to your babes. 🐎💕🌸🐎

[@GBeret83]

Last season when Mendelssohn won the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, he sat handy just off the pace and then made his winning move when it came to the business end of the race. I'm curious why Aidan O'Brien seems to believe that the only chance Mendelssohn has to win on conventional dirt is if he's on the lead? If he can came from just off the pace on turf to win, why couldn't he come from off the pace on conventional dirt and win too? Just sayin.......

[@Wolfeson28]

They're probably afraid of him getting any dirt in his face running behind other horses. It's a reasonable concern for horses transitioning from grass, but after running him on the dirt for a year, it's high time they put it to the test and just see how he handles it. You're right that he clearly can't go wire-to-wire at that speed.

[@GBeret83]

@@Wolfeson28 , Plus he almost always runs blinkered or with a visor, which should help his having to deal with kick back a great deal too. I remember when O'Brien brought So You Think over to run in the 2011 BC Classic at Churchill Downs and O'Brien put a visor on So You Think that day for the same reason. It was the first time So You Think had run with blinkers or a visor since the days when he was still with trainer Bart Cummings in Australia.

[@razorback9926]

I would give him HOY. Justify's Triple Crown is the most tainted ever, he never proved himself against older horses, not one time. The first (and hopefully last) Triple Crown winner to have this dubious distinction. Beating 3yo's has never been the true test of a champion, the true test is winning unrestricted G1 races.

[@razorback9926]

Even American Pharoah never raced as a 4yo, but at least he won the Haskell and BC Classic against older horses, so I'm willing to rank him higher than he probably deserves. But to me, he had nowhere near the career of Cigar or Skip Away.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

Secretariat lost twice on dirt against his elders. Didn't even run in the JCGC. Affirmed finished behind Slew twice. Slew never beat his elders. Neither did Count Fleet. How is Justify's TC tainted? Had he won in 2014, he'd be Horse of the Year. But since AP already did it, he gets penalized since we already saw AP do it. California Chrome was the 2014 HotY and he failed to win the Belmont and didn't win a dirt race again after the Preakness until 5. Winning a Triple Crown is hard to do. That's why only 13 horses have done it. There is a BC Classic winner every year and there was nothing special that Accelerate that stood out over other older horses who have won the BC Classic. Is his season anymore special than Mineshaft? People will forget Accelerate years from now.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

No Triple Crown winner has been denied HotY. Justify will not be denied. Sorry, Accelerate. Your 2018 wins are forgettable like Mineshaft and Invasor.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

13 Triple Crown winners. Winning it is hard to do. While there is a BC Classic winner every year. Nothing extraordinary from Accelerate's 5YO season.

[@razorback9926]

LA Clippers Slew never beat his elders? He won 5 of 7 races as a 4yo in unrestricted G1 races, the truest test of a racehorse (he beat Affirmed twice in those races). As far as who the public remembers/forgets, big deal. Most people today never heard of Cigar or Skip Away. Both were WAY better than Justify and American Pharoah.

[@xystumpy187]

American Pharaoh the greatest horse of all time. Not even close. Would leave justify in the dust.

[@crescentcity3407]

You ever heard of Secretariat ?

[@nov_bl4z3y29]

@@crescentcity3407 yeahhhh, or citation or even ghostzapper (just to name a few)

[@bishlap]

LoL

[@dave1283]

Sham and Slew would each have dusted Pharaoh.

[@BezmenovDisciple]

@@dave1283 5 win Sham was garbage.

[@wesleywesson]

If anyone was betting on Roaring Lion, I'm here for you.

[@jeffj6815]

He was in my busted Superfecta. Guess I bet and win too many longshots in Australia and South Africa...

[@jaac2309]

Why do they insist on running Mendelssohn that way? it´s absurd

[@wesleythreadgill2173]

josé antonio castro i agree he gasses out

[@Wolfeson28]

They're probably afraid of him getting any dirt in his face running behind other horses. It's a reasonable concern for horses transitioning from grass, but after running him on the dirt for a year, it's high time they put it to the test and just see how he handles it. You're right that he clearly can't go wire-to-wire at that speed.

[@wesleywesson]

Wolfeson28 happened to Catholic Boy, dirt in his face he couldn't hang.

[@oslinthompson8182]

To be fair - if you forget The Kentucky Derby, they have tried to run him on the lead as well as just off the pace. I just think Mendelssohn is not as good as his connections believe. I think the race in Dubai where he destroyed the field, flattered to deceive. Perhaps he should be trained in the US on dirt instead of on the "all weather" in Ireland. Out of "loyalty" I bet on him to "show", and for a moment in the stretch I thought Ryan Moore was going to bring him home in third. I know whip use is part of the sport but Christophe Soumillon's use of the whip would have gotten him banned in The UK. It was excessive and even though I had money on Thunder Snow to "show", I am not happy with the way he was ridden down the stretch.

[@bigr6298]

I don't know how you're supposed to handle this horse. I will tell you one thing worst management of a talent of all time. No knock on O Brian he just failed this horse. It happens.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

Don't take the Triple Crown for granted just because American Pharoah won it in 2015. Justify should be the 2018 HotY. There will be a BC Classic winner every year.

[@Kaidhicksii]

First. :D LET'S GO ACCELERATE!!!! You can find all my thoughts on Horse Racing Nation, as I'm not gonna bother repeating them here unless I feel it's necessary.

[@mrgoodbytes4709]

thunder snow could have won, but still top job done by accelerate

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

13 Triple Crown winners. Winning it is hard to do. While there is a BC Classic winner every year. Nothing extraordinary from Accelerate's 5YO season.

[@frostedicepharoah7723]

Wow my horses got 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

[@Wolfeson28]

Could I venture a guess as to your favorite crop of horses? ;)

[@frostedicepharoah7723]

Actually my favorite is 2011, the one that got me hooked on horse racing

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

No Triple Crown winner has been denied HotY. Justify will not be denied. Sorry, Accelerate. Your 2018 wins are forgettable like Mineshaft and Invasor.

[@Owlbet]

Hone up on your Triple Crown / Horse of the Year history buckwheat. Omaha, a Triple Crown winner, lost Horse of the Year to Discovery. Justify WILL be denied.

[@bgardiner3354]

22.68 for the first 2F. The US timing system is a joke.

[@agustins16]

Gunnevera me recuerda mucho a wild take charge

[@eduardourdaneta6473]

gunnevara fuer acorrido mas cerca de los punteros y se los gana...pero buena carrera

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

Weak field

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

Weak field