Kerry Thomas on Fierceness

[shoes]

May 5, 2024 12:07:38 GMT -5 thebobtailnag said:

Shoes, in the past 60 years we've both seen a lot of C and D type horses beat us out of some nice tickets - it's why we keep coming gave for more abuse.

I didn't mean to call him a C+ horse, just that was what Kerry Thomas evaluated him as. I saw his full reports after the fact and can't say it was very impressive analysis. A lot of hedging.

[thebobtailnag]

shoes - I had no intention to question your comments and knew exactly what you meant.

[Deleted]

May 5, 2024 13:23:23 GMT -5 shoes said:

shoes said:
a lot of hedging


i agree with the above in terms of 
nothing in black and white
i paid for it friday night and read very little of it

because i kept thinking of my
cat of 16 years
she was the most devoted, ferocious being
i have ever met (well, maybe knot
including the vietnam
killer marine who gave her her nickname.
but she out-lived him)

i knew within 30 minutes i didn't have to read it all 
but the ideas i got would help me in the future-
i thought just for this series but
actually, i realize,
forever.

i know it was money well spent

[mysaladdays]

May 4, 2024 14:16:13 GMT -5 @merasmag said:

ps-i think msd
wood LOVE
this

Well I was ahead of the game, because I bought Kerry Thomas's book back in 2012 before he ever started putting out his reports for Brisnet.   I'm pretty sure it was at least 4-6 years before Brisnet picked him up. 

I was and still am "internet friends" with the co author, who is a very good pedigree consultant, and he had Animal Kingdom back in December December of 2010, 5 months before AK ever won the KY Derby.  

I have a hard copy in my horse racing library.   The book was so ahead of it's time, and seemed that few in the U.S. were interested, i.e. the idea that horses have an emotional and psychological makeup that is very important in the way they use space, energy, etc.    

The book is probably out of print, which tells you a lot about how people think about these things. They are busy reading about speed figures. and  such I guess.  

I thought it was a fascinating theory, so I bought the book when Mr. Carter told me about it.   The idea that it's not just about speed and workouts but that a horse's "mental capacity" could be identified and then "conditioned" toward a given goal

Seems like Ray Paulick was one who wrote about the book in 2012 and reviewed it:
paulickreport.com/news/people/new-book-teaches-readers-how-to-motivate-equine-athletes

And many equestrians had an interest:
christinakeim.com/2014/12/03/book-review-horse-profiling-the-secret-to-motivating-equine-athletes/

www.amazon.com/Horse-Profiling-Conformation-Behavioural-Performance/dp/1908809019?ref_=ast_author_mpb

[Deleted]

sweetness
hava great week

[shoes]

Oh- I definitely think there is a science to it, but my pure guess is that Kerry felt pressure as years went on to pick winners (even though he doesn't do that per se) to compete product-wise with everything that's out there. Most of us have observed over the years that some horse are front runners and other are herd animals who will "hang" when they get to the front. Kerry has gone well beyond these simple observations. I have purchased it in the past probably 3 times and seen it probably another 3 times after the race was over. I'm just not sure it's a great handicapping tool in picking likely winners. I also exchanged a couple of emails with Peter Denk a few years ago (Kerry's former? partner)

[shoes]

I would add that some of the best handicapping insights I have gotten over the years has been right here on this board.

[vagrant]

Kerry Thomas started with Brisnet in 2013. Got off to a great start. His first- or second-rated horse won from 2011-2018. No bueno since.

This year's iteration is the first without Pete Denk, an actual journalist who kept Kerry's observations grounded, like a tether to a hot air balloon. His influence was sorely missed this year, imo.

[cherokeescot]

Thanks Mark for this valuable insight. Instead of Kerry Thomas next year everyone will be looking at what Kaitlin Free has to say !

x.com/agentes305/status/1786787409956381091?s=46