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HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS APRIL 13, 2007 by Dick Powell Apparently there are two Barclay Taggs. There's the Barclay Tagg that trained FUNNY CIDE (Distorted Humor) to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1) in 2003. That Barclay Tagg wilted under the media scrutiny surrounding his horse and dreaded the daily routine of answering the same obvious questions each day. Tagg gave the impression that he would rather be living in the manure pit of his stable than give his morning briefing to the media about how Funny Cide was doing. Many misunderstood Tagg's reluctance to speak as a desire to cover up some kind of injury or ailment. The truth is, Funny Cide is a remarkably sound horse that continues to train brilliantly. Tagg was just worn out from the same old questions being asked day after day. In 1989, Easy Goer had just won the Wood Memorial S. (G1). You have to remember that back then the Wood was run only two weeks before the Derby. I was in the winner's circle after the race with a pack of reporters talking to his trainer Shug McGaughey when someone actually asked – with a straight face and great sincerity – what would his next start be? McGaughey, not a candidate to take over for David Letterman anytime soon, looked at the reporter and couldn't keep from laughing. So I could, and do, understand Tagg's recalcitrance in dealing with the media. He certainly has reason to be that way. But along comes NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ (Albert the Great), a homebred from Elizabeth Valando. Tagg has been effusive in his praise of the colt from the day he set eyes on him and rather than keep the bar at a height that he can achieve, he has raised it as high as possible. Is this the same guy? And, more amazingly, Tagg has been dealing with the media with aplomb. He has touted his horse since he made his debut last September at Belmont Park when he won by 10 3/4 lengths going a mile in 1:35 1/5 while earning a BRIS Speed rating of 103. The ever-cautious Tagg then uncharacteristically ran Nobiz Like Shobiz right back in the Champagne S. (G1) where he ran gallantly to finish second to SCAT DADDY (Johannesburg), who recently won the Florida Derby (G1). In the Champagne, Nobiz showed some signs of immaturity and Tagg wisely decided to skip the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and wait for the Remsen S. (G2) later in November. His patience was rewarded with an easy win going nine furlongs for the first time, and the colt went to his winter break with a two-turn win as well as proving he could run with the best of his class. Tagg brought Nobiz back to the races in February, when he promptly won the Holy Bull S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park going a one-turn mile. In the Fountain of Youth S. (G2) a month later, not only did Nobiz get beat, but the maturity and improvement that Tagg was hoping would come from age and experience were nowhere to be found. Nobiz not only had a rough trip but ran greenly. All the promise that Nobiz had shown looked like it was going up in smoke as he continued to run erratically. But Tagg knew that the problem was not only his colt looking around but being distracted by noise in the stretch. He not only added blinkers for last Saturday's Wood but had both ears packed with cotton. Against five rivals, Nobiz drew the rail and Cornelio Velasquez sent him from the gate to join the leaders in the short run going into the Aqueduct main track's first turn. Running with blinkers for the first time and not being able to fully see the horses to his right, Nobiz was keyed up pretty good around the first turn and straightening out for the run up the backstretch into a brisk headwind. With Flashstorm (Storm Cat) and Summer Doldrums (Street Cry [Ire]) to his outside, Velasquez had to maintain his position on the rail or run the risk of getting shuffled back. Nobiz was a bit rank at one point but then settled down and was able to use his natural cruising speed to keep the rail. John Velazquez mounted a challenge aboard Any Given Saturday (Distorted Humor) on the far turn, but Nobiz repelled it rather easily. The final challenge would come from Sightseeing (Pulpit), who was no match for Nobiz in the Remsen last year and had never run better than a 95 Speed rating. Regardless, the McGaughey trainee was coming hard and it looked like he might benefit from Nobiz's early energy expenditure. Sightseeing got to within a half- length with a furlong to go, but the rally fizzled as Nobiz dug in and actually appeared to be pulling away again at the wire. The final margin was a half-length with Any Given Saturday another 3 1/4 lengths back in third. BRIS gave Nobiz a Speed rating of 102, which is about perfect for your final Derby prep. Tagg was upbeat after the race. "I think he was more focused today," Tagg said. "He didn't gallop away by 10, but he had a pretty well-bred horse chasing him." What Nobiz Like Shobiz proved on Saturday was that he can use his tactical speed out of the gate (something that should come in handy against 19 rivals at Churchill Downs), throttle down when his rider wants him to and then kick in when asked for run again. Maybe it's the blinkers, maybe it's the earplugs or maybe it's Tagg's superior horsemanship, but Nobiz Like Shobiz goes to Kentucky with more proven ammunition in his gun than any other contender. Any Given Saturday's third-place finish was disappointing but he had a very wide trip and might still be paying a price for his prior race against juvenile champion STREET SENSE (Street Cry [Ire]) in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3). He has four weeks to recover from this effort and it would be a big mistake to write him off just yet.
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