Hansen...the 2102 Derby and Preakness winner. Without a doubt Maker and Dominguez made the unimaginable happen. How...part one they took the blinkers off so he could see what was coming and going and two, the lack of blinkers made him less anxious thereby not needing to rush to the lead. I know, Pulpit is short on stamina but the Derby is about placement in the field and the Preakness is a virtual sprint for a horse like Hansen. Unless he falls down again we have 2 legs of the Crown in the bag. Now the Belmont is an altogether different animal so...?
I think that Mr Shutty is right on about this grey son of Pulpit. He stumbled and at this level you don't catch up get ahead and stay ahead. Too much energy spent getting to the lead and the soggy track wore him out. He's still a contender with all that speed.
Fort Loudon looks to be the kind of horse that needs to be delicately managed. He has the speed to place himself in the right spot but as they all do, he needs a good break. I like that he's won at 11/16 but I think they need to give him a break somewhere and come back at the right time. Dangerous horse with well timed campaign.
Shackleford inconsistent? Hardly...he's just running at the wrong distance!
Excellent! Hard Spun was a gutty performer and well bred for all surfaces who just came around in the wrong year!
Nehro, Dialed In, Archarcharch, Mucho Macho Man, Twinspired
Good point sjuwill! One of the ESPN writers said something to the effect that with such a wide open Derby...just gimme the one that Calvin's on!
Horses are too expensive and too gingerly trained. Hard work with a true athlete generates the fastest times whether it's horses, track guys or cheetah's that are hungry!
Nehro gets the 10f w/o difficulty...it's just a matter of which rider Asmussen and crew wind up with. Frankly, if Calvin gets up...send out the Derby party invites cuz' #4 is a happenin!