IMHO, Calvin is exactly the wrong rider to put on Revolutionary. Now they even have him working the horse against the rail in order for him to \'get used to it.\' Oh boy. If there was ever a Derby horse that needed to run off the rail, this is the one. He is likely to get buried in the Derby with this rider.
Tell me why you think this? Also hasnt Calvins skills really been on the decline?
I can\'t watch the replay of the Withers & agree with this sentiment. The horse was on the rail & buried the entire time, tried to get going a couple of times, was last hitting the top of the stretch and still ended up moving in & out of horses to get up at the wire. For me I think it\'s the race that taught Revolutionary how he needs to run to win the Derby.
Also, the horse has had gate issues (both his own & his neighbors\') so if he can break clean he may be a bit more towards the front rather than always coming from the clouds. It\'s a 3-horse race imo & Revolutionary is one of the three.
Guys, check out Covello\'s comment on the same issue elsewhere on the site. Pay particular attention if the horse gets an inside post. He\'s probably doomed from there.
To my eyes, this horse has some excellent navigational abilities and I think Calvin has just as much skill at navigating as anyone you can name. Personally I see it would be hard for this horse to finish worse then 4th.
If Calvin does his thing and TAP sort of encouraged this thinking, this horse is going to navigate about like Captain Ahab. His best bet would be to circle the field late, but Calvin would prefer to pull his molars too rather than do that. In any case Mylute, who has at least the same ability, earned his better La Derby number (running wider in that race) and is the much more logical value horse in this field.