I stayed up late and watched the 2010 renewal of the Japan Cup to watch Buena Vista draw away from Rose Kingdom to win, however she was disqualified for something a lot less than this.  Can\'t remember why she was DQ\'d but it was something very surprising.  So I was pretty sure Orfevre was to be moved up here, but the Japanese stewards said no.  Seems like I heard once that there are like 24 stewards that vote on these decisions, leading to 20 minute inquiries?

By the way, I needed Orfevre, too.

So the question begs, will there be a 3 month investigation that will lead to the ultimate firing of the chief steward in California...like there was in Kentucky.  I had Questing featured prominently in my superfectas believing her to be lone speed. Many others did, too.  Lots of money down the tubes on something that could have been prevented.

Somewhere John Veitch is pointing and laughing at the TV. First thing I thought of when the field entered the first turn.

I, too, like Fed Biz in the Dirt Mile. I felt like these types of races were in his future when he blitzed the same distance back earlier in the year at Santa Anita.  I think the key with this horse winning the Mile will be his ability to rate off of what I believe will be a faster than par pace, what with Emcee, Tapizar, Shackleford in the early mix. What intrigues me most about this son of Giant\'s Causeway is the \'third off the lay\' angle.  He paired up his comeback effort last time in the Indy Derby and I think he\'s capable of exploding Saturday.

Any thoughts about In Lingerie in the F&M Turf? Her numbers, in my opinion, are surprisingly competitive with this group.  I\'m wondering, with the lack of early speed in this event, will the TAP camp decide to send her early from the poor post in hopes of getting a 1w1w trip and soft fractions.  I\'d think that she could wire this thing by going 47 and 1:11 with a two length lead turning for home. Her Kee poly efforts indicate that the switch to turf is well within her realm.

I find Gantry interesting in the Sprint. Last time, in Louisiana, he was trapped down along the rail chasing a slow pace set by the useful sprinter Delaunay before angling out and having nothing to offer to catch the aforementioned winner.  Perhaps he was still recovering from the monstrous effort at Calder earlier in the summer and the two months rest since that rest could be all the doctor ordered for this guy to fire his best shot once again. He has proven that he can race at any track successfully, with big efforts at Belmont, Churchill, Calder, and Fair Grounds.  I think he will be overlooked with his unknown connections (Faucheux) and may get sent off at 12-1 or so. I think his chances of winning or even hitting the board are much greater.

Lets get back to handicapping as Keeneland opens on Friday and this Kentucky boy is very glad to see the doors open after a month of horrific Turfway fare.

I\'ve always kept a mental note to keep an eye on Charlie Lopresti runners off of huge efforts.  I think sometimes his runners will regress off of monster efforts and short turnarounds.  Now, obviously Wise Dan is a special animal with probably the most talent of any horse that Lopresti has ever trained, but he has turned in four monster efforts this year (2 on turf, 1 on dirt, 1 on poly).  And as TGJB has warned us over the years, those huge figs can take a toll on a horse over time.

To add fuel to the fire, I recall a TGJB lesson on how horses will sometimes miss the break or bear in, bear out, etc when they are \"over the top\".  For example, I Want Revenge\'s near disastrous break from the gate in the Wood Memorial foreshadowed his subsequent injury that led him to be declared from the KY Derby.  Well, Wise Dan was designated with the \"op\" last time and it makes me wonder if now is the time to take a shot against him on Saturday.

And last but not least, Dan is 0 for 1 on the Keeneland turf, finishing 4th last year behind Gio Ponti in the same race (probably a tougher spot than this year\'s version).

All this adds up to me taking a shot against Wise Dan in horizontals.  Will likely include Dominus, Data Link, Worthadd and Corporate Jungle.

Thoughts?

Congratulations, Mr. Covello. You are a credit to this sport and I very much enjoy hearing your take. As the Breeders Cup approaches, I hope you will not be a stranger to this board. Your opinion is highly appreciated by ME.

I heard he\'s out.  Nothing solid yet.  Not working right.

Numbers and pedigree aside, I like this horse a lot just based on what Chad Brown is telling us.  He\'s not the type to stick his foot in his mouth.  I say he\'s a must use on that premise alone.

Why in heaven\'s name is Monmouth running a 9 furlong Grade 2 $200,000 turf race one day after the Grade 1 Manhattan, which is a 10 furlong turf event?  I realize that this sort of thing happens in our game more than it needs to, but it would just seem to me that common sense would dictate that the people at Monmouth would know to place this stakes somewhere else on the schedule. I mean...we\'ve all known for years that the Manhattan is the last race run at Belmont prior to the Belmont Stakes for many years now.  Its 2012 and the racing offices are still to arrogant or dumb to put together a smart stakes schedule.

Of course, I take all of this back if they draw a full field of 12.

Honestly, is any American horse bred to get 12 furlongs anymore?  No sons of Galileo, Montjeu, or High Chaparral in here.  Its probably foolish to debate whether who has the most stamina amongst sons of Flower Alley, Even The Score, Dixie Union, and Awesome Again.

The last two picks were between Daddy Long Legs and Hansen, 1 and 14.  Hansen supporters caught a HUGE break.

Let\'s be honest, after the Eight Belles debacle in 2008, Larry Jones would have been crucified by PETA if he enters this horse in the Derby and he is less than 100% and God forbid, something happens to the horse.

Barclay Tagg said, in the case of Funny Cide, that if a horse doesn\'t truly care for the surface, then the horse will get hind end sore from galloping and working over it.  He believed that if you ship in a few days before the race, then the horse will not get sore and either he will like the track and run his race or not like the track and run up the track.  I believe he shipped Funny Cide in on the Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday before the race???

Does anybody here have any sentiment toward El Padrino, especially in light of the pedestrian workout today in south Florida?  David Grening of the drf believes the horse hasn\'t looked right since his Risen Star Stakes triumph and today\'s :53 and change performance did nothing to change his mind.

I was excited when El Padrino\'s sheet first came out last week.  He is obviously fast enough to be a contender in this race with the number in the last 3 spots and in reality, he doesn\'t have to improve all that much to win this thing, especially with a ground saving trip.

He is eerily similar to two other noted Pletcher board bombs with Invisible Ink in 2000 and Bluegrass Cat in 2006.  Both horses rebounded in the Derby at monster mutuels off subpar performances in the Bluegrass Stakes, while proving in prior starts that they were fast enough to figure in the end.  I think El Padrino fits that mold and I was planning on keying the horse 1-2-3 in my trifecta wagers.

I was curious as to you guys\' thoughts on this one and how you plan to use/not use this one in your exotic wagers.  Is he a toss or should we T.I.T. (Trust in Todd?)

I think Hard Not To Like is an interest proposition, if she goes.  Has the pedigree to handle the dirt (Hard Spun x Tactical Cat mare).  She paired her two year old top in her sophomore debut in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland while chasing a runaway winner in Karlovy Vary. Obviously, she would need great improvement to win the race, but I\'m looking at a potential synth to dirt explosion here.

Looks like there will be plenty of early speed in this year\'s Oaks, and that should benefit her late running style.  I\'d say she, Grace Hall and On Fire Baby are the most likely winners at this point, pending post position draw.