Even Stephen in the ROTW

[derby1592]

I like Stephentown. He looks explosive if you excuse the one poor race on an off track. The gappy line is a concern but he usually fires fresh, draws an inside post, gets in light and he can also sit off the likely hot pace. With two heavy favorites, he could go off at a generous price. Anything 6-1 or higher would make him playable.

I think Clergy is the primary danger. He did jump up in his last but he marched down to it easily and he rated kindly in his last, which may be the reason for the improved performance rather than any increased effort. A repeat is not out of the question and the exacta with Stephentown should be generous given that at least one of the two favorites is very likely to be on most exacta tickets. Governor Hickel also looks like he has a shot to hit the board (although we all know that in the U.S. you are not supposed to mix government and religion).

I don’t like the favorites for the reasons described in the ROTW analysis although Mayokovsky scares me a lot more than Cashel Castle.

It will be interesting to see what the Lukas horse does. His horses are all jumping out of their skin in Kentucky. Must be something in the water...

Good luck to all.

Chris