Always Better Too Slow--D.W. Lukas

That's all I got out of the Derby notes this morning--Lukas explaining the painful  looking breeze by Will Take Charge  in 1:01+--always better too slow than too fast.  This is after the horse did a mile in about :13s a week ago.   Can u be competitive in the KY Derby training in :13s?  Doubtful.  Will Take Charge gallops like  he's got a problem.  I noticed a slight stumble changing to left lead on Clubhouse Turn.  Scratch.

Otherwise Derby coverage seems even more miserable than last year--at least what  I've found, and, am other than scrounging for it.  Almost zero vids except a few at DRF, Barn notes mostly omit distances and descriptions of the gallops, although, reading them, you get the impression that we have a bunch of out to lunch trainers this year.  One horse--forgot  which--breezed slow Fri.,  Sat. and Sun off and galloped 6f Mon. Morn.  When I read the barn  notes and the most  impressive trainers are Plecher and McPeek--something has got to give.

Although---as had been noted by Bill Pressey--watching Plecher's horses breeze, indeed, and unllike  former years,  they now appear to be breezing 7 f at least with their gallop outs, and gone apparently are the Plecher days when the breezes went 1:01 and slower.  Light bulb turns on for Plecher,  possibly?  And so, when Plecher  walks Verrazano for two days after the Sat. breeze (instead of one as I would), we here at RR currently give Plecher benefit of doubt.

I am looking at Derby only peripherally.  Maybe there will be some actual coverage as the week goes.

Training:  On the home front we continue to work with #17 under tack.  Our  galloping terrain is difficult, though I think we'll  finally get steps of gallop by end of week.  Horse has suddenly shot up to 15-3.5".  This is big.  That extra half hand means so much in terms of size and scope and weight  carrying ability.