BC Classic

Wow!  What a field! Can argument be made--best field ever?  Reason, possibly--better training and so, fewer injuries.  Who'll win it?  I'll handicap post race for myself and look at PPs.  I like to look at best trainers for the top races.  Those would be right now probably Baffert and Plecher.

Fort Larned will try to run them off their feet on the front end. He's shown in past he can do that.  Two things, however:  1.  There are horses in here as fast as he is, and the better chance therefore is that the Fort will spit the bit, and 2.  I dislike Ian Wilkes as a trainer.  Traditional type stuff against innovation will torpedo this horse.

Mucho Macho Man looked like a developing monster in his last race, and Kathy Ritvo earns the distinction on this blog as being the only female trainer I've run into that can train.  Unfortunately for the Mucho man I have to bet  in the end the female trainer knowing little about athletics will have her horse insufficiently prepped. Ritvo will get out competed, although I truly hope it's otherwise and that Mucho smokes 'em.

Two other trainers likely will fall short for similar reasons--D.W. Lukas and Mott.  Likely they'll be training their tried and true, which works when all the rest do the same.  They'll be going against some innovators who I think will win, although Will Take Charge is the type of monster that might well outrun his trainer, and, who knows, Lukas has on occasion roused himself to better training.

And so--the rest likely being outclassed pretenders--I think it will be Palice Malice trying to catch Game on Dude down the stretch.  The older horse should win against a 3 yr. old.  However, unsure about top effort from Game On Dude who last raced in August.  Unsure exactly how smart that is.  This might well be the year Plecher breaks through in the Classic.  and, the more I consider this......