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Maxilon, a belated thanks for the reply!
Because I have been such a fan of OB since 2004, her win was the moment of the day for me. Along with a friend I managed to sneak in to the pricey-seat section just above the finish line to watch that race. I have to tell you that the entire crowd, not just the English or Europeans, gave her a great ovation as she came in to the winner’s circle. She’s a great one and it was a thrill to see it, even at 6-5!<br>I still haven’t processed the entire day fully- lots of excitement and great sadness too. The classic was great- Bernardini made his move, and just when I thought he was about to run off with it, there was Invasor. His trainer deserves a lot of credit. By the time the race went off I thought Bernardini would probably win given his post and the fact that the other 4 dirt races were won by horses running on the rail. Guess I forgot that the really good ones always overcome the track bias!<br>Surprising results overall for the Europeans on grass- many people favor them in BC races (with good reason!) but especially when it is at Churchill. The Mile was a much bigger surprise to me than the Turf, though.
Maxilon, too bad you couldn’t be there. Have you ever come over for a BC?
davidjohnson and ultimate nightmare- that was my first in-person BC. And while I understand the " still trying to forget" I have to say, I can still remember how breathtaking he was- he was flying at the end. Shame he had so much to overcome.
Anyway, I have been in Kentucky the past few days, went to workouts this morning; getting really excited for Saturday. My sentimental favorite for the day is of course Ouija Board. I am looking hard now at some of the under-the-radar Europeans- What does anyone think of Rob Roy? Echo of Light? Satulagi? I think she outclasses all of the Americans…<br>Good luck to any of you who are betting! ÂÂÂ
Max, I agree with you there. On the basis of the Beverly D at 1 3/16, he might have gone to the F&M Turf if it were 1 1/4. I really like Gorella, so I am glad she will probably go in the Mile, but watching her, and OB, and Wait a While (with a similar late kick) would have been great.<br>
Oh, I think she’ll be favored, or perhaps co-favored, depending on which Europeans come for the Mile. She has all the pluses you mentioned, and she is game. She was third last year, by only 3/4L. I should say though that her trainer (Patrick Biancone) has not absolutely committed her to the Mile. He says he’s leaning that way but "why decide now when I can wait till next week?"
Sadly for us, he’s trained by Todd Pletcher, but the good news is, he was a bit ignored after winning his last, when everyone was raving about Nobiz Like Shobiz. Also, his two before that were much better than they looked on paper.
Hello Bulwark- <br>I would expect Scat Daddy to be one of the favorites, along with Circular Quay and Principle Secret. He’s my favorite at this point.  Nobiz Like Shobiz is not going. Great Hunter won his last, but it was on polytrack which is throwing a wrench into everyone’s handicapping. However, his trainer won last year’s Juvenile. I am intrigued by Stormello too.
Opinion on GW is pretty much the same here — it seems alot to ask a 3yo, no matter how talented, to ship overseas, get dirt in his face the first time, on a course with probably tighter turns than he’s seen, on a big crowd day like BC Day. But we’re glad he’s coming! <br>Arguments center around<br>1) Is Lava Man incapable of winning outside California, or did he have excuses for those losses last year?<br>2) Does it matter that Bernardini has never been challenged, never had to go eyeball-to-eyeball?<br>I liked Invasor all year, but he had to miss the JCGC so that’s a negative. <br>Perfect Drift is one old campaigner who could hit the board. This will be his 5th Breeders’ Cup, his previous finishes were 12th, 6th, 4th, 3rd… so his fans are expecting an even better finish this year! He’s a closer and the stretch at Churchill Downs is a long one so maybe…!
In the Mile, Aragorn and Gorella (former French filly) are our top two. She is something special, I was at the Beverly D and she had the crowd gasping. Aragorn can race close to the pace and still accelerate quickly late. He probably wouldn’t like anything softer than good going.
Showing Up certainly deserves scrutiny- but whether he goes in the Mile or the Turf or doesn’t go at all is still up in the air. The Tin Man is out- I’m sorry about that, though I didn’t think he’d win. Cacique (former French horse, full brother to Banks Hill and Intercontinental) and English Channel are the big two-  T.H. Approval is probably a notch below but shouldn’t be overlooked.
In the Filly & Mare Turf, Wait a While is 4 for 4 since switching to Turf this summer. Like Aragorn, she can be close to the pace and still show a turn of foot late. I would have loved to see her, Gorella, and Ouija Board all flying late down the stretch… Film Maker and Vacare are two others with possibilities but I am in awe of Ouija Board, I will be rooting for her, with Wait A While a neck behind.  What other Europeans are coming for this one?  So disappointing that Alexandrova and Pride won’t be.
http://www.ntra.com is a good site to check out– you can see videos (free) or at least highlight videos of most of the preps. Check out the Beverly D! The second-most exciting race I saw this year, the first being the Nassau Stakes (we got it on TV).  <br>
