Hi Cov,
For one thing, the Big A turf course has never produced fast times.Must be Jamaica Bay seeping in.The training of BB is not following Tricky\'s normal mo which is apparent to all who follow his training regimen.
While not a real \"driller\", like say Baffert, Tricky will fairly often tell the boy(girl in this case) to get some air into their lungs, i.e. let them run some.BB is being handled very very gingerly imo and there are real good horsemen I know who believe BB went into the Belmont and the Haskell under trained.
With all the rain today and more predicted later in the week, there is a pretty good chance that BB may face a turf course with give. BB is definitely a horse that likes to hear his feet rattle on firm going. I mentioned this concern to the racing manager of Paul Pompa, pre Belmont given the sandy cuppy nature of that surface. AFTER,the Belmont, Iavarone offered up one excuse being BB did not like the surface, really?. I know he handled a firm turf course at the SPA,along with tight dirt surfaces at GP, CD and Pimlico, Mon.
They say BB is fine, but I did not see the same horse in the Haskell, regardless of his fig, and his training regimen is suspect. I think he needs to race better than his last to win on Saturday and a slow or boggy course will get him beat, imo.Have not seen if he is facing anything that can run though.
Mike
