Good Luck sekrah,
I\'ve spent a number of hours evaluating the Preakness and consequently Derby trips and you are correct. Danzig Moon wanted to be closer early and was forced back at least 3 lengths to my eye. He is deserving of play to make this one pay.
I\'m uncertain of many things right now, but I\'m certain of a few too and these I will share:
AP ran his A Race in the Derby, despite what his connections or other trainers think. There was a lot of ducking this race to ambush in the Belmont Stakes and that is unfortunate because some of the duckers were probably better suited to this distance. A distance that isn\'t novel. So many other variables come into play at 12 furlongs.
My Key certainty is that any horse that ran near the rail in the Derby Race was not going to have anything left. I\'ve watched that film at least 25 times and I am certain. One horse ran down in there and finished like he belonged. That same horse was undefeated coming in, had handled Firing Line, in grudge matches and had a bout with the horses curse before the Derby and is now back again. I like Dortmund, he is my Key.
I also agree with you on Mr. Z. He\'s been closer before and will be on my tickets, not to win, but not sure if I may not even put him in second now.
AP is a good horse, but he certainly was monumentally fortunate in the Derby and is now Odds on.
sekrah Wrote:
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> Everybody and their mother is convinced this is a
> repeat trifecta box from the Derby, so I\'m
> obviously going to take one to beat them and
> really throw the verticals in a loop.
>
> Danzig Moon
>
> Thought he ran big in the Derby, horrible trip
> early. I\'m going to key around him, maybe a little
> win bet too, and hope he can hit the board.
> Exacta\'s and Tri\'s should be well inflated because
> of how sure everybody is that nobody else can hit
> the board.
>
> Also lightly using Mr. Z (who also had a wretched
> Derby trip), Bodhi, and Divining Rod to fill out
> the bottom of the horizontals.
>
> I do love Firing Line, so I\'ll probably use him a
> little stronger in combos with DM and see what
> happens.
>
> Good luck.