On the subject of Whiskey what can I say Kentucky is about horses and brown liquor. The subject of pace in the classic isn\'t as simple. I have repeatedly read that the race will have no pace? AP in a cakewalk because of pace advantages.
Some pace thoughts:
Smooth Roller ran with Bayern for six furlongs before taking over. Certainly the horse can run 6F with AP. He may stop and finish last, he may bounce and never get started, yet it is not unrealistic to expect him to be pressing AP on the outside for the 6f+.
The same for Gleneagles. If he takes to the dirt and I think he could due to his like for hard surfaces. Moore cautious about taking dirt is also likely to be pressing AP or AP & Smooth Roller on the outside. He is a proven miler and is odds on to go that far imo.
I like Silver Charm\'s idea that that they send Frosted at least thru the first turn to avoid kickback, save ground and deny AP the one path. Frosted could well be the beneficiary of the pace, getting first run ground saving trip.
I\'ve also read, somewhere, that Keen Ice is a new horse and may be a part of the pace even go for the lead. No that sounds crazy, but, that still sounds crazy. One thing is clear AP is hard to beat by just following him around the track! The trainers & riders must know that!
So the great NY hope lands on Tonalist and Honor Code. Certainly those two and others just run the same race time after time. 7/2 is better than one can normally get on Tonalist. Many and many more will be keying him in the verticals inflated payoffs if he fails.