often unconventional ,so take whatever i say with a grain of salt...
1. - I could care less about his momma. - Yes I do care about having a quality dam and female family, but I don't believe there is any "belmont blessing" or extra special thing going on here... Solid to good dam and thats it.
2. - Casino Drive is a class animal. He is good physically. He doesn't have any major flaws. He has been well taken care of. He has a good style. Has a little bit of talent. He shows a response. Looks good in motion. This is a nice horse...
3. - In order to have any shot at the Classic, from my opinion, Espinoza would have to put this guy into a move that would normally be called premature, and CD would have to run the whole drive without tiring.
You don't see those types of moves very often at all. Jockeys with nice horses tend to run with the group and wait until the last possible minute and do as little as possible. I just haven't seen the talent yet that would give Casino Drive any chance with a standard trip.