[pmayjr]

The little bit of a question mark surround Bernardini in this race on Sat reminds me of Ghostzapper a couple of eyars ago. Why?

Ghostzapper going into the BC Classic had beaten everything he had run into pretty easily (except for St Liam R.I.P.), and people wondered if the calibur of competition had him ready for the BC Classic (remember, he was like a luke-warm 3-1 favorite in the BC Classic that year). Ghostzapper proved he was the real deal by winning that race and the Met Mile easily.

So in that sense, the last of the skeptics for Bernardini can be put to rest on Satruday if and when he wins. If he does win, he'll be reitred for sure (nothing else for him to accomplish, not really going out on a limb there).

But! If he loses, I think it would be in the connection's best interests to try and get him back on track for the Donn and then the Dubai World Cup. That way he could show his accomplishments for the next year and build his resume up some more. Show that he can beat the best the Classic divison has to offer and therefore drive up his stud fee.