Some pictures of textbook perfect trips from races on the '08 Derby Trail....
Style of Perfect Trip:
Uncontested lead through soft pace
Rich Young Ruler - at 112/1 odds - somehow found himself loose on an uncontested lead in one of the absolute slowest pace Derby preps in history. He was still beaten 5 lengths by winner Pyro, and finished 2 lengths behind next out Gotham winner Visionaire.
Next time out, Rich Young Ruler ran in an N1X alw race at OP and was bet to 9/5 favortisim. He was sent, but still not quite fast enough to get the lead in this spot, he finished 7th beaten 40 lengths and earned a 10 Beyer.
War Pass makes an uncontested early lead through very slow fractions in his ALW win. He wins easily. Next time out he has some early trouble and is denied the lead for the first time in the Tampa Derby. He finishes last by many at 1/20 odds.