Finished Handicapping

[JolyB]

It could also be that none of the entrants have been so dominant as to capture everyone's attention and get them excited. I can't remember when the entire field has had such a low set of Beyers. Some of the final preps have had visually impressive performances but might have been the result of simply beating mediocore fields.

A number of my analyses have concluded, "He's a nice horse and I wouldn't be shocked if he won, but .....". What has followed the "but..." has been everything from "I couldn't bet him unless the odds were a lot higher" or "he is simply too lightly raced to have the foundation and toughness to win such a race" or "his last race was a wonderful improvement and could make him a contender, but was the improvement simply because he took to the synthetic surface.?" All in all, I'm still out at sea as far as betting this race is concerned. I've got 7 or 8 throwouts that I wouldn't bet under any circumstances (of course, last year Rich Strike would have been in that category also). After that, it may become a matter of watching the tote and spreading among several who seem to offer value since I see a relatively weak field without a standout winner. I say all of this believing that Forte is a legitimate favorite and has nothing wrong with him, but the price makes a bet on him unappealing and TT is a very easy horse to root for, but...

More work to do.....