Can Don't Get Mad prove to be a legit BC Classic contender?

The 4-year-old makes his seasonal debut at CD today in an allowance event around one turn, and there is not a horse on the planet who runs better at that oval...he was maturing into a very solid 3-year-old at the end of last summer when he made a huge move and won the Indiana Derby going away over a decent field in pretty impressive fashion...I was there that night and he was impressive with that big sweeping move to blow by Scrappy T like he was tied down to the racetrack.....

Entertain this idea...Don't Get Mad continues to improve ionto his 4-year-old season, which is very logical based on his pattern, pedigree and the fact that most horses are better at 4 - and he wins today's allowance race and heads to the Spa, where he will probably be a little over-matched against the likes of Flower Alley and Invasor in his second or third start off the layoff....BUT, what if he runs some respectable thirds and fourths in say the Whitney and JC Gold Cup (all hypothetical of course) and is closing pretty nicely in those races......Is he a live contender for the BC Classic with the probable fast pace scenario in that 1 1/4-mile event on his return to his favorite track in the world on the first Sat. in November?....An intriguing thought at the least....

....I know some analysts that measure loss of ground and the fact that he was running in last year's Derby on just a week's rest, and they really believe had he not run in the Derby Trial and not gone so wide in the stretch of the Derby that he would have won last year's Derby with ease.....Now, obvious this is all speculative, but very, very intriguing....Remember, he and Giacomo were almost moving in tandem on the far turn of the Derby until Mike Smith cut the corner and dove to the inside to save ground in his run through the stretch, while DGM went widest of about all and still finished very well to be beaten by a small margin despite losing several lengths on the turn and stretch....

If he wins today, depending on how well of a fashion he wins, he'll probably be no lower than 5-1 in the next graded stakes spot he runs in, particularly if it is in New York....It is very easy to see him not being tuned up enough to travel and beat Flower Alley and Invasor, etc. - but a few solid efforts to show he belongs from a class standpoint would make him a VERY live longshot in the BC Classic at CD at year's end....just my opinion..

..BUT, he has to run well today to show that he is the same animal he was when he won the Indiana Derby last summer in his final start.....we'll see later today...I really can't see him losing unless he gets stuck down on the inside and someone gets loose on an easy lead, which shouldn't happen because there appears to be plenty pace for him....he should beat this group and be on his way to bigger and better things...