Did Mario Pino cause Hard Spuns loss??

[ArlJim78]

Lets say Pino guns him from the gate and he sweeps around the field and takes the lead on the backstretch. How strong would he have been down the lane? He would have still got beaten. This horse slows down dramtically in the later stages of his routes.

The answer to the original question is neither. It wasn't a clunker and the ride didn't cost him the win.

Heck, you might say that he improved because his beyer came back at 95, same as his first route despite having a more difficult trip.