forget Summer Bird for a minute. Who Was Better Dunkirk or Mine That Bird?

[Bobby Fischer]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

I don't think the pace was as demanding as the fractions indicated. Charitable Man continued on okay while four lengths back after a quarter and two and half lengths back after a half. Even Summer Bird was fairly close up through the opening half.
...

I think this type of looking at the pace by "where they finished" is tricky in a race like this.

I'm not saying it is definitely wrong to do (and you can see I didn't include quote some of the other supporting strong arguments about how the track was playing.)

the problem I have is that one way of looking at the race is that most of the best horses were up front. Them being successful is still very possible whether they all went too fast or not.-The only really good horse far enough off the pace was Mine That Bird, and he had a problem with moving too early.

Dunkirk's fractions(after we adjust for how fast the track was) were borderline between too fast and fine. That is what makes it difficult to call. If they had been a lot faster it would be obvious and the horses up front would really be paying a price late.