I know what you mean, Don Guido. I allowed the comments of the "talking heads" to talk me off of Vino Rosso by suggesting that he was only one paced and better at distances longer than a mile. Naturally, Red Wine showed much more pace than he did during last year's 3 year old season and had a very impressive win.
Those comments of public handicappers can cut both ways. I didn't listen enough to those who pointed out the abundance of speed in the Gotham and the likelihood that the pace profile set up for a closer. We saw that happen when the leaders were all coming to a stop near the finish and Haikal, the best closer, took advantage of that to mow them down in a visually impressive performance. I did have Oxy Lady on top as an upsetter in the Busher and think she would have been a winner if she hadn't been cut off by Please Flatter Me while making a strong move in deep stretch.
Both students of Roman history and fans of Bill Mott (I happen to be both) were cheering when Tacitus got a perfect ride to win at Tampa Bay. I think the 50 point win assures him of a place in the starting gate on May 4 - could Bill have more than 1 starter this year, both with legitimate chances?
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