Richie B.... Regarding your question if it's possible to regress in prep before BC.....I only know what I read about sheet analysis. It's my understanding that if the form of a horse is good before the one unusually "off" regression, the general rule is to forgive the horse for that off race. Worth noting that 5yo's and older have done horribly in the Classic since 1997.

Regarding Channel Maker, going back to 2000, my review of all the sheets in the archives for the winners and most of the major contenders in the BC TURF who lost by half length or less revealed that pairing a fig in the last prep or progressing by up to 3 points has produced the most winners and close finishers since 2000. Even a regression by no more than 2 pts is acceptable. I'm more of a novice however, so I can only share what I've seen by past sheets for the BC Turf winners and close finishers.