jimbo,

I think you will find a lot of folks using the sheets that factor in pace (or "energy distribution") in some fashion. "Class" is a different matter since most find it hard to define and feel it is probably a derivative of speed and/or pace rather than an independent factor in and of itself.

The example you gave of a msw unable to get the lead dropping into an mcl is a good example of the potential confusion between "class" and "pace." Most pace players would argue that the improved performance was due to a softer pace as opposed to some sort of innate "class" difference between mcl and msw horses.

Similarly, most sheet players would probably argue that horses stepping up in "class" have a hard time winning mainly because the higher "class" horses are faster than the lower "class" ones (and vice versa).

I am not sure this makes any sense but I hope it does.

Chris