Declan ran well. He deserved to be the favorite in this field, but IMO was not bettable at this price. Had there been someone in there of reasonable quality that wasn't "suspect" for one reason or another, he might have been a good bet against.

This was the perfect scenario for me.

Personally, I don't think he has shown enough ability to be wildly enthusiastic about his triple crown prospects. He's good and has a chance, but he's nothing special. I don't think it will be all that difficult for someone to move past him this spring. I'm also still suspicious of his ability to get 10F. He does not look like a horse that wants to relax and get 10F to me.

However, now that he's the undefeated Eclipse Award winner (and will be hyped to death), that virtually guarantees at least two betting opportunities for 2005. The first one will be the first time he's spotted poorly (for whatever reason) and the second time will be the race right after that because "they'll" give him at least one more chance at short odds.