It was 72. Riva Ridge did win the Derby that year, won two legs of the triple crown and was from the exact same connections as Secrateriat ( Laurin, Turcotte Chenery).

Right now, I agree he's (BR) the biggest dilema I've seen in quite some time. All three horses could bounce while a few other could improve making this a very close race. But lets face it, it's probably down to 6-7 who "could Win" with4 of them making up greater that 75% likely hood ( Bellamy Road, Bandini, Afleet Alex and Greeley Galaxy ) with High Fly , High Limit and Sun King as the other possible. Perhaps Sun king did not like Keeneland and loves CD. He worked well. Frankel's got us thinking about HL with his work with GZ.

But the issue of whether or not Bellamy Roads figure is right I again believe JB's right on the mark. The Horse did tie a 34 year old track mark of a High Quality "REAL GOOD HORSE" for a track thats been around for quite some time. I think we need to accept that fig and work with the scenario. I think you would be mistaken if you don't accpet the facts this time. Some three year olds have bounced significantly off new tops prior to the derby. Look at the history for specifics.

The question we need to ask ourslves is Can Belamy Pair or run an off but not an x, Can Bandini Run pair or another new top? Can GG run another new Top, Can AA run another new top? Can Sun King, Noble Causeway, High Limit and Fly jump up 3-5 points (depending on which one)? We need to develop a few scenarios as to how this race will be run after the PP assignments to help answer those questions.

NC Tony