You might want to limit that angle to races where there are fewer high quality lightly raced horses that can also move up and beat you. Especially when they are all gunning for tha race. You might also want to insist on more than 7-1 on a horse that is much slower than a few that are coming out of races of higher quality. Other than that, I think he ran quite well and did improve in the Derby.

I'm a sucker for Perfect Drift also.

I played him in the Stephen Foster last year because I thought he was prepped in a manner that worked the year before. The track was a mess so I really don't know what to make of his performance. He came back with a few good ones after that though.

They are using the same preparation this year and I think he has actually looked a little better to this point than he did last year. The one problem I have with him is that at some point last year he started looking like a horse that did just enough to "NOT WIN. I hate that.

The race should set up nicely for him. Even if there's no duel, it's hard to imagine that the pace won't be lively with Presidential Affair, Badge of Silver, St Liam and maybe even Eurosilver pressing the issue.

He's going to have to be on the top of his game to beat St Liam if that one comes back close to 100%. Normally, I love betting against horses like SL in Grade 1 races, but this one has run some huge ones off a layoff. His race against the Ghost last year off a layoff was monsterous. The Donn was also very good, but I think that may have been more a matter of RIM being short and prepping for the Dubai Cup than SL running so well.

Presidential Affair runs an occasional big race, but it's usually against very weak competition that can't get to him either early or late. He generally wilts against higher level horses.

IMO, Badge of Silver prefers a slightly shorter distance. He can win at 9F, but it isn't optimal. He was life and death against Dynever despite a very good trip and cut blazing fractions in his win in the New Orleans, but I think the track carried him home that day. In his last race he got some pressure from a speedy but cheaper horse and couldn't even hold off Pollard's Vision. I don't have a ton of confidence at 9F against this caliber with this much quality speed keeping it honest. I would need a bigger price than is likely.