There is at least one serious question relating to DBill which has nothing to do with his pattern. The TG analysis often makes the pt that bearing in & bearing out is "often" a sign of impending trouble, which I have understood to mean physical problems. No doubt it can be a portend of physical problems, but IMHO as often as not relates to other things. One is that Tbreds have an incredible range of peripheral vision, a full 180 degress in each eye with a blind spot directly in front & behind. Another is their strong tendency to shy or be spooked, whether by shadows,the rail,other horses,unknown reasons,etc. Finally, they are creatures of habit, good & bad. Sometimes bearing in or out can be cured by training, which can be progressively harder as the horse gets older. Other times it can be kept under control by blinkers, which sometimes introduce new problems.

Ben Jones is credited with discovering that a one cup blinker on the rt eye, leaving unobstructed vision to see the rail with the left eye, discourages a horse from bearing out. This was used with Whirlaway, one of the most famous horses with a bad problem of bearing out. In the case of DBill, he began his career bearing in, but after encountering serious trouble in 2 of his 1st 4 races as a 3 yr old, started bearing out. Equipped with bl for the Travers, he ran a significant new top. However, even with bl, DBill either drifted or bore out in his last race after being bumped at the start. So you're left trying to decide if DBill is up to his old tricks, or rather the last race was an aberration, or rather the last race was a sign of soreness, or the last race was,etc. There is also the possibility that Dallas has or will change the type of blinkers, for as has been pted out, there are 30 plus types of blinkers & no reqiurement to obtain Stew permission or inform the public of a change in type. Looking at the running styles of the 2 horses to his inside & outside, one can make a case that DBill should get a good break for a change & shld get a decent trip, assuming Guidry can keep him away from other horses. However, if you're looking for a horse to save ground in the stretch, that is highly unlikely. DBill always finds a way to run on the outside, a bad habit which in my opinion even bl does not seem able to cure. Then of course there's his running style, which is not particularly good given the pace scenario of this race. All in all, one heck of a lot of questions if you're considering him in the win slot at approx 5-1, underlaid odds in my opinion. That said, he should run well enough for his usual 2nd or 3rd placing. The key to this race in my view is figuring out who to play on top, not that DBill will earn yet another good number as an also ran.