TGJB,

I just compared Saarland's and Victory Gallop's sheets and they do look very similar. Since Victory Gallop is the only horse in the last 15-20 years to run well with only two 3yo Derby preps that is certainly encouraging for anyone considering backing Saarland.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Today, I think that winning the Derby probably comes at a high cost due mainly to all the drugs (some legal and some not) and modern training techniques that are speeding early development. Trainiers almost have to push their horses a little too hard to get them to develop quickly enough to be competitive by the first Saturday in May and they also have to push them even harder to make sure they are dead fit in order to get the extra distance as a young horse under very stressful conditions (large field, fast pace, etc.).

What is best for the hors in terms of long-term development and overall performance (i.e., light campagin of well-spaced races) just may not be enough to get the job done in the Derby unless the horse is truly exceptional.

As a racing fan, I am cheering for Saarland, in part, because he seems to be a bit of a throw back. A horse that looks like he has been allowed to develop naturally as a 2yo and a 3yo without too much pushing. He even looks like the top Derby horses once did - tall and strapping (built like a college basketball player in the 70s) rather than the way most do today - all muscled up on steriods (built like a 2002 WWF wrestler). It would be nice to think that such a horse can still win the Derby.

I really must be getting old because I am starting to sound a lot like Jack Whitaker...

Chris