I have something that keeps popping into my head and although I don't think anyone can add anything to really resolve the concern, I have to throw it out.

Its no secret that Friends Lake was a nut case before the Holy Bull. He behaved very badly and ran like a goofy horse. On Derby Day, they could not get that Stubborn s.o.b. into the gate. He only went in when he was ready and he looked to me to be close to going ape pooh. I was in fear for the gate crew I really thought I saw a moment when one of them was gonna get tagged with a very mad hoof. The horse overcame it all and He never did start the frantic antics I thought were about to occur. But I have to wonder, do you really want a horse like that to see his next competition starting gate in a race with 200,000 drunk money wasters screaming like monkeys on moonshine as you're trying to load this horse into the gate?