I'm gonna be very careful in factoring Minister Eric's last race at Keeneland until I'm comfortable with the various figures from the races there. I keep seeing Millineum Wind and Brancusi in my mind's eye. Then again theres Charismatic and Proud Citizen.

The use of committees to determine who gets into the Kentucky Derby is a prospect rife with injustice. It's hard to see how anyone can reject the graded stakes criterion in conjunction with an "also eligible" list, in case an unscrupulous trainer enters a horse he never intends to run.

I like Mark Henning. I think the graded earnings snuck up on him and its too bad because I like Eddington too. But theres a lot of good horses this year and it gets real subjective to say Hennig's gets in because another with more graded stakes earnings isn't as good. He's finished no better than 3rd in Stakes correct?

Eddington keeps crossing my mind so I'll share one more thought that guys like pgsheets and bitplayer have already said I believe. The horse has some speed. I saw it in the Gotham when he had some gate problems and once he shuffled out of them he essentially ran right on the fractions. He was right there in the Wood as well. Running with Value Plus and Sinister G. (The latter of which I think is much quicker than people realize) Cuba was there also and Master David ran back a couple lengths along the rail. Eddington went wide and struggled to change leads. But at the end he was all that was really left from the pace. Honorable mention to Master David. He also looked like another eighth was gonna make the thing look in doubt. I don't know that for sure. But what I'm saying is if he has lacked a big late kick, he hasn't been in position to deliver one. If they can rate that horse five lengths off the pace and get him to change leads smoothly in the stretch I think he could be a very good horse.

CtC



Post Edited (04-20-04 16:19)