Mike,

I guess pace guys disagree as often as figure guys. My service has race well sub-par for early pace. Actually to an extreme. Although they slant to 1/2 mile pace call with their figures.

Big difference between saying "middle fig cooked AP" and "pace was fast".

No doubt AP looked cooked after middle half. But jockey, trainer, and 90% of the people who analyzed the race don't think it was related to pace at all (doesn't mean they are right, but it doesn't look very debatable - 90% likely an understatement) . I think MJellish had it exactly right. The middle half could have had some effect, but not to the effect it did.

The horse just didn't run as well.

As for Keen Ice running 3rd best. No argument from me. He sucked up into a 26 and change final quarter.

But if AP was AP from Haskell day, the pace and Keen Ice would have been irrelevant.

Still waiting to hear from connections as to why TExas Red was despicable and Upstart almost as bad with a 1w/1w trip and not even the brief interest he showed in the HAskell. Self loathing all day today for using Upstart instead of Keen Ice when I was posting right after the Haskell how bad Upstart was. Oh well. That is racing.

Rob