Shaconage's nose victory in the 1st leg of the pk4, a race which put me back in the black after a disasterous Oaks day, in no small part because the size of my bets was influenced by the fact that derby1592 also liked the horse. As Catalin predicted, Mayo's head in front of Azeri in leg two, esp. when I found out after the race that OPM had in fact figured out a way to get the bet in from a remote location in Monterrey. OPM's & Catalin's condition/pattern read on Strollin leg three, helped I think by the bog-like condition of the turf course by the time the race took place. Reconsidering our horses in light of some staggering will pays(Pro Prado $189k, Minister Eric $147k,etc)gave us plenty to talk & think about during what didn't seem like a long lead up to the big race, followed by Smarty's convincing win. Maybe divine intervention is the way to go after all.

It's hard to tell how a post like this will be interpreted, but my intent is not to brag or gloat, but rather to give some public credit to Catalin, derby 1592 & OPM, who are indeed simply the best handicappers I've been around in 40 plus yrs. Thks again guys.