Continuing to Saturday’s BC races I would like to start by saying that I was very much into the last 4 races.  For me The Fugue was a vulnerable favorite – who was being over-bet as a result of her bad luck in last years BC Filly & Mare Turf.  While she was very good last year and had several excellent races this season in Europe, she was really making a pretty big step up in class this year — going to the BC Turf Classic and taking on all comers.  This group is a much tougher group that hit’s numbers significantly higher than the group of Fillies she faces last year.   For example, I rated Tiz Flirtatious and Marketing Mix at about the same number as I gave The Fugue.  However, because The Fugue has a classic race and rest pattern up to the big race – she also was assigned a STAR, which tells the reader that I like this 4 year old very much.  But I just didn’t think she was good enough to be considered at the 3/1 price she rated to go off at…

Point Of Entry, although always very salty off of any type of layoff, he was a grinding a bit in the stretch, not the nuclear explosive move he delivers almost every time.  Maybe in this case P of E neeeded one, but I have to wonder “out loud” that he might be a step off his best from now on – surgery is very hard to come back from – human or horse….  This leads us to talk about the boom colt Magician who won this event with an absolutely explosive stretch run.  I couldn’t get to his number, simply because he appeared to be distance challenged.  It’s very hard for me to take a horse going 1 1/2 miles against true GRADE I. horses who has never raced at only approximately at 1 1/4 miles and then two successive efforts at only 1 mile.  While no doubt a terrific horse, you will go very broke trying to upset true stayers at 1 1/2 mile with a Miler!  That’s what it looked like to me, but for those who think Galileo is the answer to all handicapping problems, on this occasion they are correct.

I am going to call it a day at this time and I will opine some more tomorrow….  Feel free to e-mail if you have any comments…