Swiss Skydiver takes the Fantasy in an exciting stretch duel against a game Venetian Harbor. It was another 10 lengths back to the third place horse. Swiss Skydiver stalked the front running Venetian Harbor, who got away cleanly. Not so for British Idiom who was next to last with a dozen lengths and lots of traffic to make up; those 2YO campaigns just seem to take a lot out of horses (sometimes). At the head of the stretch, Venetian Harbor and Swiss Skydiver took off from the rest of the field as a team, and it looked as though Venetian Harbor did not want the extra distance; but she kept fighting to the end. Nice race.
As for the second division of the Arkansas Derby tomorrow, all of the front-runners are talking about how their horses are going to rate. I wonder if any of them told the horses. I had a horse once who was a bit of a front-runner, and she almost choked down while being rated. Sometimes, in the words of Penney Chenery, you have to "Let em run!" Nadal will be facing better speed competition and better closers at a bigger distance, and with more weight than ever before. It will be a big test for him. I don't think he is a value bet. Silver Prospector has run well on a fast track; he's a stalker. The race could set up well for him if he is fit and there is an honest pace. He'll be the silver horse.
Larry
DevilHorse