Lines of Battle

Slowly warming to this fella for the Kentucky Derby.

Where Aidan's horses have fallen short:

1. Unable to handle Dirt (surface / kick back)
2. Unable to handle the furious gallop
3. Just not fit enough   

Well....

Lines of Battle has taken both Polytrack and Tapeta in his stride and his a very decent US pedigree....Sire War Front and the Dam Black Speck is very well related on the American dirt front.....seriously she is....managed to find a relation who mixed it proper with Alydar and Affirmed. I'd say the signs are more positive than negative that he'll take to dirt.

Second issue is the inability to handle the furious gallop....Daddy Long Legs run off his feet last year. Its a different kettle of fish in the Derby but I just wonder if this year might be different. The vast majority of Derby preps have all been blighted by slow paces....Some of the biggest performances in the major preps have all been slow...Orb in the Florida Derby SLOW! Verazzano in the Wood Memorial SLOOOOOOW! And its not just them...its slow all around...well apart from California but their tracks are always souped up and Cali horses have still suffered with Slooooow paces when they shipped out.

Just wonder if Lines of Battle might enjoy a less taxing Kentucky Derby than some of Aidan's previous contenders did. Hopefully he gets a sweet draw....would like him front rank and pouring it on in the straight. We know he stays 10furlongs so go for it.

Lastly....Just not fit enough....well that seems to have changed now. For the last few years Aidan has made a special effort to get them ready for Dubai and he looked pretty ready to me when scoring in the UAE Derby....and to that how much forward his horses have started the year and you just get the feeling for the first time in a long while he'll be sending one to Churchill Downs cherry ripe.

____

Any thoughts on all of this? Think he has a pretty decent chance here.