More, more, more....

- Need more Derby analyses? I did a little back and forth with Jessica at Railbird trying to get her on the Bellamy Road bandwagon and attempting to convince her of the merits of Buzzards Bay, and you can read it all here. She also has posted there a detailed analysis from former Racing Form handicapper Kevin Depew; he’s a Ragozin guy, and I’m always interested in reading what they’re thinking on the other side of the Sheets. He also has an irreverently hilarious look at the jockeys:

Javier Constanza (Bellamy Road) – “I realized my whole life consisted of one failure after another doing what I would normally do, so I made the decision to just do the opposite of what I would normally do in all situations….” Recently…Costanza was given specific instructions by owner George Steinbrenner to just let the horse relax on the front end. “My first thought, of course, was to forget what Steinbrenner said and take the horse straight to the back and make one giant, sweeping move at the end,” Costanza said. “Instead, I did just the opposite! And, Kevin, I am busting, BUSTING, I tell ya. I’m back baby!”

It was nice to get the paper Form today and see the familiar Derby preview section, with each horse’s strengths, weaknesses, value prospects, and even, egads, their dosage!! Beyer, Crist, and Privman check in for Bellamy Road, while Afleet Alex is the clear consensus second choice. Bill Finley, Jay Cronley, and Ed McNamara at ESPN all take a stand against the favorite, at least from a betting standpoint. Patrick at Pulling Hair and Betting Horses wonders 'How is it possible that I get off for President's Day and not Kentucky Derby Eve?' and takes a betting stand against Bellamy Road as well.

There’s a lot of opinions, of course; far too many to detail all of them here – you may want to check out the links over at Albany Law School Racing and Wagering Page if you just can’t get enough.

And I posted a version of my own analysis more suitable for any (liberal) novices you may know over at Daily Kos in which I was tacky enough to recycle some old material you may have read here.

- It seems as if the Boss is not being cooperative with NBC. A bad start. I guess he’s a bit cranky over the Yanks.

- I know, I haven’t mentioned the Oaks at all. Sorry, girls…

- Reader Jerry down in Philly is in the midst of Afleet Alex fever there, and he comments that Alex woud be the favorite there even if Shaquille O’Neal was riding him. He also expresses concern about Afleet Alex’s 2-a-day training regimen, and ponders what will become of him in three years:

-- NYC police horse on duty in Times Square
-- The mount for the commanding officer of the 77th Bengal Lancers
-- 3-mile Steeplechase winner at Camden, South Carolina (or someplace like that)