I've come around on him a little. It's not entirely fair to knock AGS for his slowish E2s. He's a pace-presser, not a pace-setter. It's not his fault that his pace-setters have cut modest fractions.
On the other hand, think of horses like Lawyer Ron and Medaglia d'Oro. If the pace is slow, they seize the lead. If it's fast, they take back. They run their race, not somebody else's.
AGS might be perfectly capable of pressing a G1 pace and still finishing with a head of steam. The only time he tried, in the Wood, he failed. But the Wood was a long time ago. I can't argue against giving him the benefit of the doubt. In other words, just because he hasn't doesn't mean he can't.
But seems to me that horses who have high early speed generally use it. Unless their trainer is concerned that they lack the stamina to back it up.
Thanks, Vagrant. I hear you. I'm gonna stick with him -- partly because I'm stubborn, partly because I loved what I saw in the Haskell, and partly because I think he's gonna be in the catbird seat behind Lawyer Ron and Hard Spun.
After seeing a clip of Street Sense's work this morning, I have to take back what I said about him being over the top. Man, he looked awesome. I'll be using AGS and SS on my pick-3 and pick-4 tickets, and may use Tiago as well.
Good luck on Saturday. I've enjoyed really enjoyed reading your Breeders Cup views, and the views of others on this forum. There's some serious knowledge and insight living in these parts.