From The Sporting Life, a British website:

Jeremy Noseda has revealed stamina concerns for Awesome Act ahead of his date with destiny in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

The ambitious Shalfleet handler takes the plunge in the Churchill Downs feature after his three-year-old, a Grade Three winner in March, finished third in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

Although firmly put in his place by Eskendereya, the long-term Kentucky Derby favourite who has since been withdrawn, Awesome Act pulled off a shoe upon leaving the starting stalls.

Noseda feels the Paul Roy-owned chestnut will be more effective back on dirt, but is wary of the mile-and-a-quarter trip.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "If the race were run over eight and a half, or even nine furlongs, I'd be confident that he'd reach the frame.

"There is just that worry about the trip, but on the positive side, he is better on a dirt surface, and he will like the strong early pace.

(These quotes seem to echo and underscore the concerns Noseda reportedly raised on his own blog. I've liked Awesome Act for a while, but this gives cause for pause.)

You never know until they're asked the question, I take this as British candor as opposed to the US bragadocio we're more accustomed to. How many trainers over the years swore up and down their runners would love 10f the first Saturday in May only to saddle them to a triumphant 8th place finish? Besides this ain't a group of world beaters, if he can use his burst and hit the front staggering home should work just fine. By all accounts he's training better at CD than he was in New York before the Gotham or Wood, I'd put more stock in that.

-BB

>>>Besides this ain't a group of world beaters, if he can use his burst and hit the front staggering home should work just fine.

Excellent point, Reg.

That's a terrific frame of reference in which to view the hunt for a winner (or key horse): Who has a game-breaking move?

This is the most evenly matched field I can recall -- and they're evenly matched in mediocrity. Twelve horses own a Beyer between 97-101 in one of their last two preps. Any horse who can uncork a burst of momentary brilliance can seize command of the race, much as Mine That Bird did in a similar field last year.