Davidowitz defends Beyer...

[dnlgfnk]

...in the combox...

http://www.drf.com/news/beyer-espinoza-masters-preakness-chess-game

...but the "experts" are tone deaf.

[Bullet Plane]

I think he's getting carried away there...

There has been a lot of good, healthy discussion about the Derby Beyer... one measly speed figure... that even Andy admits was very hard to gauge...

But, an "attack on Andy Beyer"?

... I guess I must have missed it...

[ronsmac]

Like him or not, Beyer is a legend.

[Track Phantom]

I was in Vegas over the Derby and had dinner with Steve at the Wynn. He's a very nice guy. He did talk about his time with Andy Beyer and had a lot of nice things to say about him.

He did say that he mentored Beyer early on and apparently Beyer somewhat validates this in his previous writings.

Having said that, I think people should be allowed to voice criticism. Debate and opinion are one of the things that make this game, and all sports, fun.

I have zero problem with the 97 Beyer Speed Figure in the Derby. In my opinion, speed figures are fairly low on the handicapping tool totem pole (at least for me). So many things go into a final time, not to mention the possibility that final times can be inaccurate. You only have to go back to Sunday Silence to realize that time's are extraordinarily misleading. If it weren't for Easy Goer, Sunday Silence would have won the Triple Crown. And if it weren't for Sunday Silence, Easy Goer may have been considered the greatest horse since Seattle Slew or even Secretariat.