The ride in the Oaks maybe could've been better, the inside was left wide open headed to the half in almost 48 and the jock didn't want to go up and seize the opportunity deciding to sit the pocket. Of course it quickened from that point forward and the pocket then IMO is a rather significant disadvantage because then you're waiting for them to quicken first, only then can you quicken too so you're losing a step, it's a head-start most runners can't afford and many lose because of it, locked inside with the pace turning on and still trying to find a way out of there to assert your own class where you're most able to do it.
Eventually angling out was possible at the top of the stretch, and that doesn't hurt a bit when the fractions look like 46 and 112, however when it's 48 and 112 you're actually losing a step or two to even get out of the pocket, when you do finally get a clear run outside now there's some fatigue from the distance traveled and along with that fatigue you still have to lay down almost 23 flat to get up, this actually is not easy unless you're a very very strong finisher to begin with. So yea pace dynamics decides another race.
The nice thing about the Preakness was they left the inside open again while trying to logjam to the half in almost 48 but this time they didn't wait with her in the pocket, they seized the lead in 47-3 and went on with it from there. Getting a few pounds doesn't hurt while hitting the gas pedal either.
