You are completely correct.....I may be a little anxious! And you also are correct that his dam (Ocean View) was able to go the distance. He worked Monday in 1:01 2/5. Galloped out in 15. Not bad for his first work back. He was barely "blowing" after the work. I think he's gonna be a very nice horse in the Holthus Stable!

Great Hunter is by Aptitude, who didn't hit his peak until he was 4; didn't even win a race at 2, didn't win a stakes at 3 (although 2nd in the Derby). His dam didn't win at 2, either, was SP at 3, and a SW at 4. It is rather amazing that he was as good at 2 as he has been. I would expect improvement as he matures.

The horse that ran second to Belgravia, Silver Express just came back and won at Churchill Downs on 11/07/06. I like Silver Express (Unbridle's Song) too.

I can't believe that I forgot about Notional. I absolutely LOVED that horse after you came on the board and said something about him just after his first race.

GH is built more like a sprinter than the majority of Aptitudes. You would think he'd get better as he get older but I'm still a little skeptical.

For those interested on this side of the pond, very much IMO...

1) Sander Camillo...exceptional filly, but seemingly not the easiest to train. Not seen since her demolition job at Newmarket in July, and it is to be hoped that Noseda gets her back in time for the 1,000 Guineas in May. Potential superstar.
1) Teofilo...big, gross, unbeaten and dual-Group 1 winning colt, rightly favourite for both 2,000 Guineas and Derby. Arguably had race pan out better than runner-up when pipping HRE in Dewhurst, but seemed to be idling in front and found more when joined. Most exciting.
3) Holy Roman Emperor...very good at his best with a superb turn of foot, shown to devestating effect when winning in France and when runner-up to above at Newmarket, coming from seemingly hopeless position. Has less scope for improvement than Teofilo, but only juvenile colt near him in terms of ability.
4) Dutch Art...impossible to argue with what he has achieved in winning 4 from 4, beating solid benchmarks on each occasion. For all that you wouldn;t want to go overboard about his chances of developing into a 3yo, but then again I said the same about Rock of Gibraltar!
5) Mythical Kid...has achieved less than all above, but of huge potential. Bred to be a worldbeater (family of Divine Proportions, Whipper), he made a highly taking debut when sluicing up at Newbury. Looked likely winner of Horris Hill there next time before idling and caught close home. Stoute sure to find the improvement to which he is open. Big things await.


Others to watch out for:

Finsceal Beo
Mount Nelson
Duke of Marmalade
Go On Be A Tiger
Authorized
Passages of Time

CQuay has to be at the top with SSense.
HW Futurity winner is usually part of the discussion, but obviously not now.


Repent

What exactly is the author of this thread pointing to when they say "top 4 2 year olds." Are you asking who should get the Eclipse? Are you asking who looks best for winning the K Derby? Are you asking who will do best(overall) in their 3 year old year? I think this 2nd wave of 2 year olds is usually where the Derby Winner comes from.It does seem that, to win the Derby, it is best to take the road of Tiz Wonderful or others,and not that of C.Q.,and "Street." The last 3 Derby winners were "good prospects" at 2.They weren't stars yet.They were "working on it," and if you want a horse to win the Derby,then it is probably best to still be "working on it" right now,and not be "there" like "Street" and C.Q. are.