Dehere would have had trouble running down the loose speed. His only decent effort going two turns was in the Fountain of Youth which was orchestrated by a crazy speed duel involving Holy Bull ( who actually did flip his palate ) and, I think, Ride the Rails. He may well have been essentially a closing sprinter.
As for Java Gold, I'm a huge fan, but it's not as though Alysheba and Bet Twice were slouches. While he obviously hammered them in the Travers, the track was a quagmire that day, and it's fair to say they didn't run their races. Considering the kind of horse Alysheba proved to be it's a little unfair to just assume Java Gold was better.
The horse that sticks out IMO is AP Indy who was scratched with a foot problem very close to the race.
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