Maybe Mr. Crow pulled a Takaful, running a hole in the wind like that enigmatic colt did in a romp on opening day here Friday. Mr. Crow, who showed vastly improved early foot today in his second career start, certainly won Saturday's maiden special weight opener in a manner - by a lopsided 11 1/2 lengths, for those keeping score - like a horse who freaked.

Yet even with that in mind, it does seems like the Saratoga main track could be much tighter and faster today than it was Friday. Mr. Crow set fractions of 22.20, 45.11, and 56.96 before completing the six furlongs in a fast 1:09.44.

Let's keep an eye on today's upcoming main track races and see if a faster, tighter surface is indeed what we have. And of so, whether it winds up favoring horses with certain running styles.