You have to remember, first post about this was in a 7 horse field, so yes it could have moved up to outside leader, or could have dropped back to last, far better option than sitting 3 wide the whole race.
Just like the harness, sitting parked or drifting back to last is far better option than sitting 3 wide, you really only see the top horses winning 3 wide, very rarely the whole trip. Yes, before you mention it, harness tracks are smaller, but whichever way you see it, covering more distance.