Is Your Derby Horse A Contender Or Pretender? (Video)
04 May 2011 8:00 AM
Last updated May 4, 2011
= Keeneland Graduate
| 1 |
Dialed In |
Has possessed the best Derby profile from Day 1, and love his ability to accelerate and his nose for the wire; There is concern over his cautious handling. |
| 2 |
Uncle Mo |
Champ still likely to be the Derby fave and deserves this ranking as the fastest horse; But one must be concerned about whether or not we'll see his best. |
| 3 |
Mucho Macho Man |
Storylines abound with this colt and he's done little wrong this year; Expect a big effort but question this grinder's ability to out-kick them all to the wire. |
| 4 |
Soldat |
High-energy and classy colt loves his job and should rebound Saturday; Becomes even more dangerous if the track comes up wet. |
| 5 |
Archarcharch |
Handled with an old-school style, blowing out a half-mile 4 days after his bullet five furlongs; Looks great and will be a factor if he can run back to his Ark. Derby. |
| 6 |
Nehro |
Condition looks good despite a pair of big performances in a 3-wk span; Now must run even better to win in what will be another quick turnaround. |
| 7 |
Midnight Interlude |
The best is ahead for this colt, and he's equipped to handle the classics with his big, strong frame and tactical speed; Has caught eyes at Churchill. |
| 8 |
Shackleford |
Looks like Romans' 2011 version of Paddy O'Prado, as he has trained as well as anyone locally and appears to be sitting on a big race; Must be rateable for success. |
| 9 |
Brilliant Speed |
Liked his 5/2 work on dirt, albeit slop, and think he'll handle the surface when evaluating his female family; Blossoming at the right time and has the look of a live longshot. |
| 10 |
Santiva |
Honest colt is already a graded winner at CD and had an excuse in the Blue Grass; Wanted to see more out of his training in recent weeks. |
| 11 |
Pants On Fire |
La. Derby victor has been consistently good since arriving at CD, but the concern is his forward style and whether or not that can hold up Saturday. |
| 12 |
Stay Thirsty |
Hard to know what you're going to get with him, but he did look like he was going better than 'Mo' in their final work together. |
| 13 |
Animal Kingdom |
Still not sold he'll be as effective on dirt, but his 4/30 work was an encouraging move; Certainly a good colt that has accomplished a lot in just 4 starts. |
| 14 |
Master of Hounds |
Checks a lot of boxes, with the only big question being how he'll handle the surface; Could be the right year for a Euro to have Derby success. |
| 15 |
Decisive Moment |
This longshot has quietly compiled a solid resume and had excuses in both the Risen Star (soft tissue injury) & Spiral (on fast pace). |
| 16 |
Comma to the Top |
Honest and hard-trying gelding earned his opportunity to run; Adds speed to the Derby fray. |
| 17 |
Twinspired |
Only dirt start was his worst performance to date, but that came while shipping as a 2yo; Bred to handle it and bred to stay, with a fitting name to boot. |
| 18 |
Derby Kitten |
He's obviously improved, but it's hard to imagine him turning in a big performance on dirt to win a race like the Derby off just 2 weeks rest. |
| 19 |
Twice the Appeal |
Borel aboard a Derby longshot from Sunland, sound familiar? Won't be the longest shot on the board now. |
| 20 |
Watch Me Go |
Disappointed against a weaker bunch in Ill. Derby, and the Tampa Derby form has not held up; But has physically looked good at Churchill. |
| OFF: Toby's Corner |
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