Maximum Security<\/strong><\/a> won the Florida Derby is the same fashion as Serengeti Empress won Friday\u2019s Kentucky Oaks. If he can grab the early lead and set the pace, he may very well hold off the Baffert trio and others.<\/p>\nTacitus<\/strong>, like Vekoma, has only four career races and three wins. He also overcame an awful start, as he was bumped and nearly found himself perpendicular to the rest of the field, in his last race to win the Wood Memorial by more than a length.<\/p>\nGame Winner<\/strong> hasn\u2019t won in 2019, but he won the Breeders\u2019 Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs last fall. The Bob Baffert colt also ran well in his two prep races this year, only to be chased down late by Omaha Beach and Roadster. One can argue he has plenty of drive in him left for a Derby stretch run.<\/p>\nQuestion Marks<\/h2>\n
Tax<\/strong> started off his career getting claimed in his second race, but he has placed in the money in all five starts. However, he does face a step up in competition.<\/p>\nCode of Honor<\/strong> has been hit-or-miss in his young career. After winning the Fountain of Youth, he could not fire up a strong stretch run and finished seven lengths behind Maximum Security to finish third.<\/p>\nRoadster<\/strong> is another colt who has raced just four times, including just one stakes race. He had a stunning comeback late in the Santa Anita to trip up his fellow Baffert stablemate, Game Winner, at the end. However, that kind of off-the-pace comeback will be hard to replicate in a field of 19. Plus, he\u2019ll have a new rider on him in Florent Geroux.<\/p>\nDerby Pretenders<\/h2>\n
By My Standards<\/strong> got to the Derby by winning the Louisiana Derby as a 22-1 shot in his only stakes race. Has won just twice in five starts.<\/p>\nGray Magician<\/strong> needed to go to Dubai to get to Churchill Downs. He finished second to Plus Que Parfait in the UAE Derby and secured enough qualifying points against less-than-stellar competition.<\/p>\nPlus Que Parfait<\/strong>, see Gray Magician. UAE winners have not fared well in the Kentucky Derby.<\/p>\nCutting Humor<\/strong> won the Sunland Derby in his last race, but he\u2019s won just twice in six races. He\u2019ll also have a new jockey aboard in Mike Smith, who came on after Omaha Beach was scratched.<\/p>\nWin Win Win<\/strong> has three wins in six races, but none in graded stakes. His wins also have come in races of less than seven furlongs, suggesting he\u2019s better suited for sprints.<\/p>\nMaster Fencer<\/strong> comes from Japan, where he won twice. He did not win either Derby prep in Japan, finishing no better than second. Likely outclassed on Saturday.<\/p>\nLong Range Toddy<\/strong> won in the Rebel<\/a> thanks to a great stretch move to catch Improbable, but he did not fare as well stepping up in class in the Arkansas Derby.<\/p>\nSpinoff<\/strong> has raced just four times and not won a graded stakes. He was chased down by By My Standards in the Louisiana Derby.<\/p>\nCountry House<\/strong> has just one win, a $50,000 maiden, in six tries. Reached the Derby thanks to a second place showing in the Risen Star and a third in the Arkansas Derby. This will be his third race in six weeks.<\/p>\nBodexpress<\/strong> gained entry into the Derby after Omaha Beach’s throat ailment forced his connections to scratch him. He’s has not won in five races, including four maidens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOUISVILLE, Ky. \u2013 The Kentucky Derby isn\u2019t your normal horse race. For starters, it brings up to 20 horses to the gate, more than double than what you see in most fields. Throwing that many horses \u2013 or 19 as are slated to run Saturday \u2013 adds a lot of randomness to the race. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":104243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Kentucky Derby 145: Sorting the Contenders from the Pretenders<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n