The Derby Dreamers

This is a list of my top prospects for the Kentucky Derby. It's still too early to tell as to who I think will win the Derby, much less who I think will be part of the action on Derby Day. For now, these are the ones that still have Derby Dreams. These are my Derby Dreamers. Below them are videos of their latest races when I can find them on Youtube.com.

1. Street Sense: He won the biggest races last year as a two-year-old. He also won the honor of being voted the best two-year-old in the country last year. Now, he's come back a winner for his three-year-old year. He's got the most earnings and outclassed the field in the Tampa Bay Derby. His next stop is the Bluegrass Stakes and then it's on to the Derby for him. I'm not sure if he'll win, but he certainly has a really good shot.



2. Any Given Saturday: I've liked this guy since I first saw him race as a two-year-old. He's got a lot of class and is maturing very nicely. He put up a gutsy second place to Street Sense in the race above. I'd really love to see this rivalry continue through the entire Triple Crown, but as always, let's just take it one race at a time. Shown below winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes this year.



3. Circular Quay: The Louisiana Derby winner has put up some good numbers. He's proven he can do it; he just needs a bit of luck on his side to show everyone out there that he can do it. He's been part of my top horses since I spotted him last year racing. He was shoved to the background by Street Sense last year, but perhaps this year he can outshine the rest of his class.



4. Nobiz Like Shobiz: Winner of this year's Holy Bull Stakes, he's been sitting nicely. He raced fairly well last year, too, beaten by Scat Daddy in last year's Champagne Stakes and then again this year in the Fountain of Youth, where Nobiz Like Shobiz finished behind both Scat Daddy and Stormello. If he improves off of that and shows up for the Derby, he could snatch the roses away from them all.



5. Scat Daddy: Winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes not long ago, Scat Daddy nailed Stormello at the wire. He proved that his closing kick is one that is going to be there come May. He's a proven winner in both years, and he looks to head what may be one of the most accomplished fields to enter the gates of the Kentucky Derby.



6. Hard Spun: Now that he's returned to his best form, Hard Spun might be something to look at. Written off earlier in the year when his green ways lost him the race, he's straightened himself out a good bit. He's still a little too green to face such stiff competition as Scat Daddy, especially since Hard Spun has been proven to lose interest when he gets the lead. With Scat Daddy's closing kick added to the equation, I'm not sure. But the colt deserves the shot with all of that talent.

Hard Spun: Proven and Contested?

There's a new face on the Kentucky Derby picture.

Well, not so much as new as different.

Hard Spun, trained by Larry Jones, made a big improvement on his previous starts to win the Lane's End Stakes on March 24 at Turfway Park. Bred in Pennsylvania, this colt regained his winning ways, showing that he had matured a bit since his last starts.

Though some commentators would suggest that he still has a lot of growing up to do - noticeable in the way that he acts when he gets on the lead - he has managed to get himself on Steve Haskin's (of Bloodhorse.com) Derby Dozen. The colt's pedigre is one that sounds familiar to me. He was produced from Danzig and the Turkoman daughter Turkish Tryst.

"This horse will do anything you want him to do," Larry Jones, the colt's trainer, said to reporters. "I could tell he was wanting to run but he listened for Mario to ask him. He makes more money than Mario [Pino] and I, but he'll still listen to us. He's very coachable. My only concern with the Blue Grass is that it could be suicide with so many good horses going in the race. You know me. I worry about everything. I wouldn't be overly confident going into that race, but it's a good feeling to know our horse could compete with those horses."

Jones also added that he would like to have at least one more race under the colt's belt before going into the Kentucky Derby.