This post will be my favorites to win the Kentucky Derby going by what has happened so far on the Triple Crown trail. This is completely by opinion, so don't take this all as some kind of expert opinion based off of years and years of crunching numbers. First, this is the list of the top ten graded stakes earners for the Kentucky Derby.
Street Sense ($1,482,000)
Scat Daddy ($1,308,500)
Circular Quay ($1,116,134)
Curlin ($780,000)
Nobiz Like Shobiz ($778,500)
Great Hunter ($752,500)
Stormello ($642,900)
Dominican ($498,484)
Tiago ($450,000)
Cowtown Cat ($437,253)
I'm fairly certain that most of these horses (if not all) will be in the Kentucky Derby if they are healthy and sound at the time. So far, my favorites are Street Sense, Scat Daddy, and Nobiz Like Shobiz. Those three have proven to be at the top of their races time and time again. They're tested, and despite Street Sense's loss last weekend, I think that I can take it to heart when his jockey said that people would see a "much different horse" on Derby Day.
Street Sense has impressed me more than the others that are on the trail, with Scat Daddy close behind in second. I think if these two can provide us with what we've seen of them on their best days, it'll be a Kentucky Derby to remember. I really hope that we'll have a Triple Crown winner someday, but at the moment, let's focus on one race at a time. The Kentucky Derby is the biggest race of the three, with a purse of $2 million.
Happy hunting to all! And to one special horse and connections, roses on that first Saturday in May!
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.
As the horses rounded the far turn and headed for the finish line in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 17, it was narrowed down to two horses that headed home together.
But only one horse could win.
Street Sense edged out Any Given Saturday to win the Tampa Bay Derby and stamp himself as the top of the crop. He surged himself to the lead of the recorded earnings of his crop of sophomores. In a tremendous stretch drive, the two talented colts hit the wire together, with Street Sense ahead by a mere nose.
This was his first race back since winning the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile last year. In perhaps the gutsiest stretch drive that many have seen from such young colts, it was reminiscent of Alydar and Affirmed as they rivaled each other through the years. Perhaps it is the start of a rivalry. Either way, these two colts performed to the best of their abilities, not giving up until they hit the wire.
It will be interesting to see how these two fair coming out of the race, as well as the rest of the road to the Kentucky Derby. Either way, it was quite a day at the Tampa Bay Downs as the record for 1 1/16 was broken by .20 seconds.
Many questions were answered, though some were still left blank. One thing is certain, these two colts have earned their right to fight in the Kentucky Derby.
Trying to break the curse of the Juvenile winner and Eclipse champion failing miserably in the Kentucky Derby is Street Sense, reigning champion of this crop of contenders.
No champion two year old or Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner has ever done well in the Kentucky Derby. However, the field for last year's Juvenile was one of the most talented in years.
Street Sense is by Street Cry, a very lightly raced yet talented stallion who has a pedigree to back him. Street Sense's mother, Bedazzle, was also a decent race horse, competing at the Allowance level in racing, which is just under the graded competition that the other Kentucky Derby contenders are taking on now. Her mother, Majestic Legend, competed amongst the top of her age in the stakes races. Street Sense's pedigree is good, suggesting that he can both be tough as well as go the distance.
But whether or not that actually happens is something that is yet to be seen. He makes his return to racing and his sophomore year debut in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 17. All eyes will be on this talented colt as he attempts to break the 22 year old curse of the Juvenile winner jinx at the Kentucky Derby.
Every year, there are several lists that go around about the top horses in contention for the Kentucky Derby. They change from week to week based on their performances compared to the rest of the three-year-old crop of that year. This is my take on the cream of the crop - so far.
In no particular order, here are a few of the three-year-olds that I think have a chance at being in the starting gates for the Kentucky Derby on that first Saturday in May.
First of the crop is Nobiz Like Shobiz (pictured winning the Remsen Stakes last year). A formidable force in his two-year-old campaign last year, he was lightly raced last year but still managed to place second in the highly esteemed Champagne Stakes. His pedigree spells out a champion that can not only go the distance but can also take the grind of the Triple Crown races. His trainer, usually hush-hush about talent in one of his horses, is very excited about this colt. A lot of questions about him will be answered over time about this colt.
Next on my list is Any Given Saturday. He was one of the top horses last year, second only to Tiz Wonderful, who has recently been announced as off the trail of the Triple Crown. This colt has power to go with his Kentucky Derby pedigree, and he has won his debut race (watch it). Clearly outclassing the field, if he can do a bit of improving off of that, luck should be on his side come May 5.
And of course, you cannot put out the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner last year, Street Sense. This dazzling colt looks to break the infamous jinx of Juvenile winners in the Kentucky Derby. He has an outstanding chance if luck is on his side like on the day that he won the Juvenile last November (Watch it). He will also have to overcome the fact that he will have the least amount of races under his belt going into the Kentucky Derby, which has some people overlooking him. In my opinion, it may help him go through the rigors of the entire Triple Crown.
