Do You have a Derby Horse?

So it's time to start thinking about a Derby horse now that Lenny is out of the picture. Richard Rosenblatt of the AP has posted a list that includes Lookin at Lucky, Edkendereya and Conveyance in the top three positions.

Lookin at Lucky, trained by Bob Baffert, won the Rebel Stakes about a month ago and is gearing up for one more prep, either the Santa Anita Derby on April 3 or the Arkansas Derby on April 10. The California race is on a synthetic track so once again the question of switching a horse from the synthetic to the dirt comes into play.

Eskendereya, trained by Todd Pletcher, ran away with the Fountain of Youth and is headed for the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 3. I think this horse is the real deal but the Wood is gong to be a true test. There is a reason that Todd Pletcher has such a lousy Derby record (no wins).

Conveyance is also trained by Bob Baffert and is currently undefeated. He will run in the Sunland Derby on Sunday.

Others worth mentioning include Ice Box, (winner of the recent Florida Derby), Odysseus, who is receiving a lot of buzz and who will also start in the Wood on April 3, Dublin (could this be D. Wayne Lukas' comeback kid?) and Sidney's Candy who has never started on the dirt and will keep it that way until the Derby.

It is still too early for me to pick a horse but I think the Wood Memorial is shaping up to be an important race for those contenders who chose it as a prep. And just remember that no one heard of Mine That bird Before he won last year so if you find a diamond in the rough, let me know.