Preakness Day, 5 p.m.

The steamy weather continues at Pimlico and there are some darker clouds off to the West. There is no question it will rain here at Pimlico but it may well happen after the running of the Preakness.

As for the odds, they're like the weather outside, stagnant.

And there probably won't be any huge moves in the odds between now and post time for the race, which should be around 6:15 p.m.

The contenders:
Rachel Alexandra - 2-1
Mine That Bird - 6-1
Pioneerof the Nile - 6-1
Musket Man - 9-1 (Had the huge surge down from 14 to 9 over an hour ago)
Friesan Fire - 9-1
Big Drama - 10-1 (Daily Racing Form reported he scraped his knee this AM. Trainer said it was "minor as could be.")
Papa Clem - 14-1

Borderliners:
Terrain - 14-1
General Quarters - 15-1
Take The Points - 16-1

No Shot-ers:
Luv Gov - 22-1
Flying Private - 25-1
Tone It Down - 21-1

Next entry will be my picks. So, in other words, the horses you cross of your list because I picked them.

Preakness Day, 4 p.m.

With the sun still somewhat shining at Pimlico and temps in the upper 70's, there was some movement in the odds with two hours to go before the Preakness gets rolling.

As my good friend Pat Forde of ESPN.com said "someone unbuckled" on Musket Man. The third place finisher in the Kentucky Derby dropped from 14-1 to 9-1. Someone from trainer Derek Ryan's homebase in New Jersey must have dropped a lot of pesos on the colt.

Rachel Alexandra continues to slowly drift as she now stands at 2-1. At her lowest, she was 6-5 but money has started to spread out more evenly.

Here are the updates on the main contenders:
Big Drama - 10-1
Mine That Bird - 6-1
Friesan Fire - 9-1 (been either 8 or 9 all day)
Papa Clem - 15-1
Pioneerof the Nile - 6-1

Members of the overbet club:
Luv Gov - 25-1
Flying Private - 25-1
Take The Points - 16-1
Tone It Down - 21-1

Preakness Day, 2 p.m.

With less than five hours until the Preakness, have you figured out who you are going to bet?

The superfilly, Rachel Alexandra, is currently at 9-5. That is a high risk, low return bet. She may well be the best horse in the race but since she is starting from the 13 hole which will likely result in a tough trip, those are short odds.

The odd thing about the odds is that no horse is above 24-1. (Flying Private and Terrain) Strange considering that there are a few horses that seem way over their head.

The value horses appear to be Papa Clem (14-1), Big Drama (10-1), Friesan Fire (left, 8-1) and Pioneerof the Nile (6-1).

The "wise guy" looks to be the Todd Pletcher trained Take the Points. The colt was 30-1 in the morning line but is now 14-1.

Oh, and the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird is 6-1.

Tuesday Preakness News

Here is a quick recap of what took place Tuesday on the "Road to Baltimore."

The horses are starting to make their way to Pimlico. Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird left Churchill at 9 a.m. and should arrive at Pimlico sometime before 8 p.m. While Trainer Chip Woolley loaded the horse into his trailer, Bob Baffert wandered over on his pony to take a look.

Also enroute are the D. Wayne Lukas trained duo of Flying Private and Luv Guv and Toyota Blue Grass winner General Quarters. According to Thoroughbred Times, General Quarters' van was involved in a minor accident near Pimlico while attempting to turn into the track. The gray colt was unhurt but looks like the trailer may need a little body work.

After blazing through a work at Pimlico (5/8 mile in :58.20) Tuesday morning, trainer Larry Jones announced Friesan Fire (pictured right) was a definite for the Preakness so he appears to be recovered from the minor injuries suffered during his 18th place finish in the Derby.

A plane from Louisville tomorrow will have an all-star feel to it. Among horses on the plane will be Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra, Derby runner-up Pioneerofthe Nile, as well Preakness hopeful Terrain.

On Wednesday is the post position draw for the Preakness. Stay tuned for the latest drama in the Preakness soap area.

(Photos courtesy of Churchill Downs and Maryland Jockey Club.)

Preakness...Where are We Now?

With all the crazy Preakness news over the past few days, it is easy to lose focus on the the big picture with less than five days until the race. Here's a quick recap on who is running and a note on each.

The two big stories:

Rachel Alexandra - The superstar filly and Kentucky Oaks winner appears to be "all systems go" to be become the first female to run in the Preakness in 10 years (last - Excellent Meeting). After all the back and forth two owners trying to keep her out of the Preakness, sanity and fairness prevailed. She is set to fly to Baltimore on Tuesday and her new owner, Jess Jackson, will make the final decision to enter Rachel once she is safe and sound at Pimlico. Calvin Borel will ride and she will be the post-time favorite.

Mine That Bird - After co-owner Mark Allen smartened up and gave up blocking Rachel from running in the Preakness, it was back to business for the Derby winner on Monday. The son of Birdstone (pictured left) had an semi-unplanned workout at Churchill Monday morning (1/2 mile - 49.20) under Borel. If Rachel goes, then Mike Smith will take the reigns from Borel. Mine That Bird could be the longest priced Derby winner of all time based on the field that's set to run on Saturday.

The rest of the field (no disrespect intended):

Big Drama - One of the unheralded horses in the field as he has a record of 5-1-1 in seven starts. Jockey John Velazquez will ride him for the first time and should be keeping Rachel Alexandra occupied on the front end of the race. He will be one to watch.

Flying Private - The last place finisher (19th) in the Derby will take another shot at a Triple Crown. Trainer D. Wayne blamed the sloppy track for his bad finish in the Derby and gets star rider Alan Garcia to take the mount. Not sure that will help much.

Friesan Fire - The Derby favorite, who beat only Flying Private in the "Run for the Roses," will work Tuesday morning and then a final decision will be made to run him. If recovered from his Derby injuries, he could be very tough and will be a decent price.

General Quarters - The great story of the Derby has bounced back from his 10th place Derby finish and is set to arrive in Baltimore Tuesday afternoon. Tough to know how he will run but hard not to root for again.

Hull - Trainer Dale Romans pulled the plug on running this unbeaten colt in the Preakness with the presence of Rachel Alexandra.

Luv Guv - The namesake of former NY Governor Elliot Spitzer, who has just one win to his credit, will be a longshot. Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas said this horse has a bright future and will be their Belmont horse. I think Lukas is giving you a hint...don't bet him here.

Musket Man - The third place Derby finisher, who has been training back at his home base at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, will wait until the morning of the race to ship to Pimlico. (A little bit of a concern for me. Why wait that long?) He will workout on Tuesday but his record is one of the best in the field - 5-0-2 in seven starts.

Papa Clem - The Arkansas Derby winner, who currently is only one of two Preakness runners at Pimlico, is looking to better his fourth place finish in the Derby. A dry track should help him and being just off the lead during the Preakness should be to his advantage.

Pioneerof the Nile - With trainer Bob Baffert on hand, the Derby runner-up (right) worked great at Churchill on Monday morning - 1/2 mile in :47.60. The colt will fly to Baltimore on Wednesday and will be one of the horses to beat.

Take The Points - Trainer Todd Pletcher, who is still in search of a win in the Derby and Preakness, will take his shot at the Preakness with this lightly raced colt. He skipped the Derby with this race in mind. His career highlight was second to The Pamplemousse at Santa Anita in February. Not quite sure what to think of him yet but getting Edgar Prado to ride is a huge help.

Terrain - The well bred son of Sky Mesa, who's been idle since a fourth in the Toyota Blue Grass, will head to Baltimore on Wednesday from Louisville. He hasn't won since being placed first via DQ in the Arlington Washington Futurity in September. Not a good sign that he's 0-for-2 this year.

Tone It Down - The true local horse of the field, finished third last time out in the Federico Tesio at Pimlico. He would appear to be overmatched but it always seems like a local horse always is a danger.

Derby Selections

Kentucky Derby Picks -

Ok...now that the talk is over, it's time to pick a winner.

Unfortunately, my initial selection, I Want Revenge came up with a injury this morning and was scratched.

Now, after spending hours looking over all the contenders again, here is who I settled on in finish order:

6) Friesan Fire - With the track still wet and the morning-line favorite out, the race sets up perfectly for him. He should be just off the front end early on, make his move near the final turn and hold off a host of fast closing horses. The win would give trainer Larry Jones his first Derby victory.

15) Dunkirk - Perhaps the most talented horse in the field will benefit from an expected fast pace early on. The colt, was sold for $3.7 million dollars at public auction, will be closing late and if he avoids trouble, will be very tough. Only question will be how he handles the wet track.

16) Pioneerof the Nile - Trainer Bob Baffert has won three Kentucky Derby's and this colt is on a roll after winning four straight. The big question about him is will he handle traditional dirt. He's only run on "artificial dirt" but his parents both loved running at Churchill Downs.

11) Chocolate Candy - Another horse who ran exclusively on "artificial dirt" has shown a lot of promise this year and was second to Pioneerof the Nile in his last start. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, nicknamed the "King of Northern California", will have his horse in mid-pack
Here's one last look at the Kentucky Derby contenders as we countdown to the "Run for the Roses"

3) Mr. Hot Stuff - The little brother of Colonel John will be another horse coming "from the clounds" down the stretch. Will be a huge price.

Others that have question marks but not picking: 2) Musket Man; 5) Hold Me Back; 7) Papa Clem; 12) General Quarters; 19) Desert Party

Derby Odds/Upset City

With the forecast for no less than an 70% chance of rain for tomorrow, the betting public have taken notice and shifted the favoritism away from I Want Revenge.

Friesan Fire is currently the early 4-1 favorite. His last race was a win on a sloppy track in Louisiana and has been a horse that got a lot of attention this week.

I Want Revenge now stands at 5-1 while a trio of horses are 8-1, Chocolate Candy, Dunkirk and Pioneerof the Nile. General Quarters, the Blue Grass winner, is 9-1. Hold Me Back is 10-1 while Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem is 14-1.

----

With the scratch of Zenyatta from the Louisville Distaff, One Caroline, another unbeaten filly, looked to be in prime position to keep his perfect record in tact. After a protracted stretch duel, One Caroline gave in late to Miss Isella at odds of 8-1.

So what looked to be a matchup of two undefeated filly, fizzled out in an upset win. Oh well. Lots of good races to come.

Derby Draw Analysis - Winners & Losers

Even with the late defection of Win Willy due to a leg injury Wednesday morning, the Kentucky Derby field still reached 20 with the late addition of Nowhere to Hide. Now with the Post Position Draw complete, let's take a look at the winners and losers during the draw.

WINNERS
15 - Dunkirk- The highly touted and talented colt will need a lot of breaks to go his way and his starting spot is a good start. The 15 post is great because this is the first gate in the Auxiliary Starting Gate. (The main starting gate holds just 14 horses.) As a result there is a nice space to his left that will give crucial room to maneuver early in the race. He will likely drop back early but it's good to have a little cushion right after the start.

16 - Pioneerof the Nile - Leave it to three-time Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert to put his colt (right) in spot that been successful over the last few years. As Dunkirk is likely to take advantage of the extra space to his left, Pioneer should benefit from that and stay outside and away from a lot of the traditional bumping that goes on at the start of the race. The key will be not getting pushed to far outside on the first turn.

6 - Friesan Fire - Although it isn't a tremendous victory for him, trainer Larry Jones put his horse in a pretty solid starting position. With his tactical speed, the colt should be able to get near the early lead and settle in a good spot to make his run around the far turn. The only danger for him could be is if he is squeezed by another horse to his inside. With the forecast for rain and his love for a sloppy track, this spot could win up being a huge plus in the end.

LOSERS

19 - Desert Party - A horse that appeared to be powerhouse owner Godolphin's best shot to win the Derby, drew the "short straw" by having a late selection. The result left him in a slot that no horse has won from in the 135-year history of the Derby. Since Desert Party likes to be near the lead, jockey Ramon Dominguez will have a tough decision to make: push his horse early to be near the lead and potentially use up some "gas" or take a chance in not pushing the pedal but could be pushed out wide on the first turn.

1 - West Side Bernie - A lot of times, being on the rail, in the No. 1 starting gate is a good thing. In the Derby, it's usually a death knell. Only one horse (Ferdinand, 1986) in the last 46 years has won for this spot. The inside spot will probably make West Side Bernie get near the lead early which is contrary to his running style of dropping back. If he doesn't move up early, he could get shut off and lose all chance early on.

20 - Flying Private - D. Wayne Lukas (right), a Hall of Famer and four-time Derby winning trainer, has been a master of getting a horse ready for a big race. But this 50-1 shot already had his work cut out for him but drawing the outside post might have sealed his fate. Only Big Brown, the 2008 Derby winner, has won from the starting position, and this horse is no Big Brown. He will be pushed outside on both turns which will likely use up most of his energy.

CAUTION

13 - I Want Revenge - Although the 3-1 Derby favorite isn't in a bad starting position, he has the potential of getting squeezed by General Quarters and Atomic Rain. The big advantage for I Want Revenge is that he overcame plenty of trouble in the Wood Memorial and has a very versatile running style. Young jockey Joe Talamo will be tested once again.

Photos courtesy of Eclipse Sports Wire

Tuesday Morning News

So much for being done with Derby horses being injured.

Square Eddie, one of the better 2-year-olds from last year, was pulled from the Kentucky Derby by trainer Doug O'Neill this morning after re-aggravating a shin injury that kept him on the sidelines most of the winter. The latest ailment doesn't appear to be serious but it certainly ends his hope for wearing roses on Saturday.

The workout of the morning came from Wood Memorial winner and likely Derby favorite I Want Revenge. With his regular jockey (and now TV star) Joe Talamo aboard, the son of Stephen Got Even, worked a half mile in :47.20 (fractional splits - 11.40 (1/8 mile), 23.20 (1/4 mile), 35 2/5 (3/8 mile) and finished out the work going 5/8 mile in 1:00. 80.

Most of the attention over the past few days had shifted away from I Want Revenge to other major contenders like Friesan Fire, Dunkirk and Pioneerof the Nile. But after his work on Tuesday morning, that should erase a lot of doubts if the Jeff Mullins-trained colt can handle the Churchill Downs surface.

Let's hope that Mullins' troubles are behind him for now and the attention does stay focused on the horse the rest of the week.

The other big news on Tuesday is that we will have the field for the Kentucky Oaks, the sister race to the Derby. Rachel Alexandra, who has been nearly untouchable this year, will be the prohibitive favorite.

There are also some great races slated for the race preceding the Oaks and we'll dive more into those later.

Quality Road OUT & Other Notes

The inevitable finally happened on Monday morning as Quality Road was officially taken out of the consideration for the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens did the right thing and lived up to his word by ending his Derby dream. The horse was supposed to work in New York and board a plane for Louisville on Tuesday but the horse was a little sore this morning and that was the final nail in his Derby coffin.

Jerkens indicated that the Preakness and Belmont are still possible. The Preakness might a great race for him as it is a little shorter than the Derby and horses with tactical speed seem to thrive in the Preakness.

Other Monday headlines included an extremely busy morning with final workouts with one horse blazing down the stretch.

Friesan Fire - 5 furlongs (5/8 mile) :57.80 (Fastest of 26 horses)
The remarkable thing about this workout is that was about a second and a half faster than everyone else. At first blush, I am concerned that this fast work might take something out of the horse. But two things there are in Friesan Fire's favor: 1) He hasn't run since March 14 so a fast workout is something he probably needed. 2) Hard Spun had a similarly fast workout and he seemed just fine come Derby Day - he ran 2nd.

Other Workouts (trainer):
Advice (Todd Pletcher) - 4 furlongs (1/2 mile) 47.20 (3rd of 26 horses)
Chocolate Candy (Jerry Hollendorfer) - 5 furlongs (5/8 mile) :59.20 (2nd of 26 horses)
Flying Private (D. Wayne Lukas) - 4 furlongs (1/2 mile) 47.40 (4th of 26 horses)
Join in the Dance (Todd Pletcher) - 5 furlongs (5/8 mile) 1:00.20 (5th of 26 horses)
Mine That Bird (Bennie Woolley) - 5 furlongs (5/8 mile) 1:02 (19th of 26 horses)
Pioneerof the Nile (Bob Baffert) - 5 furlongs (5/8 mile) 1:01 (11th of 26 horses)
Take the Points (Todd Pletcher) - 5 furlongs (5/8 mile) 1:00.20 (5th of 26 horses)
Win Willy (McLean Robertson) - 5 furlongs (5/8 mile) 1:02.40 (20th of 26 horses)

Only one major horse left to work - Wood Memorial winner I Want Revenge.

What You Might Have Missed Monday....

On a rainy day in Louisville, there wasn't a lot of Kentucky Derby news but there were a few highlights.

The field of horses wanting to run in the Derby shrunk to 23 but for those in the Top 20, now all but one is "definite."

The only horse that is on the fence is Advice, the Todd Pletcher-trained winner of Saturday's Coolmore Lexington at Keeneland. It would be surprising if the horse didn't run but a two week turn around is a little short. Pletcher pulled Take the Points from Derby consideration and is now likely to run in the Lone Star Derby.

The Derby jockey shuffle continued as Robby Albarado took the mount on the D. Wayne Lukas trained Flying Private.

Calvin Borel, who captured the 2007 Derby aboard Street Sense, picked up Mine That Bird.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Square Eddie is without a jockey after Edgar Prado chose Dunkirk and Rafael Bejarano stayed with Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem. The best available riders that trainer Doug O'Neill could chose are: Alex Solis, Tyler Baze, David Flores and Javier Castellano. (My prediction - Baze).

Alan Garcia and Ramon Dominguez are slated to ride the Godolphin-owned duo of Desert Party and Regal Ransom. What hasn't been decided is which jockey will ride which horse. Frankie Dettori, who rode Desert Party in Dubai is not coming over for the Derby. Not a big vote of confidence.

As many as six Derby contenders are slated to work on Tuesday:

Pioneerof the Nile, I Want Revenge, Chocolate Candy, Win Willy, Mine That Bird and Atomic Rain.

Analyzing the Top Contenders

With a little over two weeks before the 135th Kentucky Derby, I thought I would take a quick look at some of the top contenders are expected to run Churchill Downs.

And, of course, just when you think you've got the field of 20 horses for the Derby all figured out, something comes out of nowhere to change it.

Joining the Derby fray on Thursday was Flat Out who was 6th in the Arkansas Derby but currently is 28th on the Graded Stakes Earnings list. Bailing on the Derby was Mafaaz, the European based horse that flopped in the Toyota Blue Grass on Saturday. The owners also moved the horse to the barn of NY-based trainer Kiaran McLaughlin so perhaps a run in the Belmont Stakes?

Now, here's a look in earnings order (as well as their record on "conventional" dirt) at the leading contenders for the "Run for the Roses":

(record - starts-wins-second-third)
Regal Ransom (Overall Record 5-2-2-0, "Real Dirt" record 1-1-0-0) -
One of two Godolphin owned horses in the Derby. The tough part for them is they run against suspect competition in Dubai and they've never come close to winning the Derby. Don't think this one will be the one to change that.

Pioneerof the Nile (Overall Record 8-5-0-1, "Real Dirt" record 0-0-0-0) -
The best from California and the horses from the West Coast have been doing great when they've come East (see I Want Revenge and Papa Clem.) Won four straight since moving to trainer Bob Baffert in the winter. Never run on "conventional" dirt but his parents both ran well at Churchill Downs. A major contender and trained by a guy who has won three Derbys. Not bad.

Square Eddie (Overall Record 7-2-3-1, "Real Dirt" record 0-0-0-0) -
Former European took the world by storm when he won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in October but was injured in January and presumed out of the Derby. Low and behold, he's back and running this weekend at Keeneland. Could be a lot to ask him to win the Derby with just one race in the last 3 1/2 months.

I Want Revenge (Overall Record 8-3-1-4, "Real Dirt" record 2-2-0-0) -
The "hot" horse on the Derby trail. His two East Coast races have been super impressive and has taken a liking to life away from the artificial dirt. If his star crossed trainer, Jeff Mullins, can stay out of trouble (which has been difficult since winning the Gotham), he is the horse to beat.

Papa Clem (Overall Record 6-2-2-0, "Real Dirt" record 2-1-1-0) -
Yet another West Coast who become a major contender. He won the Arkansas Derby last weekend and was narrowly beaten by Pioneerof the Nile in February. Big problem though is not sure he wants to go the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.

Desert Party (Overall Record 6-4-1-0, "Real Dirt" record 2-1-0-0) -
The best of the Middle East horses was beaten by stablemate Regal Ransom last time. The $2.1 million auction purchase has loads of talent and is their owners' best chance to win the Derby in years but the Middle East to US experiment has been a failure to date. Don't think he wins but maybe somewhere in the Top 5.

Quality Road (Overall Record 4-3-1-0, "Real Dirt" Record 4-3-1-0) -
RED FLAG WARNING - Was a major contender after winning the Florida Derby last month but a quarter crack was found in his foot last week. The crack usually is painful but had a nice workout this week in New York. Watch this very carefully.

General Quarters (Overall Record 11-3-3-1, "Real Dirt" Record 7-2-2-1)
By far the best story of the Kentucky Derby. Owned and trained by a 75-year-old former high school principal with just one horse in his stable, the gray colt (right) has won two of his last three including the Blue Grass Stakes. Can he overcome the curse of winning the Blue Grass? Only two horses in the last 36 years have won both (Strike the Gold, 1991 & Spectacular Bid. 1979).

Friesan Fire (Overall Record 7-4-1-1, "Real Dirt" Record 7-4-1-1)
On paper, he looks like one of the best horses in the race but when you a look a little closer, there are a couple of concerns. Chief among them is that he has not run since March 14 and that gives him seven weeks between starts. No horse has won the Derby with that much time between races since Needles in 1956. The other concern is that his best race came on a wet track. Watch how he trains the next two weeks. (This is trainer Larry Jones only horse left after Old Fashioned retired this week.)

Musket Man (Overall Record 6-5-0-1, "Real Dirt" Record 6-5-0-1)
He might be the most underrated horse in the field considering his lofty record. He beat a poor field in the Illinois Derby but he defeated General Quarters in the Tampa Bay Derby last month. The big concern is his bloodlines as there doesn't appear to be stamina in his family.

Hold Me Back (Overall Record 5-3-0-1, "Real Dirt" Record 1-0-0-0)
Another horse with a very nice record but appears to be an "artificial" dirt specialist. His only real dirt race was a distance fifth place finish last November. He has the benefit of trainer Bill Mott, one of the all-time best, but he needs to prove he can duplicate his artificial dirt form on the Churchill Downs surface.

West Side Bernie (Overall Record 7-2-2-1, "Real Dirt" Record 4-1-2-1)
A hard trying horse that does not have a marquee win but always seems to give an honest effort each time. Another big plus for him is that he has never run a race shorter than 1 mile and 70 yards which could prove to be beneficial when running 1 1/4 miles in the Derby. Could be a nice longshot to run second or third.

Chocolate Candy (Overall Record 9-4-2-1, "Real Dirt" Record 0-0-0-0)
WISE GUY ALERT - After knocking off the best 3-year-olds in Northern California, the horse, owned by Sid & Jenny Craig, ran a close second to Pioneerof the Nile in early April. He is definitely one to watch but will probably be a "wise guy" horse because of good runner-up finish last time. As a result, he might over bet.

Dunkirk (Overall Record 3-2-1-0, "Real Dirt" Record 3-2-1-0)
WISE GUY ALERT - The most expensive and perhaps most talented horse in the field. His regal breeding (his mom, Secret Status, won the Kentucky Oaks) fetched $3.7 million at public auction and could be the next big star in racing. But, he only has three lifetime starts and only one horse in Derby history has won the "Run for the Roses" with just three outings (Regret, 1915). Curlin tried it a couple of years ago and ran third. Be careful if you bet him.

All photos courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire

Sunday Follow-up

The racing world is abuzz about I Want Revenge's win in Saturday's Wood Memorial. The visually impressive performance will make him the Kentucky Derby favorite pending a blowout by someone in next week's Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland or the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn.

I Want Revenge (shown on far right) will get plenty of time to adjust to life under the Twin Spires as he leaves for Churchill Downs on Monday. Not that spending nearly a month training at Churchill Downs guarantees a victory but trainer Jeff Mullins is doing the right thing.

I Want Revenge has already made two round trips from Los Angeles to New York so limiting his travel is a smart move for a young horse. Be curious how many days trainer Jeff Mullins will spend in Louisville but he is not a Derby rookie.

"He came out of the race real well," Mullins said from Aqueduct this mornning. "We had him out this morning, went over him from head to toe and everything looks good."

For those who love numbers (like me), the Daily Racing Form has their trademarked Beyer Speed Figures. There haven't been many 3-year-olds on the Road the Derby with Beyer Figures over 100.

I Want Revenge ran a 113 in the Gotham last month so I wondered if he could top that lofty figure. Meanwhile, Pioneerof the Nile, who won Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, had never broken 100 in any race. After going to drf.com, here are the Beyer numbers for yesterday.

I Want Revenge's - 103
Pioneerof the Nile - 96

That's good news for both horses. The 96 for Pioneerof the Nile is his career best and I Want Revenge dropped 10 points from his Gotham victory but that should bode well for him in the Derby.

The interesting part to keep in mind is that Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge went head-to-head twice in California and Pioneerof the Nile won both matchups. Keep in mind the racetracks in California are the artificial kind while Aqueduct and Churchill Downs have the
"traditional dirt."

When Pioneerof the Nile starts in the Derby, it will be his first start on "traditional dirt." That will bear close watching.

The mystery race of Saturday was Musket Man in the Illinois Derby. He is getting hot at the right time and quietly has posted an impressive career record of five wins in six starts. Win or lose in the Kentucky Derby, their owners got a bargain when they bought the colt at auction at Keeneland for just $17,000.

(Photo Courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)