Steve Sherack & Brian DiDonato will make $100 win/place bets on 20 Kentucky Derby preps. The handicapper with the highest total at the end wins.
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SS: Last Week – Well, we're both still showing a profit, but not by much after hitting a bit of a cold spell. Classy Class gave me the best run of my three selections last weekend in the Gotham, but hung a bit late to just get tagged for second after awaiting racing room in the stretch. Danzig Moon, meanwhile, never put in a serious rally to finish a well-beaten fourth behind the ultra-impressive Carpe Diem in the Tampa Bay Derby. Lord Nelson was equally disappointing with a fourth-place finish after sitting a perfect trip just behind the leaders in the San Felipe. I hate to get attached to one particular horse before the final preps take place, but the one that I want right now on the first Saturday in May is Carpe Diem.
GII Rebel S. – There are plenty of times to make a case against the favorite and take a shot with a price. This is not one of them. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's success at Oaklawn is no secret and champion American Pharoah figures to have things his own way against six overmatched rivals here. There doesn't appear to be any other major speed to keep him honest early, which is a very scary scenario for a horse that already appears to tower over the competition. I probably will take a small flyer in my personal wagers on Bold Conquest after being so high on him last time in the Southwest, but it's hard to imagine him running for anything better than second in this one. Selection: #4 American Pharoah (1-2).
Wagered: $1800. Current Total: $2,080.
BD: Last Week – Neither Combat Driver nor Great Stuff ran a step, finishing ninth and fifth, respectively, in the Gotham and Tampa Bay Derby. I thought Bolo, however, ran a very solid race to be a close third in the San Felipe. Traveling without cover throughout his dirt debut, the dark bay made a menacing move into the stretch before being repelled by Dortmund and just tagged late by Prospect Park. Bolo earned a significant speed figure top for the effort, and looks like he may very well be effective on dirt after all.
GII Rebel S. – It's hard to deny that this isn't exactly the best betting race we've seen so far in this contest. There's simply nobody to run with champion American Pharoah early, and nobody good enough to reel him in late. The abbreviated juvenile campaign might be somewhat of a knock, but looking at the bay's last two bullet works leading up to this, he appears to be doing just fine. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert's success in Hot Springs is also well documented–he's won an incredible four of the last five renewals of this race to go with four Southwests and one Arkansas Derby. One might argue that American Pharoah got an easy lead when breaking his maiden in the GI Del Mar Futurity, but he duplicated that effort with a less advantageous trip in the GI FrontRunner S. while besting next-out GIII Sham S. winner Calculator, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red and Speakeasy S. romper and eventual GII San Vicente S. winner Lord Nelson.Selection: #4 American Pharoah (1-2).
Wagered: $1800. Current Total: $2,360.
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