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: GIII Gotham S. – There is every chance that Classy Class may just have some distance limitations, but I need to give him one more shot with possibly a slightly different trip here. With a ton of speed entered, he may finally get the placement he wants–sit within striking distance early and pounce when ready. An impressive debut winner going 6 1/2 furlongs under that same scenario at Belmont Park, he may have fallen victim to his post position draws while being forced to go early in his next two starts after dueling on the front end in both the Remsen and Withers, respectively. He didn't exactly embarrass himself in those two efforts either and you've got to love seeing the red-hot Junior Alvarado taking over the reins. Selection: #3 Classy Class (7-2).
GII Tampa Bay Derby – The highly regarded Danzig Moon will certainly have his work cut out for him facing the likes of the Stonestreet uncoupled powerhouse of Carpe Diem and Ocean Knight, but his Gulfstream maiden win and trainer Mark Casse's confidence is enough for me to want to take a shot with him in this aggressive spot. The son of Malibu Moon has the look of a two-turn horse and couldn't have been more impressive while posting a strong four-wide move in his sophomore debut going a one-turn mile in Hallandale last time. Hailing from a deep female Phipps family, Danzig Moon has every right to be a good one. Expecting about half the price of the morning-line quote, especially after the likely scratch of Souper Colossal. Selection: #9 Danzig Moon (12-1).
GII San Felipe S. – Despite a pair of off-the-board finishes in two prior attempts going long, Lord Nelson may be worth another shot if the price is right. Baffert's 'other horse' has a two-turn pedigree and looks like he was just getting started when rallying for a narrow success over BC Juvenile winner Texas Red in the seven-furlong San Vicente. No shame in finishing fourth in a loaded renewal of last year's FrontRunner at second asking, and his fifth-place finish as the chalk in the Kentucky Jockey Club was loaded with excuses. Selection: #1 Lord Nelson (4-1).
SS: Wagered: $1200. Current Total: $2,080.
BD: GIII Gotham S. – There seems to be a fair bit of pace lined up here, and I'll take a shot with an under-the-radar runner who should benefit from hot splits. Combat Driver impressed me when overcoming a slow pace with a quick turn move to break his maiden at Belmont last October, and his connections must have thought pretty highly of him to pre-enter for the BC Juvenile. He didn't make it into that race, and instead ran in the Remsen, where he made no impact with no obvious excuse. His comeback second in the Miracle Wood at Laurel last time was nice–a distant last behind glacial splits, he uncorked a six-wide move into the stretch and just missed while struggling a bit to maintain a straight path. One might say he hung, but if he can keep himself in the race early, there's no reason he can't come flying late and find the front when it matters. Selection: #2 Combat Driver (12-1).
GII Tampa Bay Derby – I joked with Steve recently that he and I needed to join Wilkes-aholics Anonymous for all the Ian Wilkes-trained horses we'd been betting lately. Clearly I haven't yet sought out treatment… Great Stuff is still a maiden, but once he figures it all out and gets more ground to work with, watch out. The leggy bay was third behind Khozan going seven furlongs, and improved to second–beaten just a head while failing to switch leads on time–at a mile last out. He just about fits on figures, and this is an aggressive spot for a normally conservative conditioner. Selection: #7 Great Stuff (20-1).
GII San Felipe S. – Taking rare chalk with Dortmund last time in the Bob Lewis worked out for me, but I couldn't possibly be that smart again, could I? That was an awful tough race for the favorite last time, so he seems worth taking a shot against. Ocho Ocho Ocho, Prospect Park and Bolo seem like the right three to consider, and I'll go with Bolo because he'll be the biggest price. He's an unknown commodity on the dirt, but there's no denying what he's done on the turf. He was flattered by Metaboss's win in the GIII El Camino Real Derby, and has plenty of pedigree to handle the surface switch. His dam only raced on dirt, and is a half to the dam of Derby winner Mine That Bird as well as MGISW and Derby third Dullahan. Selection: #7 Bolo (6-1).
BD: Wagered: $1200. Current Total: $2,360.
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