Steve Haskin's Derby Watch -- Week 12 (April 9)

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Off his Santa Anita Derby victory, Buddy Gil moves up on the list of Kentucky Derby contenders compiled by Blood-Horse senior correspondent Steve Haskin. Meanwhile, Indian Express joined the contenders' list and Atswhatimtalknbout and Kafwain were demoted.

1--Empire Maker/Bobby Frankel; Unbridled-Toussaud, by El Gran Senor
Breezed 6 furlongs in 1:13 in company with Midas Eyes and did it easily. Frankel has been going easy on him to make sure he doesn't peak too soon. He'll give him only one work between the Wood Memorial and Derby.

2--Peace Rules/Bobby Frankel; Jules-Hold to Fashion, by Hold Your Peace
Showed a lot of early lick in his 6-furlong work in 1:11 3/5 for Blue Grass Stakes. Frankel thought he went a bit too fast and walked and jogged him for a few days. Should be a pace factor again in Blue Grass Stakes.

3--Ten Most Wanted/Wally Dollase; Deputy Commander-Wanted Again, by Criminal Type
Don't let the slow time of the Illinois Derby bother you. The track was drying out and deep, and he was extremely impressive visually. Took way back this time, then overcame serious traffic problems at the head of the stretch and drew off with authority. Answered a lot of questions; super Derby prep.

4--Badge of Silver/Ronny Werner; Silver Deputy-Silveroo, by Silver Hawk
Worked a mile in 1:38 at Churchill Downs, which is just what he needed. Doesn't need to win the Blue Grass Stakes, but does need to show some signs of the brilliance he displayed at Fair Grounds. Look for a big rebound effort.

5--Buddy Gil/Jeff Mullins; Eastern Echo-Really Rising, by For Really
He showed the San Felipe was no fluke by winning the Santa Anita Derby with the same grit and toughness. The closing fractions were slow, and 1 1/4 miles is a question, but there is no doubt this horse has really come along quickly and will give them a fight on Derby Day.

6--Brancusi/Patrick Biancone; Deputy Commander-Treize, by Alysheba
Breezed 6 furlongs in 1:14 at Keeneland for Blue Grass Stakes. He's still a guess, but the gut feeling is that he's a top-quality horse who is improving at the right time. Blue Grass will be a big test for him against some tough opponents. Only needs to be competitive to move on.

7--Man Among Men/Gary Mandella; Gentlemen-La Favorita, by Nikos
Because the Santa Anita Derby was not a strong race overall, why not take a chance that talented horses, such as this guy, will bounce back. Likely was ailing in the San Felipe and is training super for Arkansas Derby, drilling 5 furlongs in :59 4/5 before shipping to Oaklawn.

8--Offlee Wild/T.V. Smith; Wild Again-Alvear, by Seattle Slew
Another in the same boat as Badge of Silver and Man Among Men. There's no telling what he's going to do in the Blue Grass Stakes, but a big effort will catapult him right near the top. Breezed 5 furlongs in 1:03 3/5 at Keeneland. Awesome female family; will run all day.

9 --Indian Express/Bob Baffert; Indian Charlie-Liba's Choice, by Halo

Ran an absolute freaky race to finish second in Santa Anita Derby. Put Ocean Terrace away through some eye-catching fractions and still battled to the wire, despite making only his fourth start and first beyond 6 1/2 furlongs. But with only four career starts, two of them sprint romps in Panama, the Kentucky Derby is a huge leap for him.

10--Atswhatimtalknbout/Ron Ellis; A.P. Indy-Lucinda K., by Red Ransom
He can go either way after his Santa Anita Derby failure. With 5 races crammed in a short period, he was eligible to regress. Four others in the race were virtually eased, so maybe he didn't care for the track. This colt is obviously better than he showed and is still capable of rebounding on his best day. May get blinkers if he trains well in them. Let's see how he's looking and acting in the weeks leading up to the Derby.

11--Kafwain/Bob Baffert; Cherokee Run-Swazi's Moment, by Moment of Hope
Even if 10 furlongs is beyond his scope, he still is always in the money and always giving it his all. Might have fared better outside of horses, and Baffert feels he could improve now that Valenzuela has gotten to know him. He's not the type to chase horses down in the stretch. He should be closer to the pace and use his size, strength, and toughness to try to run his opponents into the ground.

Continued...

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