Steve Haskin's Kentucky Derby Top 20--Week 5

1-A P Valentine/ Nick Zito/A.P. Indy-Twenty Eight Carat, by Alydar

Not going to give up on him after one race. Was at a huge disadvantage having to run his opening half in :45 2/5, while going 6-wide on the turn. Showed a good burst of speed before tiring. Next will tell a lot.

2--Hero's Tribute/John Ward/Sea Hero -- Eastern Dawn, by Damascus

Allowance or no allowance, his dominating victory was the most impressive 3-year-old performance we've seen so far, and he beat a very tough field. Does look around, and will get blinkers in La. Derby.

3-Point Given/Bob Baffert/Thunder Gulch-Turko's Turn, by Turkoman

Everything pretty much status quo. As of early Monday morning, hadn't worked in 10 days, but they've had a lot of rain. Still sitting back and waiting for the San Felipe. Baffert's in no rush with him.

4--Dollar Bill/Dallas Stewart/Peaks and Valleys-Saratoga Game, by Saratoga Six

You couldn't ask for a better 3-year-old debut. Won Risen Star like a seasoned pro. Lead change as smooth as silk and ran straight as an arrow. Gave 8 pounds to runner-up and was relentless down the stretch.

5 -- Street Cry/Saeed bin Suroor/Machiavellian-Helen Street, by Troy

The more wide-open things get here, the better he's looking. Tom Albertrani says he's "absolutely going great," which is good enough for us. He debuts a week from Thursday in the UAE Guineas. After that it's the UAE Derby, and possibly a 1 1/8-mile race on April 14.

6 -- Millennium Wind/Dave Hofmans/Cryptoclearance-Bali Babe, by Drone

Turned in a sharp 6-furlong work in 1:13 1/5. Big, laid-back colt still has a lot of scope for improvement. McCarron will have a tough decision to make if forced to choose between him and Dollar Bill.

7 -- Startac/Simon Bray/Theatrical-Tenga, by Mr. Prospector

Just keeps moving up as others drop out of the picture. Breezed a solid half in :48 2/5 on Sunday. Could head north for the El Camino Real Derby. Looking more and more like a legitimate Derby contender

8 -- Outofthebox/Bernie Flint/Montbrook-Cricket Box, by Notebook

Somehow managed to finish second in the Fountain of Youth despite doing a bell-ringer into the starting gate door, then trying to duck in on the rail turning for home. Yet still was running hard at the finish.

9 -- Palmeiro/John Sadler/Pleasant Tap-Fortune Pending, by Fortunate Prospect

Breezed sharp 5 furlongs in 1:00 3/5 for San Rafael Stakes. John Sadler would rather not drop him back in distance, but the timing is right and this colt is really starting to find himself right now.

10 -- Songandaprayer/John Dowd/Unbridled's Song-Alizea, by Premiership

All we really know about him is he's big and strong and fast, and will eat you alive if you leave him alone on the lead. His size and stride are very reminiscent of his sire, but he seems to have a better temperament.

Continued. . . .