KENTUCKY DERBY G1

Whose backing what please?

My quicky run through:

#1 Daddy Long Legs - Connections of Hansen went crazy when the 1 was handed to DLL....says it all about this box...Mountain to climb in one of the toughest renewals for a while.

#2 Optimizer - Thrashed on separate occasions by Hansen, Gemologist, El Padrino and Bodemeister...pass

#3 Take Charge Indy - Set soft fractions to win the Florida lto....will need to adapt today but has the rail and Calvin Borel to aid his cause.

#4 Union Rags - Matz wasn't happy with 4. Smashing horse. His Champagne win last year was just brutal. Didn't fire last time in the Florida Derby but had excuses...been working the house down the last week or so. Big Chance.

#5 Dullahan - The deeeeeeep closer looking to capitalise on a pace meltdown up front. Won the Bluegrass last time when Hansen tired late in the strech. Matured and developed a lot through the spring. Big Chance if the chips fall his way.

#6 Bodemeister - Has to overcome the dreaded 130 year old curse of Apollo but along with Optimizer no other horse in the field has raced more times this year. Superstar performance in the Arkansas Derby lto earned him the highest BSF of this field and his third straight triple-digit figure. Impressive specimen of a horse and clearly ultra talented.

#7 Rousing Sermon - Another deep closer who look to pull off a Giocoma style shocker....needs a miracle.

#8 Creative Cause - A grey Giant's Causeway :) Ultra talented but quirky as f*** down the stretch. He loves to look at the crown but when he gets his head down he battles hard as he showed when mastering Bodemeister in the San Felipe but that was only Bode's 2nd lifetime start. Another with a big chance.

#9 Trinniberg - If the Derby was 6furlongs he'd be the favourite. But it isnt. This year's SongAndAPrayer.

#10 Daddy Nose Best - Undefeated this season and the switch back to dirt worked a treat in the Sunland Derby last time. I liked that performance. Gutsy and real wild card here. Not one to underestimate.

#11 Alpha - Clearly Godolphin have a talented horse but he just seems a bit of a softie for my liking.

#12 Prospective - The Tampa Bay Derby winner...and that's about all he's got going for him.

#13 Went the Day Well - Represents last year's winning connections and took the same route to the Derby as Animal Kingdom when he won the Spiral last time out. FIRST TIME BLINKERS. This lot mean business imo and expect a big run.

#14 Hansen - How can you not like this horse. The happy go lucky grey. Connections were very pleased with the draw so I'll have to take their word for it. Would be a very pleasing winner imo but surely Dullahan has him in his back pocket.

#15 Gemologist - The undisputed, undefeated battler out of New York. Monster. Don't look this fellow in the eye...he'll turn you away big style. Won the Wood Memorial last time when doing just that to Alpha. Another impressive beast of a horse and could definetly pound this lot into submission. The most likely candidate to deliver the KO punch to Bodemeister.

#16 El Padrino - I've heard there's rain in the air in Lousiville....a slop fest will see him bang in contention.

#17 Done Talking - And I'm done typing

#18 Sabercat - Asmussen was very happy with 18. Despite his cool name...cmon say it - SABRECAT yeaaah - well anyways he's a bit of a ****cat and can get a bit scared by all the kick back and lost vital ground at the start. 18 will give him the chance he's been waiting for to do himself justice.

#19 I'll Have Another - Did fantastically well to run down Creative Cause last time out in the Santa Anita Derby. His draw is a massive blow. If you can get past that then his odds represent good value.

#20 Liason - Yeah will take a mightly leap to be backing this won.

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After Gemologist won the Wood Memorial I marked him down as my Kentucky Derby horse but then came Bodemeister's sensational performance in the Arkansas. It was truly impressive and I cant really ignore it. Backed Bodemeister eachway 6/1 with a nice saver on Gemologist.

Others to consider that I haven't back - Union Rags, Dullahan, Daddy Nose Best and Went the Day Well. 

Good luck.

ELG