Racing Dudes Help Kick Off the Derby Trail
As an admitted obsessed fan of the NFL draft, I was fascinated by the recent Racing Dudes Triple Crown Fantasy Draft conducted by some of the most astute handicapping minds in the country, several of whom I know and respect. So it was only natural for me to pay close attention to the outcome of their draft. I thought it would be fun, not only to analyze each five-horse stable from the 12 participating teams in advance of my Derby Rankings, but share them and give the readers an opportunity to choose which stable they would want as we head into the 2026 Derby trail and through the Triple Crown. ~ Steve Haskin
Racing Dudes Help Kick Off the Derby Trail
By Steve Haskin
With the next, and perhaps most important, Kentucky Derby Future Wager coming up on January 16, I’m sure many feel they have a good enough grasp on this year’s 3-year-old crop to place their money on what they realize will be the most precarious investments they make all year. One day you’re sitting on the proverbial gold mine, and next your “live” stock goes belly up. Such is the uncertainty of the Derby trail and carrying right through the Belmont Stakes.
For the past 13 years the website Racing Dudes and their associated Blinkers Off podcast has conducted its Annual Triple Crown Fantasy Draft, in which a number of friends and fellow handicappers take turns selecting horses on the Triple Crown trail to build their virtual teams in a draft format, with the teams earnings designated points based on the performances of the horses they have selected. It begins with the roster of players choosing their horses after randomly establishing the selection order. This is conducted just prior to the New Year and the beginning of the Kentucky Derby trail.
“The Racing Dudes” are founders Jared Welch and Aaron Halterman, both former marketing directors who were high school acquaintences who discovered a mutual love for horse racing and began a weekly wagering guide in 2012 that has grown into an international-renowned must-read for handicappers of all experience levels. Their Racing Dudes podcasts are one of the most popular on YouTube.
Well, here are a group of well-respected experts who each year get together and dig far beneath the surface to discover potential nuggets of gold that most people are not even aware of, myself included. They have taken these nuggets, along with the well-known elements that shone brightly in 2025 and stacked them into a dozen neat piles, one of which will prove at the conclusion of the Belmont Stakes to be the most valuable.
The rules start off simple enough. From the extensive list of designated stakes, beginning with this Saturday’s Jerome Stakes and Smarty Jones Stakes and ending with the June 6 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, horses selected will earn points by finishing first, second, or third, as well as earning points for starting in a designated race. For example, the Jerome has a Draft value of 20 points for first, 10 points for second, five points for third, and one point for a start. That increases as the prestige of the races increase, concluding with the three Triple Crown races, which are assigned 200 points for first, 100 points for second, 50 points for third, and 20 points for a start.
But this year for the first time, bonus points will be awarded to major Derby preps, beginning with the Jeff Ruby Steaks. And finally, what separates this draft from the others is the ability for players to claim horses and drop an existing horse from their stable. Each Monday a player can put in a claim for a new horse that is not on another player’s list. That usually is done following an impressive performance by a newcomer that week or a poor performance by one of your existing stable horses. Basically you are dropping a horse and replacing him with another, more promising, horse. All claims are done through email (to Aaron Halterman) and in the case of more than one person putting in a claim for the same horse a video shake will be conducted on YouTube that Tuesday in much the same manner as the shake following an actual claiming race. The first could very well take place this Tuesday, as there are seven selected horses running in Jerome and Smarty Jones, so go on the Racing Dudes YouTube show and see how it’s done.
With my annual Derby Rankings scheduled to begin later in January, I have a pretty good idea which horses I am leaning towards to fill out my top 12 or 15. But I realize looking at these dozen stables that have emerged from so many sharp minds, I likely have not dug as deep as I thought. Remember, the draft selections continue through the Triple Crown, not just the Derby. Therefore I am going to go over each of those neat little piles and analyze them, looking at their strengths and trying to ferret out those newly discovered and still unknown gems that are new to me and could be serious horses by May and early June.
So to all followers of our Derby Rankings, consider this a preview of what is to come and more. Feel free to do your own analysis and let us know which stable or stables you would love to have throughout the Triple Crown.
So here we go, in previously drawn selection order:
1. VINNY BLOND is the owner Real Dynasty Picks with his selections appearing in the Racing Dudes Betting Bibles. He lives 15 minutes from Saratoga and specializes on the NYRA circuit. (Vinny’s stable — Ted Noffey, Rebel Instinct, My World, Mob, Golden Tornado) — We all are aware that at this point the Hope Diamond, namely Ted Noffey, shines in this stable, and if this three-time Grade 1 winner is anywhere near as good as he’s looked so far, it gives Vinny the initial advantage. But like all 2-year-olds he still has to make that important transition from 2 to 3 and show that distance will not be a problem. But right now he has all the tools and checks off all the boxes. Vinny is able to back that up with an extremely promising colt in the Chad Brown-trained Rebel Instinct, a son of Into Mischief who was very impressive breaking his maiden by three lengths at Aqueduct, going a mile in a sharp 1:35 4/5 and closing his final quarter in :24 2/5. An April 10 foal, he still has plenty of room for improvement. Vinny took an early shot with My World, a Brad Cox-trained colt by Essential Quality, out of an Into Mischief mare who had no trouble dominating the listed Nashua Stakes on November 1 and then came back this past Saturday to win the four-horse Jerome Stakes, running down a tiring Balboa in the final furlong. Mob is a well-bred son of Gun Runner who won his career debut by 1 1/2 lengths going 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs, leading every step of the way. He was bet down to 37-1 in the last Future Wager, so someone thinks very highly of him. Finally, he took a shot with the Mckinzie colt Golden Tornado, who won his career debut impressively by 3 1/4 lengths at Saratoga, but cracked a shin and hasn’t worked since September 3. But he is back in training on the farm and “looks great,” according to trainer Danny Gargan.
2. AARON HALTERMAN is the co-owner of Racing Dudes. He is a ubiquitous presence on YouTube and a must-see regarding all aspects of handicapping and the Derby trail. (Aaron’s stable — Paladin, Desert Gate, Courting, Stop the Car, Boca Beach Club) — Paladin, the impressive Remsen winner, has the same connections as Sierra Leone, is also by Gun Runner, and is following the same route as the 2024 3-year-old champion. But he is more tactical and more professional than Sierra Leone, and we’ll have to see if he is more talented. With his classy pedigree, distance will no problem. Aaron then followed with two proven colts from the Baffert and Pletcher barns who are both a bit under the radar right now. Desert Gate, despite four huge efforts, might have gotten a bit lost in the vast Baffert brigade, mainly because he disappeared after two strong second-place finishes in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah Stakes, which followed two impressive victories, including an 8 3/4-length romp in the Best Pal Stakes. He didn’t work between October 20 and December 15, but has since worked three times, including a five-furlong drill in :59 1/5 last out. Courting, a son of Curlin, out of Cavorting, cost a whopping $5 million as a yearling and looked the part when he wired his field by 2 1/2 lengths going a mile at Aqueduct. Although he was beaten seven lengths in the Remsen, he was bounced around from both sides at the break and dropped back to ninth. But he did close well enough to finish fourth and appears to be much better than that race looks on paper. He had his first work at Palm Beach Downs on January 2, Stop the Car, who is inbred three times to Seattle Slew, won his second career start, going a mile in a sharp 1:35 1/5, drawing off to win by 3 3/4 lengths to remain undefeated. Boca Beach Club closed well to finish second in the 5 1/2-furlong Advent Stakes at Oaklawn following an impressive score at Hawthorne in his career debut. He was entered in Saturday’s Smarty Jones Stakes, but was scratched.
3. DAN WAITE is a Midwest-based handicapper who has been in the league since the beginning and is known for his ability to find late developers (Dan’s stable — Incredibolt, Liberty National, Boss Dylan, Jackson Hole, Remember Mamba) — Incredibolt was one of my two featured horses to watch in an earlier column. He has made big jumps with each start on Thoro-Graph and is trained by Riley Mott, who is following in his father’s footsteps (with Sovereignty) by winning the Street Sense Stakes. Like Sovereignty, he has a big closing kick and looks like a horse who wants to keep stretching out in distance. Liberty National is coming off a rallying second-place finish in the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds following a 4 1/4-length maiden score at Churchill Downs. Despite his defeat, in which he made a big late run, his trainer Kenny McPeek said he is still very high on him. Boss Dylan is still a maiden after two starts, but he was flying at the end of his career debut against Mob before finishing third at 4-5 stretching out to a mile. Jackson Hole is a well-bred son of Nyquist who cost $1.3 million as a yearling and is trained by Todd Pletcher. He won his career debut going seven furlongs at Gulfstream and has been training steadily at Palm Beach Downs. If Remember Mamba, a Cherie DeVaux-trained son of Kitten’s Joy, gets enough dirt ability from his broodmare sire Uncle Mo and runs as well as he did in his career debut going 1 1/8 miles on grass at Keeneland, he could be a very interesting prospect. He’s turned in some solid half-mile dirt works at Fair Grounds.
4. PAUL WITHROW is known as “Free Beers,” so it’s drinks on the house if he wins. The Kentucky resident is considered by his peers a sharp handicapper and businessman. (Paul’s stable — Ewing, Satono Voyage, Balboa, Schoolyardsuperman, Sleepingonfreedom) — You can’t say Paul isn’t thinking out of the box. The undefeated Ewing, who hasn’t run since winning the Saratoga Special, is back working after a three-month absence and has already shown his sharpness drilling a half in :47 2/5 at Oaklawn for Mark Casse. One of the more intriguing picks is the Japanese-trained Satono Voyage, a son of Into Mischief, with a ton of stamina in his female family, who has won his last three races, all at odds-on. We’ll see what he does stretching out in distance. Balboa, a former Baffert horse who has run well for Brittany Russell after being sent east, including a third in the Remsen, was unable to hold on to the lead in Saturday’s Jerome Stakes, finishing second to My World. Will Schoolyardsuperman wind up being Chad Brown’s sleeper after his 5 3/4-length pace-pressing maiden score going a mile at Aqueduct and closing his last quarter in :24 3/5? Classy speed on top and plenty of stamina on the bottom. Speaking of sleepers, Sleepingonfreedom takes a back seat in Kenny McPeek’s loaded barn, but he does have back-to-back victories and a second in three starts and is bred to run all day. With his final two picks, Paul no doubt loves horses out of Tiznow mares.
5. DOUBLE D’s is not just for double Draft or double Derby and not even for their names, but for a pair of doctors, as in Dr. Ronald Tang, the No. 1 cancer doctor in Los Angeles, and Miranda Bunge, one of the top chiropractors in Louisville. Oh, yes, both are extremely sharp handicappers. (Double D’s stable — Cannoneer, Local Knowledge, Commandment, White Tiger, Strategic Risk) — What an amazing up and down weekend for the docs. They bypassed the stakes horses to go with the unproven Cannoneer, who could be any kind after breaking his maiden with a brilliant 7 1/4-length romp wire-to-wire going seven furlongs in a blazing 1:21 3/5 at Churchill Downs for Brad Cox. We have to watch his next start very closely, as he improved over 13 points from his first start on Thoro-Graph and already has one of this crop’s fastest numbers. Next, they turned to Todd Pletcher and took a shot with Local Knowledge, a son of Yaupon, who won his only start from off the pace golng six furlongs at Keeneland. But he’s had a couple of physical issues that will require time and is unlikely to make any of the Triple Crown races. In the mixed feelings department, their third selection, Commandment, ran Saturday in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes, which unfortunately, has no points, but they sure have a Derby/Triple Crown horse the way he split horses at the top of the stretch and quickly blew the race open, charging home to win by 6 3/4 lengths and galloping out in another area code. This followed a 5 1/4-length maiden score. And, oh yes, he’s by Into Mischief and trained by Brad Cox. They went back to Cox yet again selecting White Tiger, a gutsy maiden winner at Churchill Downs who overcame a bad start and hung on gamely to win by a half-length going 1 1/16 miles. As if having a runaway stakes winner on the first weekend of the dradft wasn’t enough, their final pick, Strategic Risk, winner the 1 1/16-mile In Reality division of the Florida Sire Series by nine lengths for Mark Casse on November 29, proved that was no fluke when he stalked a very slow pace in Saturday’s Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn and drew off to win by 4 1/2 lengths, coming home in a swift :24 flat and :06 flat, making him near impossible to catch.
6. GEIST, who is more commonly known as Brian Brush, is a past draft winner who consistently finishes in the top five and when not cleaning up in the draft is a successful businessman. (Geist’s stable — Renegade, Brant, Chip Honcho, Express Kid, Big Dom) — If you liked getting Paladin in the Derby Future Wager at 22-1, you should have done back flips getting Renegade at a mouth-watering 63-1. There isn’t much separating the two, who have a budding rivalry developing after two confronations. Renegade actually finished ahead of Paladin the first time before getting DQ’d. He then was beaten fair and square by his rival in the Remsen, but did get a faster Thoro-Graph number having had a wider trip. He was late changing leads, but ran on strongly once he switched; he just couldn’t match strides with Paladin. These are both classy horses with classic pedigrees who have already shown that distance is not a concern. Brant looked to be one of Bob Baffert’s top contenders, winning the Del Mar Futurity before running a game third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile after setting a fairly lively pace. But the son of Gun Runner, who sold for $3 million at the OBS March 2-year-old sale, has had some physical issues and Baffert has backed off on him. The Steve Asmussen-trained Chip Honcho defeated the aforementioned Liberty National in the Gun Runner Stakes following a wire-to-wire maiden victory in the mud at Churchill Downs. Express Kid shocked everyone when he wired his field by 6 1/4 lengths in the Springboard Mile at 34-1. Big Dom has looked great in his two sprints, especially his second to the Baffert-trained Boyd in the Ed Brown Stakes, but showed little when he stretched out to two turns in the Breeders’ Futurity.
7. MAGIC MIKE is none other than Curtis (Magic) Kelleward and Mike Somich, who made quite a team on the Racing Dude’s YouTube channel under the name Magic Mike. They could dissect a race as well as anyone. Curtis is now an on-air talent on FanDuel TV and Mike can still be seen on Racing Dudes with his SomoBombs, as well as on several shows on the VSIN Sports Network. Trust me, he is so astute he can convince you to like a horse if it was running backwards. (Magic Mike’s stable — Iron Honor, Intrepido, Sockdolager, Waymark, Golden Tempo) — Other than Intrepido, you can call this stable the Bottom Floor Boys, as three of their horses are coming off maiden sprint victories in their career debuts, and another is coming off a maiden sprint win in his second start. But remember, this is a Triple Crown draft. You all know Intrepido, who pulled an Audie Murphy, knocking off an entire battalion of Baffert soldiers in the American Pharoah Stakes. He couldn’t overcome a slow start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but has turned in a series of five-furlong works without missing a beat. The rest of these are in the wait-and-see mode, but two of them — first selection Iron Honor and last selection Golden Tempo — are co-owned by St. Elias Stable. Chad Brown is high on Iron Honor, but the son of Nyquist had a bit of a setback traveling to Payson Park and plans are up in the air. Golden Tempo, co-owned by the Phipps family, has ,always been considered a long distance horse by trainer Cherie DeVaux, who was just hoping to see him close some ground going six furlongs in his debut at Fair Grounds. But the son of Curlin, out of a Bernardini mare came storming home from 10th at the top of the stretch to win going away with a rapid :23 2/5 final quarter. He was visually impressive and looks to have a bright future. Sockdolager, a son of Gun Runner, must have a pretty good mind, having gone through the sales ring as a weanling, a yearling, and a 2-year-old. His mind was tested in his debut when he had a rough start, ate a lot of dirt down on the inside ,and got caught in a massive traffic jam before calling it a day. But he bounced right back and crushed his field at Fair Grounds, winning wire-to-wire by 5 3/4 lengths in 1:10 flat for Joe Sharp. Waymark, a $700,000 yearling purchase by Liam’s Map, won first time out by 1 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream for Brad Cox, who no doubt is loaded this year.
8. SHOTTY AND DAVEY may be on the verge of a draft dynasty, having won two of the last three years. They are proof that you don’t have to be well known in industry to demonstrate your skills. Shotty, whose real name is Amber Reeves, grew up going to Oaklawn Park, while Davey Cleveland lives in Oklahoma and calls Remington Park his home track. (Shotty and Davey’s stable — Further Ado, Universe, Buetane, Bravaro, Mesquite) — Getting the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes winner from the Spendthrift Farm/Brad Cox team at No. 8 was a good start, and in Further Ado they get a colt who burst on the scene following two non-threatening defeats, blowing his field away by 20 lengths at Keeneland in his two-turn debut. By earning an absurd negative Thoro-Graph number it was no surprise that his number regressed in the Kentucky Jockey Club, but he was classy enough to score a workmanlike victory over the Kenny McPeek-trained Universe, who just happens to be their second selection, but who showed nothing in Saturday’s Smarty Jones Stakes. Their third selection, Buetane, from the Baffert barn, couldn’t keep up with Ted Noffey in his freakish Hopeful Stakes performance, but ran a respectable second after traveling cross-country. He wasn’t able to run in the Bob Hope Stakes when the race didn’t fill and Baffert has been looking for another sprint ever since, feeling the shorter distances will suit him best. His works have been sensational and it’s time to find out just how good this Tiz the Law colt is and if he can convince Baffert to try him going longer. Next, they went with the undefeated New York-bred Bravaro, impressive winner of the Sleepy Hollow Stakes in a sharp 1:35 3/5 for the mile. Their final selection, Mesquite, from the Cherie DeVaux barn, is loaded with stamina and showed it with a vastly improved performance stretching out to 1 1/16 miles and making a spectacular five-wide move from 10th to first in a quarter mile and then overcoming a bumping match to win by three-quarters of a length. He was then scratched from the Gun Runner Stakes, but worked a half in :49 1/5 on January 2.
9. JON AND RYAN are Jon White, one of the true legends of the Turf, and Ryan Stillman, who is moving up rapidly in the media world. Jon, who is now retired, has held just about every job possible at the track, including making the morning line at Santa Anita, and is recognized as one of the sport’s great historians and one heckuva handicapper. Ryan is a successful writer/content creator, co-hosting the popular 2025 YouTube show “Talkin’ Track” with Aaron Halterman and is one of the producers of the official Cody’s Wish documentary currently in development. (Jon and Ryan’s stable — Litmus Test, Boyd, D’Code, Enforced Agenda, unnamed colt). They started off with one of the most dependable horses in training in the Baffert-trained Litmus Test, who has finished on the board in three Grade 1 stakes and a Grade 2, including a victory in the Los Alamitos Futurity and a close fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He also traveled cross-country and finished a respectable third to Ted Noffey in the Breeders’ Futurity. This could very well be Baffert’s best shot at the Derby, and he’s going to be careful with him, running him only twice before the big race. He already has a solid foundation, runs hard every race, and won’t need much to get fit. Sticking with Baffert, they went with speed in the brilliant undefeated Boyd, who also traveled east to win the 6 1/2-furlong Ed Brown Stakes in a swift 1:15 2/5 at Churchill Downs. But like with Brant, Baffert has backed off on him and will give him more time. Their next horse, D’Code, was spectacular romping by 8 1/4 lengths in 1:09 3/5 at Oaklawn in his only start. He is by the top sprinter Speightstown, but has a strong tail-female line tracing to classy California stayers Skywalker and Flying Paster. They then went for a quick hit with Enforced Agenda, winner of his career debut at Aqueduct in 1:35 4/5, but he disappointed in Saturday’s Jerome, ducking in sharply at the start and finishing a non-threatening third after steadying slightly on the far turn and then failing to change leads. He just never seemed comfortable in the stretch, Finally, in a daring long-range move they closed out with an unnamed full-brother to champion filly Nest, by Curlin, who has time to develop being an April 18 foal.
10. PEDLOW and MANLOW may be “LOW” on the draft totem pole, having been invited to join the league this year, but Philip Pedlow and Curtis Manlow earned the invitation with their respective handicapping skills, not only in racing, but all sports. (Pedlow and Manlow’s stable — Blackout Time, Englishman, Mr. A. P., Oscar’s Hope, Newton) — As rookies, they can be forgiven for selecting Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Mr. A. P., despite the colt being taken off the Derby trail two weeks ago with a minor injury. I can certainly see a claim coming up. But they may very well have nailed their first two selections with the talented and classy Blackout Time, trained by Kenny McPeek, and the exciting maiden winner Englishman, one of the most talked about colts of this crop, who was bet down to 30-1 in the second Future Wager after winning his career debut at Churchill Downs by 7 1/4 lengths in 1:21 1/5 for the seven furlongs, two-fifths off the track record. But Blackout Time right now looks as solid a Derby horse as anyone, breaking his maiden by 9 3/4 lengths going a mile at Ellis Park and following that up with a strong second to Ted Noffey in the Breeders’ Futurity. Unfortunately, he was a vet scratch in the Breeders’ Cup, but has started back training at Fair Grounds. He is by Not This Time and his female family is all European stamina. Oscar’s Hope has been a gem of constency for Tom Amoss with three wins and two seconds in five starts. After racing in allowance and maiden races at Saratoga, Keeneland, and Churchill Downs, Amoss found an easy spot for black type in the Jean Laffitte Stakes at Delta Downs and he won comfortably by 2 3/4 lengths. Newton, a $975,000 yearling, is still unraced, but has been turning in strong works from four- to six furlongs for Baffert.
11. JARED AND KEVIN are in their second year as a team. Jared is co-owner of Racing Dudes along with Aaron Halterman, and word is that Kevin Breen hooked up with Jared last year, mainly to stop him from seeing visions of Winning Colors and Genuine Risk and selecting fillies. Although he failed to rein in Jared last year they are filly free this year. (Jared and Kevin’s stable — Santa Fe, Class President, Confessional, Blacksmith, Silent Tactic) — As you can see they shunned the big names and laid it all on the line early by selecting as their first choice Rancho Santa Fe, who popped up right away in Saturday’s Smarty Jones Stakes, but coulddo no better than fifth, They might have found a live one in the WinStar homebred Class President, a regally bred son of Uncle Mo who debuted at a mile at Gulfstream on December 27 for Todd Pletcher and was very impressive winning by 3 1/4 lengths, defeating 4-5 favorite Boss Dylan, who was coming off a fast-closing second to the highly regarded Mob. He appeared to be trapped behind horses nearing the top of the stretch, but eased out for room and quickly drew off to win with something left. Their next horse, Confessional, won his debut at Keeneland in style, but was beaten five lengths at 3-5 at Gulfstream on January 2 after the draft. Don’t be surprised to see someone quickly draft the winner, Nearly, trained by Pletcher, who was coming off a 9 1/4-length maiden win and is bred to run all day. It was only a four-horse field but Nearly looked like a top-class horse who did everything right and is one to definitely keep an eye on. Next they went to Baffert and Blacksmith, who made a strong run to finish second to stablemate Litmus Test in the Los Alamitos Futurity. Baffert feels he could have a bright future. Their final selection was the Canadian colt Silent Tactic, trained by Mark Casse, who won his debut at Woodbine before finishing a fast-closing second in the Grey Stakes. He made his 3-year-old and dirt debut in Saturday’s Smarty Jones Stakes and ran a big race to finish second to stablemate Strategic Risk, closing from dead last off a ridiculously slow pace. So they run out of the money with the first selection and run huge in the same race with their last selection.
12. KELBY AND EVIL STEVEIL are Kelby Von Hemel and Steve Rochetto. Kelby is a racetrack farrier and the son of trainer Kelly Von Hemel and has plenty of racing background, while Steve, when not evil is a successful businessman who is a passionate racegoer, mainly at his home track Oaklawn. (Kelby and Evil Steveil’s stable, say that fast, — Provenance, Napoleon Solo, Cherokee Nation, Epic Summer, Fifty Four Yarder) — Pedigree-wise, you can’t get any better than Provenance, a son of Into Mischief, out of champion Monomoy Girl, who finished third in the Los Alamitos Futurity, which makes the potentially career-ending fracture he suffered all the more disappointing. They are going to give it a little more time before confirming his retirement. It’s tough losing your top selection so early, but perhaps they struck gold with their second pick, arguably the most overlooked horse in the draft, the undefeated and untested Napoleon Solo, who scored a spectacular 6 1/2-length victory in the Champagne Stakes in 1:34 2/5 following unreal fractions of :44 1/5 and 1:07 4/5. This was after breaking his maiden by 5 1/4 lengths. Trainer Chad Summers, realizing this might have been too fast too soon, put him away and he is due to return to the worktab on January 13. Cherokee Nation, a $1,150,000 yearling purchase is still a maiden for Baffert, but he did finish second by a nose to Mr. A. P. going a mile before a fifth-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Epic Summer looke good winning his career debut at Aqueduct goinf 6 1/2 furlongs, but tired badly in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, finishing a well beaten fifth. Closing out the draft and keeping it in the family they selected Fifty Four Yarder, trained by none other than Kelly Von Hemel. The son of Violence won his career debut at Oaklawn by a neck going six furlongs.
So there you have it. On a personal note, there are still two Baffert horses out there that he considers Derby horses. One is Plutarch, who I featured in depth in my Derby preview column. He is entered in Thursday’s Eddie Logan Stakes at a mile on grass and then will return to the dirt. The other is Kristofferson, a $1,150,000 yearling purchase who earned an excellent Thoro-Graph number in his career debut. Baffert obviously was so impressed with him off his six-furlongs in 1:08 3/5, in which he defeated eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Mr. A. P., he moved him right into the Grade 1 American Pharoah at 1 1/16 miles. But the regression was understandable, as he tired after pressing the pace and was beaten 11 1/2 lengths. He’s a big horse and Baffert said he got light on him, so he gave him a couple of weeks off, but he’s back in full training now.
Recapping the non stakes this past weeked, Nearly definitely looks like serious Derby material scoring a stunning five-length allowance victory at Gulfstream. I love his Rasmussen Factor (RF) inbreeding to Weekend Surprise through Secretariat and Summer Squall. Obliteration relished a return to the dirt by smoking his field in the six-furlong Renaissance Stakes at Oaklawn by 7 1/2-lengths, but after seven races it seems pretty obvious that sprinting is his game.
Now it’s up to the readers to pick their favorite team and then follow their claims through the Triple Crown.
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
Saw this on Paulick Report.
So Happy got a 96 Beyer…. Butane a 92
Glatt leaning to San Felipe for next start .
Mike Smith feels pretty confident he can get 2 turns.
This has been a Herculean task Steve!
It’s a great preliminary work for your upcoming rankings … ranking the Triple Crown prospects is certainly more difficult than just drafting them though.
At this stage I would go for Vinny’s quintet as my preferred stable… I trust he could make the proper swaps over time to win the contest.
With 60 prospects drafted by the Dudes one would assume total coverage of hopefuls, however, there are some horses in my virtual stable that no one had picked yet.
i.e. Ottinho (Quality Road) for Chad Brown, Big Dom (McKinzie) for Thomas Amoss, Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule) for Asmussen, Into the Beast (Into Mischief) for Senator candidate Dale Romans, Global Aviator (Global Campaign) for Rohan Crichton, Thunder Buck (Gun Runner) for Brad Cox and So Happy (Runhappy) for Mark Glatt.
I am pretty sure So Happy will be in great demand among the Racing Dudes and so will latest Mott’s flashy debutants Chief Wallabee (Constitution) and Thunderously (Gun Runner).
Anyway, horse racing is so fluid and fluctuating sometimes that it can unveil surprising outcomes… but can also entail predictable outcomes…
For instance, by the end of the 2024 season Godolphin had a record number of solid Triple Crown prospects in Sovereignty, East Avenue, Poster and First Resort. With such stellar cast one could have foreseen success its in the Classics.
On the other hand, after a quick trend analysis we could predict that Todd Pletcher would not have any Derby horse in 2025.
This year Pletcher looks in a great position to participate in the Kentucky Derby … despite some people seeing him as strong recruiter and also weak performer when it comes to the Derby one can not deny he always has some good Belmont Stakes assets.
I don’t know if we will have the predictability of last Triple Crown series but it is always exciting to be the first to discover the likes of Sovereignty or the likes of Justify… in both cases we all need the insightful readings of Steve Haskin!
Nelson,
After this post not sure if I should be happy with you or mad at you by adding more horses to mix but since it is early in the TC chase but since it’s early I’m “Happy”. Thanks for the post. Could be a challenging but exciting chase this year.
Thanks for your reply DTSpp … the good news is that Golden Tempo will be knocking at least 8 horses from my virtual stable … and, at least 10 more will be out of the trail by the first week of February… at any rate, it will be an exciting run this year as you said… let the fun begin!
If Commandment was the #10 in a race could that influence your willingness to bet?
This was a fun and informative read, Steve. Throwing my support with Stable #2 as I am all in on Paladin.
Wish we could have a fantasy draft of our own here among our group. Yet, having been a part of baseball and football fantasy drafts in the past, I know it can take a lot of time and dedication to administer and be a part of one.
It’s probably a lot more work researching horses than it is ballplayers. Heck, I have enough trouble just keeping an eye on the few 3 yos that I follow, let alone keeping tabs on the whole crop. I’ll just have to be content playing fantasy via a few future bets on those I like. I’m feeling a little lightheaded….. is it too early to get Derby fever????
Had to laugh at your post here Dewey….. It is a little dizzying with the exhausting column Steve did here. He did a great job of putting it together. He got a great complitment from the Racing Dudes on how he put it together… Once again well done Steve.
Yesterday’s impressive winner Chief Wallabee opened at 75-1 at William Hill; This morning, already down to 55-1.
Also, Commandment was adjusted from 12-1 to 22-1…
So Happy is 90-1
Thanks for the Biggy312
Should have been… “thanks for the update Biggy312”
My pleasure!
Hey biggy312
KD Futures Pool 3 is due out on January 16th. If So Happy shows up on that list, at 90-1, I’ll be all over that. His pedigree reflects speed on top, with class and stamina on the bottom. His dam’s sire, Blame, won the BC Classic in 2010, handing the great mare Zenyatta her only defeat.
Hopefully, So Happy’s connections will try him at two turns, down the road.
Bill;
Thanks for this information!
You’re welcome biggy312.
So Happy is certainly a colt to keep an eye on moving forward.
Bill,
I can assure you if he stays healthy 2 turns will be in his future. I think Buetane is just as fast just needs a better ride.
The Run Happy saga is not over! So Happy looked pretty good yesterday…two starts and two wins, paid 38-1 in start one, won the San Vicente in start two….
I didn’t see it live, I watched it this AM….So Happy won by two, looked more like 2 1/2….1:21 FLAT , Explora went 1:22 flat earlier, winning by five…..so So Happy might be for real! Has not lost yet, and has beaten Bob—He is on my radar….
Matt
Wouldn’t it be ironic if So Happy becomes a major player in this year’s Triple Crown chase.
Run Happy shipped off to Korea. Mattress Mac leaving the sport and trashing (some justified some his own doing) it on his way out. Yes, it will be interesting to watch So Happy in the coming months and how he develops. He has the right running style and the right jockey who knows a thing or two about winning a TC race.
My thoughts on the San Vicente Stakes and the two Mott maiden winner at Gulfstream today.
Thought the San Vicente was a very solid race won by So Happy. Mike Smith rode him perfectly and got the well deserved win. But to me the BIG ??? was did Hernandez ride cost Buetane a chance of winning the race? What was Baffert/Hernandez strategy in this race? Were they trying to see if he could rate? What I did not like was Hernandez broke him out near the lead then pulled him back to last then moved him up third /fourth then stopped him but in the meantime Smith who broke So Happy near the back took off with him and by the time Hernandez could react with Buetane Smith got the jump on him. By the time they got to the stretch Buetane made up some ground but best he could do was match strides with So Happy. Time of the race was very fast. Both horses look to have a bright future
Of the Mott maiden winners I have to say I was most impressed with Chief Wallabee. He ran a very good race running off the pace into fast early fractions.. He won going away even though the jockey wrapped him up well before the finish line. He galloped out strongly. On Thunderlously although he won nicely but the time was vvveeerrryyy slow and you got to wonder about the quality of the field he faced as at the end of the race it looked like about a third of the field was walking home. Will have to see how he proceeds in the future. Now onto next weekend !!!
Yes it did look like Bob had a plan….Greenwich Village broke tardily, and was sent hard inside…Beutane broke well and was taken in hand, but he was in position to win the race…So Happy was just better,and by quite a bit he was better …Mark Glatt has horses,and he can train!….
RE: G3 Lecomte Stakes, Saturday, Jan. 17th, Fair Grounds, Race 13
A full filed of eleven will contest referenced race, with 20 KD points going to the winner.
Chip Honcho beat a very competitive field in the Gun Runner Stakes, last out, and appears to be the one to beat in the Lecomte. I’ll key Chip Honcho on top, with Golden Tempo, Stop the Car, White Tiger and Thunder Buck underneath in my superfecta wager. That is: 11/ 5,6,8,10
Safe trips to all.
(14 is a “full field”, but ok…should read “a FIELD of 11″…but I get ya it’s bigger than Santa Anita or Aqueduct or Gulfstream…..
Hi Matthew W
Thank you for pointing out the literal meaning of the term “full field”. However, just for clarification, I used the term “full field” as a figure of speech. Enough said.
Have a good day, Matthew.
Relative to the Lecomte, Mesquite was actually the best horse in the field. I’m a little surprised that you didn’t put him in your superfecta.
Chief Wallabee, a first time starter for Bill Mott (and a homebred for Mike Ball and Katehrine Ball) beat a good MSW field in the 4th at Gulfstream. Mott also has a impeccably bred son of Gun Runner, Thunderously, coming up in the 8th, also at Gulfstream. Stay tuned.
Nice call on this Ms Blacktype. … thanks for pointing this out.
And he won going away, Downy, thanks! Very impressive. Maybe I should bet actual money on Acknowledgmeplz in the San Vicente. He’s my pick.
Thunderously won too !!! Buy a powerball ticket tonight your on a roll !!!
Acknowledgeme ran third. This is why I don’t bet!
Nice heads-up re Thunderously, Ms Blacktype!!
Some sad recent losses in the racing world–Distorted Humor was euthanized due to old-age infirmities at 33, and former jockey Gregg McCarron passed away of a heart attack at age 77.
Sad news on both accounts
San Vicente is gr2 with zero points …7fur used to be the starting point….
Steve, is there any way you could find out what’s happened to Romeo ? He’d worked 3 times since the Hopeful, so I assume he’s hurt – although his certificate is at Turfway. I’m guessing he’s no longer with Steve Asmussen.
Thanks
Betsy,
Maybe he ran off with Juliet ? LOL…. couldn’t resist
If he ran, at least that would prove he’s healthy 🤣🤣🤣
Horse Racing Nation reported today that Romeo is being considered for the Saudi Derby.
Steve,
Thanks for an amusing, interesting and informative article. Thing I like most about Racing Dudes Fantasy Draft is you hear about horses you may not of heard of.
My top five would be:
1. Commandment
2. Strategic Risk
3. Paladin
4. Plutarch
5. Further Ado
Have a great rest of the week !!!
One other thing about Strategic Risk is he reminds me alot like Coal Battle. Will see if he can hang in as the going gets tough.
Like any with any horse.
edit: any
My thoughts here is that Coal Battle and Strategic Risk were both sired by a $3000 sire and on the mare side not very high end.
In Coal Battle’s case he started out as a world beater but eventually his pedigree caught up with him.
So Strategic Risk could end up like Coal Battle or then again maybe who knows a California Chrome.
Stay Tune……
And one other thing is this is my initial list is based on what I have seen so far…. As in the fantasy draft things can be changed.
Chrome’s former co-owner is someone I’m acquainted with. Barnes cost $3.2 mil. How did he do with his racing career? A good/ great horse can come from anywhere. Never do I lose my mind because a horse costs a mil.
Huh??? You really are out in left field with that answer !!!
Point is many are quick to discount horses with modest pedigrees. Swiss Skydiver was a $35K purchase.As we know, tons of horses considered ‘blue blood’ doesn’t always translate to a stellar racing/ breeding career.
Mike,
Go back and read my post where was I critical of Strategic Risk? I even put him in my list of top five for the time being. All I said was because of his breeding he reminded me al ot of Coal Battle. Am I going to be rooting against him? Of course not just as I did not root against Coal Battle last year but eventually he had to run against the likes of Sovereignty , Journalism , Baeza and you saw the results. We don’t know how good Strategic Risk will be, he may end up like Coal Battle , who by the way is a nice horse but not the world beater that a lot of people here in this blog thought he would be,or he could turn out to be another California Chrome who also had a modest pedigree.
As far as Barnes it is unfortunate he was injured and had to retire early as I felt he was sitting on a big 4 year old season. Yes , Zedan paid big money ( $3.2 million ) for him but do you think he wanted to pay that much as there were others that saw the same things in Barnes that Baffert did and were bidding against him. Zedan has the deep pockets and won the bidding war. But let take a look at one of Zedan other high end purchase’s Arabian Knight (AK ). Zedan paid $2.5 million ( let’s add another $200K for breaking, training and vet bills … yes this is an expensive game) for him and he earned back $1.5+ million in racing before his retirement to stud. Now I don’t know what kind of deal Zedan cut with the stud farm that AK now stands ,as Zedan for all I know is not a breeder, whether he sold him outright or he is getting a kick back (let say $5k for every mare bred to him. AK stud fee was set at $30k last year. live foal. He ended up breeding to 273 mares and let say out of those breeding it produces 230 live foals so let’s do the math ( 230 x $5000 = $1,150,000 ) . So Zedan has also made all his money back. And after this next breeding season ( let say 175 live foals ) he is free and clear and the rest is all gravy and if AK turns out to be a very successful sire who knows what other incentives Zedan may have built in with his stud deal. So Zedan is playing the high stakes game but if he hits the big one like the owners of Justify did with him he will get all his money back and then some on all his purchases. So lets not be so critical of these big $$ purchases as they are not all going to turn out to be like the Green Monkey (That was absurd) they could be another Justify (S 500, 000 ) yearling purchase.
Down, yes, am well aware some high cost purchases work out.
Plutarch scratched out of today’s Eddie Logan Stakes. Stark Contrast appears to be the colt to beat. At this time, it remains unclear as to way Baffert scratched Plutarch.
Perhaps he decided to point him to an allowance dirt race down the road, or he didn’t like the way Plutarch came out latest work on Jan. 4th, going 5 furlongs in 59.60.
Stay tuned.
edit: he didn’t like the way Plutarch came out of his latest work…..
Looking over stakes entries for 3YOs this Saturday, I happened upon an unraced colt trained by Bill Mott, entered at the third race at Gulfstream. His name is Thunderously. By Gun Runner out of Grade 2 stakes winner Princess Warrior, his fourth dam is Gana Facil, the dam of Unbridled and Cahill Road. One to keep an eye on.
Hi Steve
I’m looking forward to your initial Derby Dozen list. This year’s crop of 3yr. old colts appear to one of the best we’ve seen in recent years, IMO. I’m probably jumping the gun here, but I thought it would be interesting to see how my early Derby prospects, on the Derby trail, compares with your initial DD. Please note that I have listed them in preferential order.
1) Ted Noffey
2) Brant
3) Commandment
4) Further Ado
5) Plutarch
6) Paladin
7) D’Code
8) Nearly
9) Incredibolt
10) Rebel Instinct
11) Litmus Test
12) Boyd
Please keep in mind that I’m not trying to upstage, with this list. Your knowledge of the sport far exceeds mine. Year after year, you are right there or thereabouts, in selecting the KD winner.
Best of luck this year.
Noble Bird sires around 95 foals, it’s good to see he’s sired a good horse, in Strategic Risk, whom I like …not of the Into Mischief conveyor belt…
As of now Strategic Risk could be the subject of my next column.
Both grandsires are Belmont winners! He has improved around two turns, and his recent win was eye-catching—in the era of 200 mare books, to “super sires”….his is a heart-warming story…
COOL!
Very interesting read, almost exhausting amount of information, had to take a deep breath to finish reading. I am liking the Double D’s stable. I have gotten enthused way to early with Strategic Risk, and I have been known to get overly enthused way too often, but this Florida bred looks to me like he is bred to appreciate each furlong they add to his races. It would be fun to see Castellano win the Derby. Thanks, Steve, for a great column!
Tell me about exhausting and taking a deep breath.😀
Big move in odds on William Hill:
Commandment moved to 12-1 from 45-1 a day or so ago. Very glad I jumped on him at the higher odds…
It’s very early, but my top 5 would be
Blackout Time
Strategic Risk
Commandment
Stop the Car
Liberty National
Looking forward to your initial list; also appreciated all the great information in this column.
Ted Noffey 8-1
Paladin 10-1
Commandment 12-1
Further Ado 15-1
Cannoneer 20-1
Hey biggy312
I’m not surprised that the odds have moved down significantly. In Pool 2, I placed a $20.00 win wager on Commandment, at 69-1. His pedigree is top notch, as is his connections, IMO.
Thanks for the heads up Stop the Car, I noticed he appears in Aaron Halterman’s stable.
He’s certainly a colt to keep an eye on moving forward.
We are in lock step with Commandment. I would think Cox will point him to the Holy
Bull, FOY and ultimately the Florida Derby. Fingers crossed that he remains healthy.
Good luck biggy312.
Hi Bill;
Nice bet at great odds on Commandment: Best of luck to you as well! I really appreciate your Derby prep race overviews; required reading for me prior to the race!
Thank you for the kind words, biggy312.
I’m not sure how you feel about this year’s crop of 3yr. olds on the Derby trail, but from my perspective, I believe this is best crop that we’ve seen in recent years.
Did you see Commandments gallop out? That’s a strong group
Yes indeed, it looked like Commandment wanted to go around again. He appears well suited for the Classic distance.
RE: G2, San Vicente Stakes, Saturday, 1-10 (Santa Anita, Race #5)
No Derby points on the line in referenced race, but it’s considered an important steppingstone to the Santa Anita Derby. Bob Baffert has two colts entered, Buetane and Greenwich Village. Buetane finished 2nd behind Ted Noffey in the G1 Hopeful, back in September. Given a rest subsequent to that race, he’s been working lights out and appears to be ready for good showing. However, the Baffert colt that could give Buetane all he can handle is Greenwich Village. With the impressive speed he displayed, going wire to wire in his initial start, he just might wire the field in the San Vicente. The term “speed merchant” certainly applies to this Quality Road colt, IMO.
They’re offering up “Moment of the Year”, in Horse Racing, 2025….I guess Journalism’s Preakness finish was pretty solid, but I’d vote for a man ment they didn’t include …when Prat jumped over Irad, in The Woodward—their jockeys battle this year was intense—ehen Sierra Leone jumped over Irad, and Prat turned around to make sure Irad was not stomped on—two competitors that are actually close friends…..that is my moment of the year….
Matthew, saw the list. Very surprised the Prat and Irad race was not on the list.
Just a wild guess but the honor will go to D. Wayne.
I don’t know how to compare the death of a great trainer to an achievement in a race. I think that should be on some other list.
I agree, Matthew, that the incident in the Jockey Club Gold Cup was far and away the most memorable moment of the year, certainly for the reasons you mentioned and because a tragedy was averted, but also because it was unbelievable. Since, thank heaven, no one was injured, we could shake our heads in amazement at the idea of one horse with two jockeys and one jockey on two different horses. I doubt that we will ever see that again, and I won’t forget it. The races nominated pale in comparison to that, and unless write-ins are allowed, a vote wouldn’t be worth the bother.
Two riders battling for national prominence, working together to stay alive….jockeys are tough and they stick together ..
If I read Steve’s instructions correctly, the idea here is to choose one of the Racing Dudes TEAMS to follow, in hopes of winning the points-based contest . No one gets to gang up with a team made up of Ted Noffey, Paladin, Further Ado, Brant, and another to be named later.
I’m torn between Team #2 (Aaron Halterman), $5 (Double Ds) and #9 (John and Ryan).
Team 2 includes Paladin (who looked like a Derby winner in the Remsen), but you also get Desert Gate (likely to pick up plenty of points in So Cal races), and one of my personal favorites, Stop the Car.
Team 5 is a lightly raced bunch, but all good ones: impressive winners Cannoneer and Local Knowledge, but also this past weekends’ stakes victors Commandment and Strategic Risk, so the team already has a leg up on the competition.
Then there’s Team 9, with two stakes winning Baffert trainees — Litmus Test and Boyd (both likely to pick up lots of points in So Cal) plus the smoking hot D’Code (99 Beyer) and the most intriguing horse in the bunch, the unnamed Curlin-Marion Ravenwood colt. (In addition to Nest, Marion Ravenwood has foaled two other major stakes winners: Santa Anita Derby winner Idol, and Jockey Club Derby winner Lost Ark, so Mr. Nameless’s potential is off the charts. If he ever gets a name and actually starts!)
It’s a tough choice, but I’ll go with Team #5, Double Ds. They have a good track record and all five horses should make noise on the Triple Crown trail.
Hi Ms Blacktype
I went with the Vinny Blond stable. I see no harm in posting my stable selections, just to see how they perform moving forward. If in fact, Steve is against an individual posting his or her own stable, then so be it. I will gladly edit and remove my stable selections.
Why would I be against it?
That’s just what I wanted to hear.
Thanks, Steve.
Dear Bill:
My apologies! I didn’t mean to imply folks couldn’t post their top five lists, but it seemed a bit confusing to me in this context.
No apologies necessary Ms Blacktype.
Please feel free to join in and post your stable of five horses.
Best of luck.
Gosh, hard to limit myself to just five. Steve’s column had me thinking about dozens of horses. At the moment, I’ll go with:
Ted Noffey
Paladin
Litmus Test
Strategic Risk
Pyromancer
Ms B, my lost is one off each list. LOL.
list not lost.
Lynda, I think that’s probably true of everyone. Evens the playing field, at least in terms of the Dudes’ game.
Good to see you posting — have you any idea where Davids is? He’s been off the radar for a while, and I miss his updates on the big races down under.
Ms B, hope all is well with Davids.
Couple of other regulars seem to be MIA as well.
I have had tablet issues, not holding charge and the charging port is on the blink.
Something else I have been working on is my ancestry. My daughter had an in depth DNA test and Russian popped up. Otherwise her DNA is matching our family tree(s)that I have been working on for years, so I have been trying to find that line.
Going off topic with this but I have learned that Russian geneology is one of the most complex in the world, multiple haplotypes and mostly matrilineal.
Your ancestry sounds fascinating, Lynda. Mine is quite dull — 75% British Isles. It’s striking that thoroughbred ancestry is so much better documented than human ancestry, from parentage and day of birth as to accomplishments in stakes races, and even sports like Olympic jumping. When I see them, I feel sorry for those 19th century and early 20th mares who made significant impacts on the breed and then were sold as hacks — you know, the horses that carted Sherlock Holmes around!
In the six Derbies, this decade—Ive picked Mage and Mystik Dan as the only win wagers, Mage was a great pick, I got lucky on Mystik Dan, who was 3rd best but got the win…I had the trifecta in the Medina Spirit Derby (my box came one thru five),and last year I already had 52-1 on Journalism, so I bet the 8-1 on Sov, also the $24 exacta—four out of six this decade, and I owe it to this blog, this sage, (Steve) and luck….
Thanks. Luck should be No. 1.😀
My five:…Liberty National…..Risk Management….Pallidin….Ted Noffey…Litmus Test….
Usually I’ll play one $40wps, and a 2nd one $10wps—but Mage and Mystik Dan were the only horses I played…won over $2k on both, and over $500 on the two other years, I’ve hit big (more than two thousand) in 1989…1993….2012….2023…..2024…..making Churchill Downs the only track I am ahead at….all because of the Kentucky Derby, the greatest wager in Sports!…
Matthew, with that kind of success I’ll be following your picks closely.
Steve – The Racing Dudes do a good job evaluating races. It’s always good to get young blood interested in the sport we love. I read that Paladin will target the Risen Star. Chad Brown said he’s intentionally skipping his workout this week because he announced his next target race. I’m glad I bet Paladin at 22-1 in KDFW2. Looking forward to KDFW3 on JAN 16 to add another talented colt to my KDFW lineup.
Yes Brook Smith told me a while ago he was probably take the same route as Sierra Leone.
Hi Steve
You have presented an intriguing challenge. With two Into Mischief colts in his stable, I’ll go with the Vinny Blond stable.
BTW, I was delighted to read that Plutarch will return to dirt, after the Eddie Logan Stakes. Also, it was good to hear that Kristofferson has returned to training.
My Stable will consist of:
Ted Noffey
Brant
Further Ado
Plutarch
Commandment
I think Plutarch runs this week, on turf..
Correct. Plutarch is entered in the Eddie Logan Stakes, on Thursday, 1-8, and listed as the 2nd favorite, on the morning line, at 2-1. As Steve Haskin mentioned, he will return to dirt subsequent to the Eddie Logan. From my perspective, going long, on dirt, should be right up his alley.
Steve, this column blew me away. Not only did you introduce me to the Racing Dudes (happy to see a few Dudettes represented among the teams), but the game itself sounds like boatloads of fun even if you’re just an observer. On top of that, you give us a rundown on every teams’ picks — that’s SIXTY horses — slipping in juicy good stuff at every turn. Major kudos to you on finding a way to talk Derby Trail without resorting to a much-too-early-for-it list.