Found your Derby horse yet?

[JolyB]

Now that all of the preps have been run and we have a pretty good idea of who will be in the field, I have to ask whether you have found "your" Derby horse yet. Of course, there could be defections, final jockey selections are being made, works over the track have to be viewed and you keep your fingers crossed during the post position draw, hoping that a contender doesn't get buried in post #1. But the drama is building.

I was very impressed with Omaha Beach's tactical speed in Arkansas. Mike Smith seemed to be able to get him running, then reduce the speed to idle, then start running again, and that let him have a bit more closing punch than Improbable. I don't think that 10 furlongs will be a problem for him. The fact that Smith has chosen him over Roadster is a major plus. Unfortunately, lots of others are jumping onto his bandwagon, so I don't think you will be able to get a decent price on him in a Derby that still seems to me as if it will be wide open, with a bunch of horses who could win and no true standout.

I'd love to read about Derby runners whom you really like or whom you believe are throwouts. Maybe we can get a good discussion going.