33 Days, 22 Hours, and 55 Minutes...

(from left to right, Pyro, Big Brown, War Pass, El Gato Malo, and Court Vision)
...and the horses keep coming. My goal of picking the 2008 Kentucky Derby trifecta correctly for the first time this year is going to be much harder than I origianally thought. Partly becuase there are so many good horses, but at the same time, partly because there isn't one in particular that stands out above the rest. But with some of the biggest preps still to come, that may change. Big Brown definately made a huge mark this weekend when he won the Florida Derby so convincingly, but the field was not as strong as many would like to think. Of course Elysium Fields was a strong contender, but he was clearly not himself yesterday. Smooth Air and Tomcito completed the Florida Derby trifecta. Then there's Majestic Warrior, who is a whole other story. Literally. Of course Pyro is still the strongest contender for the Run for the Roses until proven otherwise. We'll see what the Bluegrass Stakes does for him. Pyro has beaten everything thrown at him this year, and won every two year old race that didn't have War Pass on the card. And anyone who knows anything about horse racing, knows that War Pass could not be beaten as a two year old. Basically, my current top ten is as follows:

1. Pyro (still a believer that he's the best)
2. Big Brown (can't discount that incredible Florida Derby performance)
3. War Pass (not ready to give up on him after one lousy race)
4. El Gato Malo (looking good out west, had a troubled trip when beaten by Colonel John)
5. Court Vision (had excuse in Fountain of Youth flop, will drop if he doesn't run well next time)
6. Colonel John (looks good)
7. Denis of Cork (undefeated but will not get big test until derby day. Impressed in Southwest)
8. Visionaire (looked good in Gotham and has consistency on his side--sympathy vote for Barbaro's trainer.)
9. Georgie Boy (another tough westerner who showed he's a contender in the San Felipe.)
10. Yankee Bravo (will get another chance in Santa Anita Derby)

Those are my top choices for the Big Race. And yes, they will change a hundred more times before the announcer calls "and they're off in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby..."

(from left to right, Visionaire, Georgie Boy, Colonel John, Denis of Cork. photos by horsephotos.com)