Posted on 4/9/2008 6:14:18 PM

Kentucky Derby Power Rankings - “Pretenders Leave the Top Ten”

By D.S Williamson

Only Colonel John proved his mettle in last weekend’s Kentucky Derby Preps. John was fantastic on the cushion track at Santa Anita. The horse has guts. Denis of Cork, another highly touted sophomore, ran terribly in the Illinois Derby. BetUS sportsbook suggests he might want to skip the first Saturday in May and concentrate on easier races.

The one horse that I was incredibly disappointed in was Texas Wildcatter. The horse betting community should note, Wildcatter was great in the Gotham stakes but threw in a clunker this past Saturday in the Wood Memorial. A new contender came out of that race although I do believe that there are probably only three true contenders to win the Derby this year. They’re ranked one- two – three below.

Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

1. Pyro - - BetUS odds 4 to 1 - - I’m hoping he loses the Bluegrass Stakes this weekend by around 3 or 4 lengths. All that would mean is that Pyro isn’t a fan of Polytrack. That won’t bother me and I’d love to get at least 6 to 1 or higher on this guy.

2. Big Brown - - BetUS odds 5 to 2 - - Two knocks. First his odds are way too low. I mean, they are way to low. He might go off 4 to 5 in the Derby, though, so if you really like him take the BetUS 5 to 2 odds. Second, the Derby will only be his fourth lifetime start. It didn’t work for Curlin last year and Curlin is a monster - - a top five horse of all time. Will it work for Big Brown?

3. Colonel John - - BetUS odds 7 to 1 - - John is just a winner. I don’t think he particularly likes the cushion track. I just think he’s a great race-horse. Watch this guy explode on conventional dirt in the Kentucky Derby. Slow or fast times on cushion track mean nothing on conventional dirt.

4. Cool Coal Man - - BetUS odds 25 to 1 - - He could take a step forward this weekend but we may not notice it as Coal Man runs in the Bluegrass Stakes on the Polytrack. You know that unless he gets hurt, Zito will have him in the gate come the first Saturday in May which means the BetUS odds of 25 to 1 are super juicy.

5. Tale of Ekati - - BetUS odds 18 to 1 - - He finally came through with a huge victory in the Grade I Wood Memorial. He will need to improve to challenge the Top Three, but why not? Barclay Tagg can get them ready for the Derby.

6. King’s Silver Son - - No BetUS odds - - Try to get odds on this guy before he wins the Arkansas Derby this weekend. He’s Steve Asmussen’s number two (or is it three?) Kentucky derby prospect. He has a lot of upside and is the only one on this list after the top four that I think might improve enough to challenge Big Brown and Pyro. A side note is that this guy has to win the Arkansas Derby or he might not make the Kentucky Derby field. Watch closely this weekend!

7. Adriano - - BetUS odds 30 to 1 - - His connections say that he won’t run in the Derby. Whatever. I think he’ll give a good showing of himself this weekend in the Arkansas Derby, where he is scheduled to run, his connections will get Derby fever and he’ll be in the gate.

8. Visionaire - - BetUS odds 25 to 1 - - Visionaire could get squashed in the Bluegrass Stakes but there’s no doubt that he will run in the Derby. How good is he? Unfortunately, the Gotham showed us nothing because of the fog and the Bluegrass is run over Polytrack. So, I’m not exactly sure. But I do like his odds and he is trained by Michael Matz who got Barbaro ready for the Derby.

9. War Pass - - BetUS odds 12 to 1 - - This guy can’t rate behind speed and he doesn’t want any part of a mile and a quarter. ‘Nuff said. The only reason he’s on this list is because it gets awfully thin at this point.

10. Z Humor - - BetUS odds 50 to 1 - - If there is one trainer who can get a horse to improve significantly in a race like the Kentucky Derby it is Bill Mott. Why? Because he has no idea how to get a horse ready for the Derby which means he will be looking at the Derby as if it is any other race. If he can convince the horse that he’s running in a $50,000 Allowance instead of America’s biggest race, then maybe Z Humor has a shot. It will take some serious whispering, but if anybody can do it, Mott can do it.

Keep checking the Locker Room all through the Triple Crown season, as we will cover the trainers, horses and jockeys in each race. You can get your early Kentucky Derby Odds at Churchill Downs bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook in the Future / props section, under Horse Futures: 2008 Kentucky Derby Betting.