Eskendereya Out! Derby Wide Open

Poor Todd Pletcher -- Trying to get his first rose blanket and hard luck hits today as we learned that the would be Derby morning line favorite Eskendereya was out due to an untimely injury.  Pletcher felt he had a legit Triple Crown contender -- I completely concurred with that statement.  It was interesting to note that he wore wraps for the first time in his last impressive Wood Memorial triumph.  Eskendereya provided a feeling of Big Brown given the poor showing by Lookin At Lucky in the Santa Anita.  Lookin At Lucky is the presumed Derby ML Favorite now.

For me this opens the door up significantly for how to handicap this race.  It also may add a filly to the mix with Devil May Care, another Pletcher horse. For me it moves the horse I really want to see run closer to the gate -- Setsuko -- essentialy needs to win the Mega Millions Tuesday to have a chance to get in. What a shame as this horse primed for this race coming to the dirt from Santa Anita with strong closing skills. The Derby really needs to review their entry guidelines for the Derby.

Being an avid Yankee and Joe Torre Fan -- I pray he does the right thing and talks sense into the other owners does not enter Rick Dutrow trained Homeboykris.  This horse had all its graded earnings as a 2 year old with his best Beyer being an 89 in October.  

The loss of Eskendereya does put his "bridesmaid" the past two races Jackson Bend into the race.  Certainly this horse could be a factor come Saturday.  From late last week into Wednesday we have and will see many works by these contenders.  This is an important component in my preparations.  Parsing through all the notes from different sources and reporting back to you will be my duty leading up to the equivalent of  Tuesday Media Day at the Super Bowl with the Post Position Selection Show.   

So my posts heading into the all important post selection will be between Works and Derby Trends.  The works is like working the NFL Combine and putting the final touches on preparation for my selection.  Will I be the Seahawks (thumbs up) or the Bronco's (2 thumbs down) when it comes to my draft prep work.

See you in the Winner's Circle.  Riders Up!