Kentucky Derby 2017 Update: Mastery Ends 2016 On Top

Mastery finishes the year as my top ranked Kentucky Derby 2017 contender. He has been on top of the heap since Nov 18 and capped off a perfect 3-for-3 juvenile campaign with a 7-1/4 length romp in the Grade I CashCall Futurity at Los Alamitos Race Course on Dec 10.

Classic Empire sits atop many Derby lists and rightfully so. The BC Juvenile hero will likely be named 2-year-old champ and is spending the winter in Florida.

This is my tenth and final Derby update this year and there are no changes to the Top 11 this week. I did add impressive maiden winner Iliad to the “next nine.” He got a 92 BSF in a 6f special weight win at Los Alamitos Race Course on Dec 18 for trainer Bob Baffert.

Jarrod Horak’s “Exceptional Eleven" Kentucky Derby 2017 Contenders (Updated 12-31-16)

#1 - MASTERY

#2 - Classic Empire

#3 - Three Rules

#4 - Gormley

#5 - Beach Bum

#6 - Royal Mo

#7 - McCracken

#8 - Klimt

#9 - Takaful

#10 - Theory

#11 - Practical Joke


You can read my entire Kentucky Derby 2017 contenders update blog at The Runaway Horse.

* Churchill Downs photo by Stacy Edwards