Only five horses entered the G3 Lewis and all seem to have a shot. The Lewis figures to come down to pace and Royal Mo might attempt a wire job from the rail.
Sheer Flattery is the morning line favorite and will probably track whatever pace develops under Mike Smith.
The other three entrants (Irap, Dangerfield, Term of Art) are trained by Doug O’Neill.
The G3 Withers looks like a one-horse affair if El Areeb runs back to his facile Jerome triumph. The Jerome was contested on a wet track so he must still prove that he can run a quality two turn race on fast ground.
The G2 Holy Bull from Gulfstream marks the much anticipated return of juvenile champion Classic Empire. He only has four workouts for this event and is obviously not fully cranked but can still score on class alone. He is already in great shape with 30 Derby points in his holster.
Jarrod Horak’s “Exceptional Eleven" Kentucky Derby 2017 Contenders (Updated 2-3-17)
#1 - MASTERY
#2 - Classic Empire
#3 - Three Rules
#4 - Gormley
#5 - McCraken
#6 - El Areeb
#7 - Practical Joke
#8 - Theory
#9 - Royal Mo
#10 - Battalion Runner
#11 - Faja
You can read my entire Kentucky Derby 2017 contenders update blog at The Runaway Horse.
* Churchill Downs photo by Stacy Edwards
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