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Originally Posted by Sightseek
I'd be interested to know what horse out there everyone thinks is going to take him down in the Arkansas Derby in a fairly run race, because at this point I haven't seen anything all that impressive. I like Imperial Council very much, but the Derby is coming up much too soon. Fresian Fire is solid and Jones is holding a strong hand going into the Derby, but I don't think he is as good as Old Fashioned. There is certainly no reason to think Pioneerof the Nile won't take to the dirt, so he could challenge him, but it's doubtful he'll leave CA prior to the Derby.
The FOY is interesting if all of the probables make it into the field, but I think like Silver City, you'll have horses come out of that race that will be pointed to the sprint stakes in later in the season. |
I disagree with your accessment about Pioneer of The Nile not taking to a true dirt race course. He's only run on turf, Poly @ Keeneland, Pro Ride @ Santa and Cushion Track @ Hollywood. While it's likely Baffert will take the California road to the Derby, he has shipped horses east to prep in the past. It would not surprise me if he runs Pioneer in the Wood Memorial. Baffert is not a big fan of these synthetic tracks and might want to find out if he has a dirt horse prior to the Derby.