Correll’s Early Derby Contnders

Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview —-

This year’s road to the Kentucky Derby will have a different look because it will be more about the 3-year-old crop and less about one race.

I’m doing this partly because of Churchill Downs’ response to the outcome of the 2021 Derby or should I say it’s heavy-handed action.

It has been nine months since Medina Spirit “failed” his after-race “test,” and no decision has been made to who was the “official” winner. You noticed I did not say “drug test” because the substance found was not a “drug” and was not performance enhancing. It was a topical used to treat a skin condition.

The topical is allowed in racing jurisdictions and there is the rub. Each state has different requirements when the substance can be out of a horse’s system. The amount found in Medina Spirit was so small it’s almost laughable. So Churchill Downs’ action was to suspend trainer Bob Baffert for two years and not award any colts or fillies under his care Derby points.

Here is the official explanation from Churchill Downs: “Corniche (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner), Messier (2nd in Los Alamitos Futurity), Barossa (3rd Los Alamitos), Newgrange (Sham Stakes winner) and Rockefeller (2nd in Sham Stakes) did not receive any qualification points due to trainer Bob Baffert’s suspension by Churchill Downs Inc. through 2023.”

I’m not going to dwell on why Churchill Downs did this. I have many problems with Churchill Downs, this one just joins the list.

The 3-year-olds to watch:

Corniche (Sire: Quality Road)
Jack Christopher (Munnings)
Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb)
Smile Happy (Runhappy)
Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo)
Slow Down Andy (Nyquist)
Newgrange (Violence)
Courvoisier (Tapit)
Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute)
Dash Attack (Munnings)

Colts that show promise: Annapolis (War Front), Major General (Constitution), Rattle N Roll (Connect), Pappacap (Gun Runner) and Epicenter (Not This time).