Todd Pletcher must feel about as lonely as an island out in the far reaching ocean. He will be sending out a crew of runners for the Derby, but the one he wanted to run will have to watch from the barn.  Hopefully there will be a chance he will not be retired, and if he is, well then we have seen some of the best and look forward to his babies.

Baffert was hoping to have the media off his back, and lay a little low. Lookin At Lucky should be the favorite now, and now the weight will be on his shoulders. Funny, that same game played out last year. The favorite scratched, but it was done the day of the race, to squash a young rider’s chance at history. It was heartbreaking….

At the time of this writing, Rule has been scratched and Interactif will be decided on later this week.

I have compiled a list of runners who look good, and this takes into consideration what USA Today selects, The Courier Journal, ESPN, and my own blend of selections:

1. Lookin At Lucky – Baffert has him geared, and I hope he gets a clean trip.

2. Mission Impazible – Rajiv Maragh is a capable pilot, and Pletcher looks to rebound over his lost favorite.

3. Sidney’s Candy – Impressive winner at SA, but they are not running on synthetic. That will be his big question, if he can transfer his ability.

4. Noble Promise – Lightly raced colt, and had a horrible trip in the Arkansas Derby.

5. Ice Box – Nick Zito trainee whose style fits well, as he should come out of the clouds.

6. Line of David –  John Sadler trainee that ran a big race at Oaklawn.

7. Super Saver – Another Pletcher starter that shows speed. They all can’t control the hook, and one of them should be tough to deal with.

8. Awesome Act –  The Wood was bad for this guy. I believe he threw a shoe at the start.

9. Jackson Bend – Zito runner who could stalk all of the speed. A Florida bred who can light up the board.

10. Paddy O’ Prado – If he gets in with the defections, you can bet we will see a different runner. He is coming along at the right time.

I would keep up on your reading, and be sure to check out the Churchill website for details. With a year that is starting to have defections, you may want to even dig deeper into WinningPonies for quality price runners. I like to go ahead and make the press forward. If you are not afraid of the prices, you may just want to follow the big money for quality stables.