Archive for the ‘PDI’ Category

In a week that should have shown little movement in the rankings of the Paulick Derby Index by AmWest Entertainment, the Paulick Derby Index has actually shown some fluctuation as co-favorite Quality Road was withdrawn from the race on Monday because of complications resulting from a quarter crack. I Want Revenge, clearly now the favorite among our ballot stuffers, will lead a top ten that has lost some star power with several favorites not making the trip due to injury. That being said, this is still as strong a group as we have seen in years. The Derby this year should be an exciting one to watch with anywhere from 5-10 horses in legitimate contention.
 
You will also notice that the final week’s Paulick Derby Index by AmWest Entertainment features only the top ten contenders. We did this to put an onus on the top echelon of the field and make our last list more exclusive.

Finally, due to the fact that all ballots are submitted by 9 PM EST Monday night and well before Square Eddie’s withdrawal, you will see him on several ballots.
 
Will the PDI be the great predictor it portends to be on Saturday? Only time will tell.

1-Pioneerof the Nile. The Kentucky Derby is a tough race to win, even if everything goes your way, and it’s almost impossible for a horse to win if his training has been interrupted. Witness Unbridled’s Song, who battled foot problems coming up to the 1996 Derby, where he might have been the best horse but finished fifth while racing with a bar shoe on the problematic foot. If Quality Road’s connections felt their horse was sound and sent him to Louisville, I would have bet against him, simply because of the interruption in training. Everything has gone perfectly for Pioneerof the Nile: no interruptions in training due to bad weather or nagging injuries, and he is coming up to this race in the best form of his career. The Empire Maker colt has done everything asked of him, and I doubt trainer Bob Baffert would trade places with anybody.

2-I Want Revenge. It’s the horse, stupid. I’m no fan of trainer Jeff Mullins or the IEAH partners that bought into this son of Stephen Got Even, but I do like I Want Revenge. How can you not like a horse that does what he did to win the Wood Memorial after a disastrous start? The race before that, the Gotham Stakes, he showed enough early speed to press the pace and draw off in the stretch to a an easy victory. He is 0-for-2 against Pioneerof the Nile, though his first loss, by a nose in the Cash Call Futurity, was in his first start after breaking his maiden. I think he’ll be the betting favorite, but if Pioneerof the Nile beats I Want Revenge, people will be scratching their heads and wondering why.

3-Dunkirk. Todd Pletcher has kept the son of Unbridled’s Song under the radar, staying in Florida to train while the rest of the field is in Kentucky, and I don’t fault his logic that the track on Derby Day will likely be different from the surface everyone trained on in the weeks leading up to the race. Always seems to be that way. The colt has enormous talent, but there remains that issue of a lack of experience that has stopped many previous Derby contenders with a similar profile.

4-Friesan Fire.  One thing we know: if it rains as expected, and the track is sloppy, Friesan Fire will be one happy horse. The A.P. Indy colt seemed to relish the sloppy Fair Grounds surface while winning the Louisiana Derby in a cakewalk. His training up to the race for Larry Jones has been sensational, and the only thing his resume lacks is a victory over tough competition.

5-Musket Man. Beating Giant Oak in the Illinois Derby was no great accomplishment (doesn’t somebody always beat Giant Oak?), but it’s hard to fault a horse with five wins in six starts. Yonaguska colt seems like the grinder type—not much early speed or quick mid-race acceleration—but if he gets a good enough trip under Eibar Coa I wouldn’t be shocked to see him in the top flight at the eighth pole.

6-Papa Clem. Won the Arkansas Derby coming from off the pace, but Smart Strike colt has enough speed to be close up in the early going and maybe even make the lead if no one else wants it. Gary Stute learned from his father, Mel, the West Coast wizard of speed, so a late-week blowout of two or three furlongs might be used to sharpen up Papa Clem after a series of longer works.

7-Chocolate Candy. Has only one way of going, settle in near the back of the field and make a late run, so you know that racing luck will play a role for Candy Ride colt. Hollendorfer has won the Kentucky Oaks twice (Lite Light in 1991 and Pike Place Dancer in1996), proving he can win at the top level of the game while being based in California’s “B  Circuit” in the Bay Area. Training well, but has to have everything go his way for a victory.

8-Advice. Wise guys are asking how a horse that couldn’t win the Sunland Park Derby is going to win the Kentucky Derby.  Real Quiet, who came within a nose of winning the 1998 Triple Crown, couldn’t win in New Mexico, either, finishing third there as a 2-year-old in a pair of races. Advice demonstrated some quality last year, finishing second but DQed and placed third in the Arlington-Washington Futurity, and his last to first rally in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes was eye-catching. But races were on Polytrack, however, and he has yet to prove himself on a conventional dirt track (though the same can be said of Pioneerof the Nile).

9-Desert Party. I like the way the son of Street Cry has trained since arriving from Dubai, but I’ve seen previous Godolphin horses looking sharp in the morning before fading on Derby afternoon. If this one is any different, he’ll win without my backing at the windows.

10-Mr. Hot Stuff. Have always thought this Tiznow colt was going to develop into a good one, but it’s taken longer than expected. He’ll be running late in the Derby, but I think he looks more like a Travers winner.

Last weekend was the final opportunity for Derby hopefuls to make their case. As a result, this week’s Paulick Derby Index by AmWest Entertainment had two new entries with Square Eddie in a tie for 15th and Advice all alone in the 18th spot. The only other newbie on our list was a vote for Arkansas Derby 3rd place finisher Summer Bird.

Also significant was the tightening between the first and second place contenders I Want Revenge and Quality Road. This narrowing margin is due to Quality Road’s quarter crack not being as concerning as once believed.

Ray Paulick’s Analysis

1-Pioneerof the Nile. This was written before his first serious workout on the Churchill Downs surface, but I’m sticking with the Empire Maker colt unless and until he shows a complete disdain for dirt in his training up to the Kentucky Derby. Keeping Garrett Gomez in the saddle is a confidence booster because agent Ron Anderson is as sharp as they come.

2-I Want Revenge. Biggest question about Stephen Got Even colt’s two New York wins was who he beat. Not sure there was much quality behind him, but he was right there with Pioneerof the Nile in California and showed he likes the dirt. Versatile running style really a plus and jockey Joe Talamo is wise beyond his years.

3- Quality Road. Mystery horse as far as I’m concerned, because of the quarter crack. But based on that last New York workout and the fact the son of Elusive Quality apparently came out of it in good shape I’ve moved him up a notch over Dunkirk. Will he get the distance?

4-Dunkirk. Could there be a better backup rider to Garrett Gomez than Edgar Prado? No loss there in riding talent. Choice by Gomez and agent Anderson was a tough one, considering they were dealing with two high-powered trainers in Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher and two of the most prominent owners in the game in Ahmed Zayat and the Coolmore operation. Call me old school, but I think the lack of racing experience will go against both Quality Road and Dunkirk.

5-Friesan Fire. Larry Jones seems to have had a pretty well-defined plan for son of A.P. Indy and he’s sticking to it. Another one racing against history with his lengthy gap between races. Working solidly at Keeneland before shipping to Churchill Downs for final preparations.

6-Musket Man. Tampa Bay and Illinois Derby winner got vote of confidence from jockey Eibar Coa, but he’ll be facing a completely different caliber of horse when the Churchill Downs starting gates open.

7-Papa Clem. Smart Strike seems to keep siring one top runner after another, and Papa Clem is moving in the right direction as the first Saturday in May approaches. Gary Stute may be a Kentucky Derby rookie, but he’s no greenhorn, having gotten some big race experience when father Mel had Preakness winner Snow Chief and other top runners during a stellar training career.

8-Chocolate Candy. Interesting that a Santa Anita publicity staff survey of West Coast horsemen found a lot of support for this Candy Ride colt trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. Will have a lot of horses to come around at the top of the stretch when he makes his late run.

9-Advice. So what if his Coolmore Lexington win was on a Polytrack surface that has produced so many unpredictable results? He’s an improving colt in good hands who closed like gangbusters to beat a Polytrack-loving Square Eddie.

10-Desert Party. How he trains over the next 10 days will have a lot to say about his chances. It’s a very difficult transition to make, coming from Dubai to Kentucky, and will take a top horse to handle it. I just don’t think he’ll be up to the challenge.

Ray Paulick’s Analysis

1-Pioneerof the Nile. Empire Maker colt is scheduled to work at Santa Anita Wednesday for trainer Bob Baffert before shipping to Churchill Downs. Doesn’t get much respect for a horse coming into the Kentucky Derby off four consecutive graded stakes victories, but such is the influence of speed figures these days. I think speed figures are less relevant in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby than they are for everyday races because of the unique nature of the Derby.

2-I Want Revenge. Already stabled at Churchill Downs, which gives Stephen Got Even colt plenty of time to acclimate to the racing strip. One caveat: the track horses train over before the live meet begins is often dramatically different than the one they’ll have on Derby Day.

3- Dunkirk. Though I have nagging doubts in the back of my mind about why this son of Unbridled’s Song has been raced so sparingly, I’m confident he may be the best qualified of the Derby contenders to get distances of a mile and a quarter and beyond. How he trains over the next couple weeks will be key.

4-Quality Road. So far, so good on the patched up quarter crack. Unlike some owners and trainers who have run horses in the Derby that were physically compromised, I have confidence that neither Elusive Quality colt’s owner, Ned Evans, or trainer, Jimmy Jerkens, would do that. With the loss of speed horses The Pamplemousse and Old Fashioned, the pace scenario is shaping up in Quality Road’s favor.

5-Friesan Fire. The book on preparing a horse for the Kentucky Derby is being constantly rewritten, so I’m not discounting the A.P. Indy colt’s chances because of the seven weeks trainer Larry Jones is giving him between starts.  And while Louisiana Derby runner-up Papa Clem’s win in Saturday’s Arkansas Derby flattered Friesan Fire, I still don’t think he’s faced the toughest competition this winter.

6-Musket Man. Speaking of flattery, the win by General Quarters in the Toyota Blue Grass strengthened Musket Man’s Tampa Bay Derby triumph. There’s a lot to like about this son of Yonaguska, but the biggest question concerns his pedigree, specifically his propensity to get a classic distance.

7 Papa Clem. Good move by trainer Gary Stute to ship this Smart Strike colt to Oaklawn Park early to train up to the Arkansas Derby. Along with the two victories in New York by I Want Revenge, the win by Papa Clem shows the depth of this year’s California contingent, as both chased Pioneerof the Nile in earlier races.

8-General Quarters. I confess that I missed the trouble the Sky Mesa colt encountered when fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby, but I went back and watched the race again after hearing about it during Steve Byk’s “At the Races” radio show on Monday. Sure enough, he got the worst in that race and ran back to the strong form he showed in the Sam F. Davis while surprising Saturday’s Toyota Blue Grass Field. I don’t think that win was a fluke, but the Blue Grass field was a relatively unproven one.

9-Chocolate Candy. Was hurt more than anyone else by the lack of pace in the Santa Anita Derby, yet still closed strongly to be second to Pioneerof the Nile. Son of Candy Ride will need quick fractions to have a shot in the Kentucky Derby, and at this stage I’m not so sure he’ll get them.

10-Desert Party. It’s asking a lot of the Street Cry colt to ship halfway around the world twice in a six-month period. How he trains over the Churchill Downs surface over the next two and half weeks and how he looks will gives us a better idea of his chances to give Sheikh Mohammed his first win in the Kentucky Derby.

It was a weekend of much consequence for the ever-shaping Derby Trail. In the Santa Anita Derby, Pioneerof the Nile strengthened his credentials as a top pick with an impressive win while Chocolate Candy shot up four places on the Paulick Derby Index by AmWest Entertainment on the back of a strong second place finish. In Illinois, Musket Man finally made a case strong enough for our voters, cracking our list for the first time at number nine. And I Want Revenge showed his prowess with a highly unusual and seemingly impossible ride in the Wood Memorial. Despite severely stumbling out of the gate, he stuck with the race and battled from last to first.

The weekend also had its fair share of disappointments with poor performances by hopefuls Imperial Council and Mr. Hot Stuff. However, most disturbing was the sudden scratch of The Pamplemousse, rendering this previous favorite completely off the Derby Trail. Quality Road also had a run in this weekend when a quarter crack was discovered in his right hind hoof. Since the news broke after many of our balloters had submitted their selections, look to see how far Quality Road drops in next week’s poll.

Next weekend, the Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes will help to round out the Derby picture for many of the horses on our list including Old Fashioned, Papa Clem, Win Willy, Patena and Mafaaz.

Ray Paulick’s Analysis

1-Pioneerof the Nile. With the scratch of The Pamplemousse, the Santa Anita Derby came up a completely different kind of race than trainer Bob Baffert was hoping to get for the Empire Maker colt. But despite the crawling pace, Pioneerof the Nile came through with perhaps his best performance yet. He’ll get a fast pace in the Kentucky Derby, giving him the opportunity to make the kind of late run that Baffert thinks will best suit him.

2-I Want Revenge. Spectacular performance in the Wood Memorial, showing the Stephen Got Even colt’s versatility. He showed speed in the Gotham and blew away the field at the top of the stretch, and had to utilize a completely different running style here. I’m not big into offering owners advice, but if I were David Lanzman and Mike Iavarone, I’d get some duct tape and put it on trainer Jeff Mullins’ mouth when the media shows up Derby week. Nothing he says is going to help him in the mess he created  at the Aqueduct detention barn last Saturday prior to the Bay Shore Stakes.

3- Dunkirk. He moved up without racing this week, and the chances of getting into the starting field with his limited graded stakes earnings look better than ever. On the downside, if Dunkirk, with his expensive yearling price tag and fancy pedigree, does win the Derby and other big races as a 3-year-old, what are the chances we’ll see him as a 4-year-old next year. But I digress. He is an exciting prospect who should improve, if serious physical ailments aren’t the reason for his light record.

4-Quality Road. I had to chuckle when I saw the headline “Quality Road Quarter Crack Not Serious” on one web site. It’s right there with “mild” heart attack.  That’s the same kind of spin Team IEAH was trying to put out last year when Big Brown’s quarter crack re-emerged just before the Belmont, forcing Rick Dutrow to alter training. Missing any training in the final weeks before the Kentucky Derby is a serious setback, so we need to watch this one closely.

5-Friesan Fire. He’s got some history to beat with his long layoff and Louisiana wintertime route to Churchill Downs, but this is a good horse, and the Vinery Stable (co-owners with Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm) is one of the hottest things going in racing right now, from limited numbers.

6-Old Fashioned.  Arkansas Derby is the big test. Is he just a miler? I like the rider switch and think the Unbridled’s Song colt will avenge his only career loss, suffered when when he was a bit too close to a  hot pace on a tiring Oaklawn track in the Rebel.

7-Musket Man. The under the radar horse can’t stay hidden any longer after winning Saturday’s Illinois Derby impressively. Son of Yonaguska is one of those horses that looks better on paper the longer you look at him, though it’s a pedigree that comes up light on  stamina.

8-Desert Party. Not much new to report on UAE Derby runner-up. I’m sure it was a quiet week for him.

9-Chocolate Candy. Ran a really solid race against Pioneereof the Nile in the Santa Anita Derby, closing ground late on super slow fractions. I know it’s horse racing (not owner racing), but would love to see Jenny Craig in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs on Derby Day with a son of Candy Ride that she bred with her late husband. After a week of dealing with the likes of Ernie Paragallo, I’d like to see good people rewarded, and she certainly qualifies.

10-Papa Clem. Let’s hope the Arkansas Derby comes up with a fast track. If it does, I wouldn’t be surprised to see son of Smart Strike be the one to upset Old Fashioned. The win would further validate the strength of the West Coast’s 3-year-olds, a point that’s already been made by I Want Revenge’s New York performances.

After a very strong Derby prep weekend, featuring races in Dubai and Florida, several winners emerged. Quality Road for the first time makes his ascension to the top of our Paulick Derby Index by AmWest Entertainment despite having fewer first-place votes than second-place finisher Friesan Fire. His impressive win in the Florida Derby proved only to cloud the upper echelon of 3-year-olds this year with five horses within striking distance at the top. Next weekend’s Wood Memorial (I Want Revenge) and Santa Anita Derby (Pioneerof the Nile, The Pamplemousse) should answer many questions…or further delay a consensus favorite.

The aforementioned Pioneerof the Nile wins the "What have you done for me lately" award, dropping from 2nd to 4th and losing six first-place votes despite having done nothing to hurt his case. On the flip side, despite losing in the Florida Derby, Dunkirk actually moved up a place this week. Theregoesjojo went bye bye, dropping off our list from 13th place. And Beethoven rolled over once more as he continued his hot/cold relationship with our voters after skipping the Florida Derby due to an injury.

Ray Paulick’s top 10 and analysis:

1-Quality Road. It wasn’t the strongest Florida Derby field ever assembled (that’s an understatement), but Quality Road progressed from a one-turn miler to a two-turn horse very impressively. The final time was meaningless (because of how the track was playing), though I like the way he lengthened his stride and turned back a talented Dunkirk down the stretch. The Jerkens family has never been big on traveling road shows, so it will be interesting to see where and how trainer Jimmy Jerkens prepares the son of Elusive Quality for the Kentucky Derby.

2-Pioneerof the Nile. His big test comes Saturday in the Santa Anita Derby. Here is how clocker Bruno De Julio (www.racingwithbruno.com <http://www.racingwithbruno.com> ) described son of Empire Maker’s five-furlong workout over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride synthetic surface last Wednesday: “Pioneerof The Nile, with Joe Steiner on board, worked a strong five furlongs in 59.1 and out in 111.2. Galloping out in 126 for seven furlongs. He extended strongly through the lane. Baffert definitely tightened the girth on ‘Nile and he responded with a good work. Nile is not the prettiest of movers on this track, and that drew some criticism from some onlookers. He has never really been a horse that has handled the pro-ride ‘pretty’.” Do I think Baffert will have tightened the screws completely for the Santa Anita Derby? Of course not, so I won’t be that surprised to see Pioneerof the Nile come up short in his final Kentucky Derby prep.

3-The Pamplemousse. With Julio Canani in Dubai, front-running son of Kafwain worked rather unimpressively, six furlongs in 1:13 flat, according to Bruno De Julio, in his final Santa Anita Derby tune-up. Here are Bruno’s comments: “He started quickly early as he broke from the pole pulling Alex Solis from the saddle. He went the first half mile in 47 flat while being kept wide off the fence and finished in a lackluster 26 flat on our watch. Railroad, the old claimer, ran up inside of him in the lane, but that didn’t get ‘Mousse’s dandruff up at all. In fact, he was shut down late. Alex Solis seemed to be moving his hands just slightly, as he did last week. The colt galloped out rather slowly in 127 and change.” Despite the less-than-rave reviews, I think The Pamplemousse will be tough to catch in the Santa Anita Derby.

4-Dunkirk. Showed he’s a very good horse when closing against a Gulfstream Park dirt track with a speed bias in the Florida Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher has been playing some serious catch-up with the Unbridled’s Song colt, as this was just his third start of the year after going unraced as a 2-year-old. If he gets into the Derby field, he will be highly regarded, but the lack of experience unquestionably plays against him. Nevertheless, I thought his Florida Derby performance was a huge step forward and puts him into the ranks of leading contenders.

5-Friesan Fire. The more I review the decision to prep the son of A.P. Indy at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, the more skeptical I am that he’s in quite the same league as the Florida and California-based 3-year-olds. Louisiana has seldom been a successful route to the Kentucky Derby, and I really haven’t seen that much in terms of depth of competition that makes me change my mind. Besides, the daylight victory in the slop in the Louisiana Derby may be less meaningful than the margin indicates simply because of the track condition.

6-I Want Revenge. No reason he can’t repeat his Gotham performance this Saturday in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, unless the back-and-forth travel from California to New York gets to him. Have to admit I overlooked this son of Stephen Got Even until the Gotham, probably in part because of the big-race inexperience of trainer Jeff Mullins. Here are clocker Bruno De Julio’s comments on his final work last Sunday at Hollywood Park: “He worked solo and relaxed nicely to the pole in 12.3, 24.2, and 36 flat to the 1/4 pole. You can see him winding up and (Joe) Talamo barely shook the reins. The colt pricked his left ear inside the furlong pole waiting forTalamo to ask him. Talamo never did and the colt shut himself off and finished in 59.4 on our watch. Final 1/4 in 23.4 and out in 112.4 for six furlongs, 127.1 for seven furlongs and out a mile in 143 flat. He actually went out a mile and three quarters before pulling up.” Bruno seems to be saying the colt can run all day.

7-Old Fashioned. One-time leader of the division slips a few more spots as other contenders step up. Son of Unbridled’s Song will need to turn in impressive performance in the Arkansas Derby to regain any support, and even then the competition won’t be that deep, so it would be a somewhat hollow victory.

8-Desert Party. Lost the UAE Derby to stablemate Regal Ransom on a track that really played to speed. It’s so difficult to know how much a transoceanic trip is going to take out of the Dubai-based horses, but I wouldn’t throw son of Street Cry out completely just because of the UAE loss.

9-Imperial Council. Son of Empire Maker remains the sleeper in my top 10. A big effort in the Wood against I Want Revenge moves him up considerably, but a flat performance may take him out of the Derby altogether.

10-Regal Ransom. Fought off Desert Party while winning the UAE Derby in solid performance. Historically, the race hasn’t meant much vis a vis the Kentucky Derby, but I have to think that’s going to change one of these years.

The last slow weekend before Derby was reflected by a basic stagnation of the Paulick Derby Index by AmWest Entertainment. The only race of note this weekend, the Lane’s End Stakes, did not really produce any headlines.The winner Hold Me Back did not crack even one of our Top Ten lists this week and none of the other horses in that field are anywhere to be found in this week’s PDI. Perhaps most notable was that the only Derby winner to come out of the Lane’s End (Jim Beam Stakes at that time) passed away yesterday. Lil E. Tee left a legacy that does not look to be repeated any time soon, at least not this year. Of course, Hard Spun was the closest since as runner up in the Derby in 2007.

The only major addition to the field was the Kempton winner Mafaaz who despite only being voted on by three of our voters, actually picked up a first place vote. It should be interesting to see how this international experiment will affect this year’s race.

Next week and beyond, we look forward to the top prep races including the Santa Anita Derby, Florida Derby and Wood Memorial. Look for a much more significant shakeup in the weeks to come.

Ray Paulick’s Analysis

1-Pioneerof the Nile. So his Beyer figure wasn’t very good in winning the San Felipe. I have a great deal of respect for Andy Beyer and his figures, but I’m not sure they have got synthetic surface performances figured out as well as races on dirt. It’s becoming increasingly popular to knock synthetic track winners, but this son of Empire Maker keeps on winning, and that’s still the name of the game.

2- The Pamplemousse. I can see this horse beating Pioneerof the Nile in the Santa Anita Derby if there’s not much pace to go with him. Kentucky will be a different story with lots of speed, and I’m not sure a son of Kafwain really wants a mile and a quarter.

3- Friesan Fire. Impressive Louisiana Derby winner will have a long rest between starts if Larry Jones trains him up to the Kentucky Derby as he’s recently indicated. The successful road to the roses hasn’t traveled through New Orleans that often, however.

4-I Want Revenge. How much is a half interest in the Stephen Got Even colt worth to IEAH stables, which has been attempting to buy him in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle two years in a row following Big Brown’s success in 2008. Sources say the price is about $5 million.

5-Quality Road. Here comes the test for the son of Elusive Quality in this weekend’s Florida Derby. First time around two turns will tell us a lot about whether or not he is truly Derby material.

6-Old Fashioned. With an additional week’s time to reflect, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe Old Fashioned was just a very precocious 2-year-old whose classmates are now catching up to him. He’ll need to rebound big time in the Arkansas Derby.

7-Desert Party. Son of Street Cry needs to do win big in this weekend’s UAE Derby in Dubai. Anything short of that means Sheikh Mohammed’s quest for the Kentucky Derby will have to wait another year.

8-Imperial Council.  Might not win the Kentucky Derby, but something tells me the Empire Maker colt will be an important horse before the year is over.

9-Theregoesjojo. He’s my upset special in the Florida Derby, and son of Brahms will be a price to boot.

10-Mafaaz. Sorry, Dunkirk, but the John Gosden-trained winner of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes in England just bounced you off my top 10. Sure, the son of the Machiavellian stallion Medicean is bred for turf and he’s lightly raced. But I give a great deal of respect to Gosden, who is no stranger to racing on dirt in the U.S., having stabled in California for a number of years. Besides, Dunkirk has plenty of opportunity this coming weekend to make a name for himself outside of the maiden and allowance  ranks when he goes to post in the Florida Derby.

In what is truly becoming a pattern, this weekend’s biggest winner I Want Revenge jumped from the bottom of our poll to the fourth position after romping in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday afternoon. What should not be overlooked in the wake of his 8 1/2 length win is how much stronger the case can be made for Pioneerof the Nile. Head to head, Pioneer won by a narrow margin in the Hollywood Park CashCall Futurity and left Revenge in third in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita. However, I Want Revenge proved that he can run on a dirt track in New York, something Pioneerof the Nile hasn’t yet done.

The two biggest losers of the week were Haynesfield and Stardom Bound. Haynesfield, one of the favorites going into the Gotham and a receipient of a first place vote in the last PDI, finished a dismal eighth and dropped completely out of the poll receiving no votes this week. And in light of a shaky performance and reports that Stardom Bound would be heading towards the Kentucky Oaks instead of the Derby, many of our voters dropped her from their lists causing her to fall from the 8th position to number 11.

While it was a relatively light weekend of racing, next week should be anything but with four major Derby preps being run. Study the poll closely this week. It may look very different after the smoke clears Sunday.

Ray’s Picks and Analysis

1-Pioneerof the Nile. West Coast clockers were buzzing again about the Bob Baffert-trained colt after last Sunday’s five-furlong workout in :58 4/5 at Santa Anita. The work came a day after I Want Revenge, the colt Pioneerof the Nile has defeated twice, romped to victory in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. That East Coast win, while solidifying Pioneerof the Nile’s status as the West’s leading contender on the road to Churchill Downs, begs the question of how the switch from California’s synthetics to New York’s traditional dirt may have played into I Want Revenge’s stunning performance. Pioneerof the Nile (by Empire Maker) goes in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Felipe, part of a “fantastic four” afternoon of Kentucky Derby preps (along with Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby, Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn, and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds).

2-Old Fashioned. Also fired a bullet in his weekend workout at Oaklawn in preparation for the Rebel. Son of Unbridled’s Song will be the heavy favorite to keep a perfect record for trainer Larry Jones and Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms. Will be interesting to see whether Silver City, second to Old Fashioned in the Southwest Stakes, can make Old Fashioned work even harder for this victory.

3-I Want Revenge. Hard to say anything bad about Saturday’s whiz-bang knockout of his Gotham rivals at Aqueduct, his first start on a dirt track after six races on synthetics in California. Son of A.P. Indy stallion Stephen Got Even was a good horse going into the race and came out of it a budding star. His trainer, Jeff Mullins, may not be the most desirable individual to put up on the Churchill Downs podium on Derby day (he’s had his share of medication violations and it wasn’t that long ago he called racing fans “addicts and idiots”).But just like Big Brown last year, let’s not hold the horse accountable for the trainer’s bad behavior.

4-The Pamplemousse. Kafwain colt had an easy week after his big victory in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. Should start gearing up for his next start in the coming days.

5-Quality Road. Would like to see trainer Jimmy Jerkens ship Elusive Quality colt north for the Wood Memorial and take on I Want Revenge. Right now I would give the edge to I Want Revenge because of his experience edge, particularly around two turns.

6-Friesan Fire. He’ll have his biggest test yet in the Louisiana Derby on Saturday and certainly didn’t scare anyone away, as nine other 3-year-olds will line up against him. Son of A.P. Indy blazed five furlongs Monday in :58 1/5 at Fair Grounds for Larry Jones to show that he’s on edge.

7-Desert Party. Not much news from the desert on Sheikh Mohammed’s leading Kentucky Derby candidate. I wouldn’t bet against son of Street Cry in U.A.E. Derby coming up later this month, but it’s a big hill to climb to run there and then ship halfway around the world for the Kentucky Derby.

8-Beethoven. I still consider Sky Mesa colt a legitimate dark horse for the Derby. Cutting back from two turns to one-turn mile in Fountain of Youth was not to his advantage. He needs to step up much bigger in next start.

9-Patena. Saturday’s Louisiana Derby will in some ways be a test to see if Rick Dutrow can move the Seeking the Gold colt up from his previous trainer, Josie Carroll, following IEAH Stable’s purchase of a majority interest. Runner-up to Friesan Fire last out had a solid :58 2/5 drill at Gulfstream Park on Monday. Definitely one to watch.

10-Theregoesjojo: It was a toss-up whether to keep son of Sky Mesa in the 10 position or bump him in favor of Stardom Bound, the desperate winner of Saturday’s Santa Anita Oaks who most likely is off the Kentucky Derby trail. It’s pretty clear that trainer Robert Frankel thinks Stardom Bound needs to stay in her own division, though it’s possible he could be overruled if she wins big in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland next out. Theregoesjojo figures to improve off his effort in the Fountain of Youth.

Each of the four Derby preps this weekend will be interesting in its own way. Can Pioneerof the Nile continue his march successfully at Santa Anita? Will anyone stop Old Fashioned at Oaklawn? How will the Friesan Fire-Patena rematch play out? Did Barclay Tagg make the right move by shipping Hello Broadway to Tampa Bay for the Derby there? We’ll have some answers on Saturday night.

Ray Paulick	Fan Vote	Alex Brown	Paul Moran	Billy Reed	John Conte	Bill Finley
Paulick Report	Paulick Report	Alex Brown Racing	At The Races	Billy Reed Says	Conte’s Picks	ESPN, NYT
Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned	Quality Road	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned
Old Fashioned	I Want Revenge	Dunkirk	Stardom Bound	Quality Road	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile
I Want Revenge	The Pamplemousse	The Pamplemousse	Pioneerof the Nile	Dunkirk	I Want Revenge	Friesan Fire
The Pamplemousse	Friesan Fire	I Want Revenge	Quality Road	Pioneerof the Nile	Dunkirk	The Pamplemousse
Quality Road	Quality Road	Rachel Alexandra	I Want Revenge	Friesan Fire	West Side Bernie	Quality Road
Friesan Fire	Pioneerof the Nile	Desert Party	Hello Broadway	Hello Broadway	Chocolate Candy	I Want Revenge
Desert Party	Dunkirk	Pioneerof the Nile	The Pamplemousse	Desert Party	Capt. Candyman Can	Desert Party
Beethoven	Imperial Council	Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire	Patena	The Pamplemousse	Dunkirk
Patena	Desert Party	Patena	Desert Party	Beethoven	Hello Broadway	Silver City
Theregoesjojo	Patena	Hello Broadway	Dunkirk	Stardom Bound	Giant Oak	Patena

Randy Moss	Bill Nack	Valerie Grash	Gary West	Michael Nikolic	Dana Byerly	Jeremy Plonk
ESPN	ESPN	Foolish Pleasure	FW Star-Telegram	Gathering the Wind	Green But Game	Horseplayer Pro, ESPN
Quality Road	Dunkirk	Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile
I Want Revenge	The Pamplemousse	Old Fashioned	Quality Road	Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned
Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	Stardom Bound	Dunkirk	Desert Party	Flying Pegasus	Patena
Dunkirk	I Want Revenge	Rachel Alexandra	Hello Broadway	Patena	Desert Party	Friesan Fire
Pioneerof the Nile	Quality Road	I Want Revenge	Pioneerof the Nile	Pioneerof the Nile	Quality Road	Imperial Council
The Pamplemousse	Old Fashioned	Papa Clem	Friesan Fire	I Want Revenge	I Want Revenge	Hello Broadway
Friesan Fire	Stardom Bound	Hello Broadway	I Want Revenge	Chocolate Candy	Patena	Dunkirk
Theregoesjojo	Friesan Fire	Mr. Hot Stuff	Giant Oak	Papa Clem	Theregoesjojo	Quality Road
Desert Party	Desert Party	Imperial Council	Patena	Quality Road	Imperial Council	The Pamplemousse
Beethoven	Giant Oak	Dunkirk	Flying Pegasus	Flying Pegasus	Nowhere to Hide	Mr. Hot Stuff

Bill Christine	John Pricci	Vic Zast	Jon White	Richard Eng	Alan Mann	Alicia Wincze
Horserace Insider	Horserace Insider	Horserace Insider	HRTV, Santa Anita TV	Las Vegas R-J	Left at the Gate	Lexington H-L
Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	Patena	Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned
I Want Revenge	Pioneerof the Nile	Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire
Desert Party	The Pamplemousse	Stardom Bound	I Want Revenge	Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile
Pioneerof the Nile	I Want Revenge	The Pamplemousse	Quality Road	The Pamplemousse	Papa Clem	Desert Party
Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire	The Pamplemousse	Pioneerof the Nile	Stardom Bound	The Pamplemousse
Quality Road	Stardom Bound	Dunkirk	Friesan Fire	Quality Road	Dunkirk	Quality Road
Vineyard Haven	Quality Road	Desert Party	Patena	Dunkirk	The Pamplemousse	I Want Revenge
The Pamplemousse	Dunkirk	Capt. Candyman Can	Papa Clem	I Want Revenge	I Want Revenge	Hello Broadway
Theregoesjojo	Desert Party	Chocolate Candy	Dunkirk	Danger to Society	Flying Pegasus	Chocolate Candy
Patena	Hello Broadway	Quality Road	Chocolate Candy	Theregoesjojo	Imperial Council	Beethoven

Art Wilson	Joe Drape	Andy Serling	Jessica Chapel	Brendan O’Meara	Jeff Scott	Lisa Grimm
Los Angeles Newspapers	New York Times	NYRA	Railbird	The Saratogian	The Saratogian	SuperfectaBlog
The Pamplemousse	Old Fashioned	Imperial Council	Old Fashioned	Friesan Fire	I Want Revenge	Pioneerof the Nile
Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	The Pamplemousse	Desert Party	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	The Pamplemousse
Pioneerof the Nile	Quality Road	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned
Dunkirk	The Pamplemousse	I Want Revenge	Pioneerof the Nile	Quality Road	Desert Party	Friesan Fire
I Want Revenge	Theregoesjojo	Rachel Alexandra	I Want Revenge	Dunkirk	Old Fashioned	I Want Revenge
Quality Road	Friesan Fire	Quality Road	Flying Pegasus	Take the Points	Flat Out	Quality Road
Papa Clem	Hello Broadway	Danger to Society	Regal Ransom	Pioneerof the Nile	Quality Road	Chocolate Candy
Imperial Council	Sumo	Old Fashioned	Dunkirk	I Want Revenge	The Pamplemousse	Stardom Bound
Friesan Fire	Dunkirk	Dunkirk	Quality Road	Imperial Council	General Quarters	Patena
Desert Party	I Want Revenge	Hello Broadway	Papa Clem	Nowhere to Hide	Mr. Hot Stuff	Hello Broadway

It seems that a trend is developing in the run up to the Derby. The last two weeks, we have had a contender appear out of nowhere to take the fourth position and even earn a couple of first place votes. Quality Road’s impeccable run to take the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth over some very impressive competition clearly made an impression on our voters.

Of course, this performance should not overshadow the equally strong outing by The Pamplemousse who rose seven places in our poll, moving comfortably into fifth place. It appears there might be a slight dirt vs. synthetic bias creeping in as Quality Road edges out The Pamplemousse and Old Fashioned continues to lead Pioneerof the Nile.

We have been honored with a few additional pollsters this week, adding Los Angeles Newspaper Group’s Art Wilson, Dana Byerly of Green But Game, web pioneer Alex Brown and Simon Bray of TVG. We are confident their expertise and passion for the game will be a great addition. Also, we would like to thank ESPN.com, the Lexington Herald-Leader and The Saratogian for picking up the weekly PDI.

Ray’s Picks and Analysis

1-Pioneerof the Nile. Nothing has happened to change my belief that this son of the Unbridled stallion Empire Maker has the right profile to win the Kentucky Derby: solid pedigree, experience in high-class 2-year-old races, and a trainer who knows how to get a colt ready for his best on the first Saturday in May.

2-Old Fashioned. Interesting that Unbridled is the grandsire of the top two horses on my list. One of the most important sources of stamina we have in the Thoroughbred gene pool today, Unbridled (by the Mr. Prospector stallion Fappiano) was dismissed by speed figure followers coming into the 1990 Kentucky Derby. I thought his victory that year served as a reminder that the Derby is unique, and that traditional handicapping methods are not well-suited to the race. It’s more about horsemanship and getting a peak performance on the right afternoon, something Carl Nafzger did with Unbridled.

3-The Pamplemousse. Naysayers knock him as having a sprinter’s pedigree (by Kafwain, a son of sprint champion Cherokee Run, out of a Rubiano mare), but how could you not like the way he strided out down the stretch to pull away from his opponents in the nine-furlong Sham Stakes on Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride track? Appears to have just one way to go, and that’s on the front end.

4-Stardom Bound. We’ll know more about how last year’s 2-year-old filly champion is doing after Saturday’s Santa Anita Oaks. I think she’s an exceptional filly who will hold her own against colts if given the opportunity. Tapit, was a top-notch racehorse who was undone by the horribly sloppy conditions of the Churchill Downs track when Smarty Jones won the 2004 Derby, and he’s turning into a very promising young sire.

5-Quality Road. Lived up to his sensational morning workouts when he trounced his rivals in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Though it was only a one-turn mile (a configuration, by the way, that used to be considered a good prep in New York for horses like Secretariat and Easy Goer when the Gotham Stakes was run at that distance), Quality Road seemed to settle fine just off the early pace and move to the lead whenever John Velazquez wanted. Son of Elusive Quality (sire of Smarty Jones) will have to prove himself around two turns, and that opportunity probably will arise in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

6-Friesan Fire. Like several of my other top contenders, this son of A.P. Indy has a pedigree that suggests a mile and a quarter is within his scope. Of course, to quote the great Charlie Whittingham, “I know he can get a mile and a quarter. I just don’t know how fast!” The intriguing aspect of Friesan Fire’s family is the Australian female side that traces back to the exceptional racemare Bint Marscay and the great sire Sir Tristram. We’ll know more about his quality after the March 14 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, where he’s already won the LeComte and Risen Star Stakes.

7-Desert Party. The mystery horse from Dubai who’s burden got a lot heavier this past week with the announcement from Godolphin that 2-year-old champ and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Midshipman was injured and is off the Derby trail. A good 2-year-old in the U.S. last year, Desert Party has looked good thus far in Dubai but has some history to overcome.

8-Beethoven. If Gulfstream Park’s main track was playing to speed last Saturday, then Beethoven got the worst of it in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes. The son of Sky Mesa came from far back in the one-turn mile to get third, which was a forward moving performance that should be encouraging to his connections.

9-Patena. Aside from the super-hyped allowance winner Dunkirk (not on my top 10), no horse is getting more pre-race attention than this son of Seeking the Gold, who was purchased by IEAH Stables after running second to Friesan Fire in the LeComte Stakes in January and shifted from the barn of Josie Carroll to Rick Dutrow. All systems appear to be a go for the Louisiana Derby after a six-furlong workout at Gulfstream Park last Saturday. The important thing, according to Dutrow, is that Patena “scoped clean” after the work. He had been coughing for about 10 days, the trainer said. “We’ve been clearing different issues, and it seems to all be coming together,” Dutrow said.

10-Theregoesjojo. Finished well to be second to Quality Road in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth for trainer Ken McPeek, who was pleased with the effort. Son of Brahms (by Danzig) defeated Quality Road in his previous start Jan. 10 and should be tighter after his most recent race. Not sure where he will surface, but it won’t take that much improvement for Jojo to get his first stakes win.

Ray Paulick	Fan Vote	Alex Brown	Paul Moran	Bill Reed	John Conte	Bill Finley
Paulick Report	Paulick Report	Alex Brown Racing	At The Races	Billy Reed Says	Conte’s Picks	ESPN, NYT
Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned	Quality Road	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned
Old Fashioned	The Pamplemousse	Dunkirk	Stardom Bound	Quality Road	The Pamplemousse	Pioneerof the Nile
The Pamplemousse	Quality Road	Stardom Bound	Pioneerof the Nile	Dunkirk	Dunkirk	Friesan Fire
Stardom Bound	Dunkirk	Old Fashioned	Quality Road	Pioneerof the Nile	Pioneerof the Nile	The Pamplemousse
Quality Road	Pioneerof the Nile	The Pamplemousse	Hello Broadway	Friesan Fire	Quality Road	Stardom Bound
Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire	Rachel Alexandra	The Pamplemousse	Hello Broadway	Haynesfield	Quality Road
Desert Party	Stardom Bound	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	Desert Party
Beethoven	Desert Party	Affirmatif	Desert Party	Patena	Hello Broadway	Haynesfield
Patena	Patena	Haynesfield	Evita Argentina	Beethoven	Chocolate Candy	Dunkirk
Theregoesjojo	Hello Broadway	Pioneerof the Nile	Dunkirk	Stardom Bound	West Side Bernie	Siver City

Randy Moss	Bill Nack	Valerie Grash	Gary West	Michael Nikolic	Dana Byerly	Jeremy Plonk
ESPN	ESPN	Foolish Pleasure	FW Star-Telegram	Gathering The Wind	Green But Game	Horseplayer Pro, ESPN
Quality Road	Dunkirk	Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	N/A
Old Fashioned	The Pamplemousse	Old Fashioned	Dunkirk	Friesan Fire	Stardom Bound	N/A
Dunkirk	Pioneerof the Nile	Stardom Bound	Quality Road	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	N/A
The Pamplemousse	Quality Road	Rachel Alexandra	Hello Broadway	Patena	Flying Pegasus	N/A
Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	Pioneerof the Nile	Desert Party	N/A
Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned	Dunkirk	Pioneerof the Nile	Chocolate Candy	Quality Road	N/A
Theregoesjojo	Giant Oak	Chocolate Candy	Imperial Council	Papa Clem	Patena	N/A
Desert Party	Desert Party	Papa Clem	Giant Oak	Quality Road	Theregoesjojo	N/A
Beethoven	Stardom Bound	Hello Broadway	Patena	Flying Pegasus	Imperial Council	N/A
Hello Broadway	Patena	Mr. Hot Stuff	Flying Pegasus	Dunkirk	Nowhere to Hide	N/A

Bill Christine	John Pricci	Vic Zast	Jon White	Richard Eng	Alan Mann	Alicia Wincze
Horserace Insider	Horserace Insider	Horserace Insider	HRTV, Santa Anita TV	Las Vegas R-J	Left At The Gate	Lexington H-L
Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	Patena	Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned
Desert Party	Pioneerof the Nile	Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Friesan Fire	Friesan Fire
Pioneerof the Nile	Stardom Bound	Stardom Bound	Stardom Bound	Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile
Friesan Fire	The Pamplemousse	The Pamplemousse	Quality Road	The Pamplemousse	Dunkirk	Desert Party
Stardom Bound	Quality Road	Friesan Fire	The Pamplemousse	Pioneerof the Nile	Papa Clem	Stardom Bound
Quality Road	Friesan Fire	Dunkirk	Friesan Fire	Quality Road	Big Drama	The Pamplemousse
Haynesfield	Hello Broadway	Desert Party	Patena	Dunkirk	Stardom Bound	Quality Road
Vineyard Haven	Mr. Fantasy	Capt. Candyman Can	Papa Clem	Haynesfield	The Pamplemousse	Hello Broadway
The Pamplemousse	Theregoesjojo	Chocolate Candy	I Want Revenge	Mr. Fantasy	Mr. Fantasy	Haynesfield
Theregoesjojo	Desert Party	Quality Road	Dunkirk	Danger to Society	Flying Pegasus	Chocolate Candy

Art Wilson	Joe Drape	Andy Serling	Brendan O’Meara	Jeff Scott	Jessica Chapel	Lisa Grimm
LA Newspaper Group	New York Times	NYRA	The Saratogian	The Saratogian	Railbird	SuperfectaBlog
Haynesfield	Old Fashioned	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	Pioneerof the Nile	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile
The Pamplemousse	Pioneerof the Nile	Giant Oak	Old Fashioned	Friesan Fire	Desert Party	The Pamplemousse
Old Fashioned	Quality Road	The Pamplemousse	Desert Party	Desert Party	Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned
Pioneerof the Nile	The Pamplemousse	Imperial Council	Quality Road	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	Friesan Fire
Dunkirk	Theregoesjojo	Rachel Alexandra	Dunkirk	Flat Out	Flying Pegasus	Stardom Bound
Quality Road	Friesan Fire	Quality Road	Take the Points	Dunkirk	Regal Ransom	Chocolate Candy
Papa Clem	Hello Broadway	Danger to Society	The Pamplemousse	General Quarters	Papa Clem	Patena
Friesan Fire	Haynesfield	Old Fashioned	Pioneerof the Nile	Quality Road	Dunkirk	Quality Road
Desert Party	Sumo	Dunkirk	Nowhere to Hide	The Pamplemousse	Capt. Candyman Can	Hello Broadway
I Want Revenge	Dunkirk	Hello Broadway	Imperial Council	Mr. Hot Stuff	The Pamplemousse	Capt. Candyman Can

Patrick Patten	Peter Denk	Nick Kling	Simon Bray	Todd Schrupp
Tbred Bloggers Alliance	Thoroughbred Times	The Troy Record	TVG	TVG
Friesan Fire	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned	Old Fashioned
General Quarters	Dunkirk	Patena	Pioneerof the Nile	Stardom Bound
Chocolate Candy	Quality Road	Dunkirk	The Pamplemousse	Desert Party
Pioneerof the Nile	Desert Party	Imperial Council	Friesan Fire	The Pamplemousse
The Pamplemousse	Pioneerof the Nile	Friesan Fire	Dunkirk	Quality Road
Hello Broadway	Stardom Bound	Hello Broadway	I Want Revenge	Friesan Fire
Patena	Patena	Flying Pegasus	Hello Broadway	Dunkirk
Old Fashioned	Friesan Fire	Giant Oak	Chocolate Candy	Affirmatif
Quality Road	The Pamplemousse	West Side Bernie	Quality Road	Pioneerof the Nile
Flying Pegasus	Mr. Fantasy	Beethoven	Desert Party	I Want Revenge

It was a quiet weekend for 3-year-old racing and yet the Paulick Derby Index already had its first shake-up. In only our second week, potential superstar Dunkirk  jumped toward the front of the line, even garnering a first place vote. After an impressive win in a Gulfstream allowance race last Thursday, He makes his first appearance on the PDI by jumping straight to fourth on the list of leading Kentucky Derby contenders. Other impressive risers were Desert Party who took over the fifth position and The Pamplemousse whose strong workouts have allowed him to make his debut in the 12 hole.

A few additional voters have come on-board in this, our second week, in what is now the most comprehensive Derby poll available anywhere. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Richard Eng, Andy Serling, Lisa Grimm, Jessica Chapel, Valerie Grash and Todd Schrupp to the roster of voters. You can see their ballots along with all the other participants at the bottom of this page. And most importantly, we have also allowed the racing public, including industry professionals, owners and breeders, and racing fans, to have their say through our Paulick Derby Index poll on our front page. The ballot is finalized by 10 pm EST Monday so if you were too late to have your vote counted, remember to make sure you don’t miss out the following weeks.

A special thanks to ESPN.com for making the Paulick Derby Index part of their ongoing horse racing coverage, starting this week.

RAY’S PICKS AND ANALYSIS

1. Pioneerof The Nile. Five-furlong workout in 1:00 3/5 at Santa Anita on Feb. 22 indicates Bob Baffert-trained son of Empire Maker is on his game. Here’s what clocker Toby Turrell of Horseplayerpro.com had to say about the Zayat Stables runner: “Pioneerof The Nile…worked in company with stakes-sort stablemate Ten Churros. The keys to the work were the fractions set by the big, gangly colt, and the manner in which he disposed of his workmate — once again on cue inside the sixteenth pole. First, the splits from my watch were :13 4/5, :26, :38 2/5, :50 2/5, 1:13 4/5 and a gallop-out time of 1:26-2/5. Those splits make this a huge move on the watch alone. But what also stands out and stamps this colt as the real deal was the ease of the final quarter-mile, not to mention the responsiveness of the colt to the signals being given by regular pilot Garrett Gomez, who was in the saddle. Off of this work alone, Pioneerof The Nile could easily be moved up any Kentucky Derby top ten list! He was visually striking this morning over a very kind and cushioned Pro Ride surface.” 

Thanks, Toby, but I can’t move this guy up any farther!

2. Old Fashioned. Quiet week after President’s Day win at Oaklawn Park in the Southwest Stakes for unbeaten Unbridled’s Song colt. My biggest concern remains the relative lack of depth in competition he will have faced at Oaklawn Park this spring, and there is a very good chance he’ll arrive at Churchill Downs unbeaten.for trainer Larry Jones and owner Rick Porter.

3. Stardom Bound. IEAH’s Tapit filly worked five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 Feb. 22 in what Horseplayerpro.com clocker Toby Turrell called a “maintenance drill.” Here are Turrell’s comments:”The final three-eighths clicked off my watch in :35 3/5, with the last furlong in :11 4/5. Her athleticism came shining through, hitting the ground with total efficiency through the stretch.I would call this a healthy and productive maintenance drill, and add that she is dead-fit, continuing to gallop with nice energy.” March 7 Santa Anita Oaks is next and then she may try colts for first time.

4. Friesan Fire. A.P. Indy colt keeps firing away for Larry Jones and Vinery Stable. I don’t know that there’s a lot of improvement left in this one, but he rates highly off his existing form. March 14 Louisiana Derby is next.

5. Desert Party. Currently the strongest of the Godolphin group, Street Cry colt has picked up some additional admirers off that recent UAE Two Thousand Guineas win over Vineyard Haven and others. I would continue to follow jockey Frankie Dettori’s lead on which of the Dubai-based 3-year-olds has the best chance.

6. Patena. Seeking the Gold colt working well as new trainer Rick Dutrow gets him ready for first start under IEAH colors. Will know a whole more about this one after March 14 Louisiana Derby.

7. Midshipman. Champion 2-year-old of 2008 being readied for first start in Dubai on March 5 for trainer Saeed bin Suroor. As with a number of past juvenile champs, I have to wonder if this son of Unbridled’s Song will continue to progress or merely was a more precocious colt than his contemporaries early in his career.

8. Vineyard Haven. Will have to wait to see how this talented son of Lido Palace does in his second start in Dubai. My biggest concern is whether he has the pedigree to get the mile and a quarter of the Derby.

9. Beethoven. Will need to put in a strong showing in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes this weekend for trainer John Ward. Workout pattern hasn’t built a great deal of confidence in the Sky Mesa colt, but Ward has never been a believer in firing bullet work after bullet work.

10. Giant Oak. Could this be the sucker horse of the Top 10? Son of Giant’s Causeway seems to find traffic trouble in his starts, and there’s no guarantee that with a clean trip he’s ever going to put things together for a win.

This week’s talking horse was Dunkirk, who did look good beating an allowance field at Gulfstream Park, but I’m just not quite ready to anoint him as the second coming off that victory. The Derby Trail is historically littered with late bloomers that didn’t live up to the hype. Are the rules of engagement changing for the Derby, meaning a horse that didn’t race as a 2-year-old can win America’s most famous horse race?We know that hasn’t happened since long before the Cubs won their last World Series in 1908. Curlin came close, but didn’t win, and I’m going to let it happen a couple of times before I’m ready to discard the importance of good 2-year-old form.

The first Derby Future bets have been placed and nearly every major 3 year old contender has run in 2009 so we decided this would be the ideal time to roll out the first Paulick Derby Index (PDI). While it seems everyone and their apprentice jockey are making Derby watch lists this year, we realized there was no central body that aggregated Derby picks to create our industry’s version of a Coach’s or AP Poll, so we decided to take on that task.

But because our industry is in such a state of flux and because there are so many important groups of people who have a vested interest in the run up to the Triple Crown, we have decided to do things a little differently. Instead of the typical writer’s association poll or biased coach’s rankings, we are including many of the walks of life that make our sport so rich. Below, you will find some of the top turf writers, Thoroughbred bloggers and handicappers in the industry.

We are featuring prize winning journalists like Bill Nack, Billy Reed and Bill Christine, ESPN’s Randy Moss, Handicapper of the Year John Conte and several of the top bloggers in the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance among others. And next week, we will even include a fan vote that you can take part in through our polling function on the front page of the Paulick Report. Oh, and there’s this guy named Ray who will be chiming in each week as well.

Below, you will find our PDI Top 20, Ray’s in depth analysis of each of his picks and a chart of each voter’s top ten list. So take a few minutes, or an hour, and let us know where you think we are right, what we got wrong and why you are smarter than us! Hopefully you will find this information to be as much fun to read as we had putting it together.

RAY’S PICKS AND ANALYSIS

1. Pioneerof The Nile. I’m one of those believers who considers 2-year-old experience at top-class levels to be an important factor toward winning the Kentucky Derby, with its oversized field and frenetic atmosphere. While it’s easy to get excited about late developers who had limited or no racing experience at two, history shows us not only that 2-year-old form is important, so is the level of competition in their juvenile campaign. By virtue of the fact he never sprinted, Pioneerof The Nile was unlikely to be considered a “precocious” 2-year-old. His pedigree (Empire Maker out of a Lord at War mare) also suggests late development. He appears to be improving with every start, and, of course, is in the hands of a trainer, Bob Baffert, who knows how to get a horse to peak for big races.

2. Old Fashioned. There’s nothing wrong with perfection, and Old Fashioned has made no mistakes thus far in four starts. Despite recent trends, I’ve not been a big fan of the Oaklawn Park route to the Derby because I don’t believe the depth of competition is very strong. This Unbridled’s Song colt has been cut out to be a good one from day one, however, and it’s difficult to question any decisions made by one of the game’s most successful trainers of the last few years, Larry Jones.

3. Stardom Bound. This is one of the best young fillies I’ve seen in many years, and hat’s off to Christopher Paasch for the outstanding job he did with her during her championship year at two. New trainer Robert Frankel appears to be trying to lower expectations for IEAH, which I don’t think paid $5.7 million to see her win the Kentucky Oaks. I can’t see anyone beating her in the Santa Anita Oaks, a victory in which should seal the deal for a race against colts in the Kentucky Derby. I think it’s a challenge fans will want to see.

4. Friesan Fire. One of the strengths of this year’s group of Derby contenders is the sire power, and no one has that more in spades than this son of A.P. Indy. Since having blinkers added to his equipment, Friesan Fire’s he’s been all business for Larry Jones, though like Old Fashioned I question the strength of competition he’ll be facing in his Derby preps in Louisiana.

5. Desert Party. One of a trio of Godolphin-owned horses now training in Dubai for a possible Kentucky Derby run, this son of Street Cry showed a powerful turn of foot to win the UAE Two Thousand Guineas over Vineyard Haven, among others. A highly regarded sale 2-year-old, he showed good form for Eoin Harty last year and appears to be adapting well to the desert training regimen for Saeed bin Suroor.

6. Patena. A bit of a late bloomer, all eyes will be on this son of Seeking the Gold as he makes his first start for IEAH and trainer Rick Dutrow. Outstanding pedigree to get the Derby distance. Could be the most-hyped horse of the spring, especially if he wins first-time out for Dutrow.

7. Midshipman. Hard to move a horse up from Bob Baffert, especially one that came to hand so quickly once he broke his maiden in August. Son of Unbridled’s Song has the appearance of an exceptional 2-year-old whose classmates are catching up to him. Will be interesting to see how he has adapted to training in Dubai for Saeed bin Suroor.

8. Vineyard Haven. Will improve off his fourth-place finish behind Desert Party in Dubai, but it’s hard to see this son of Lido Palace moving up off what Hall of Fame conditioner Frankel was able to get from him last year. Not convinced he has the pedigree to get the distance, either.

9. Beethoven. Got the worst of the post position and anti-outside track bias in the Holy Bull Stakes in a race a he likely needed. Needs to step up in next start to prove he has the class to compete at top level.

10. Giant Oak. Could be the breakout horse for Illinois-based trainer Chris Block, who hasn’t had any opportunities in national spotlight yet. Giant’s Causeway colt shows signs of talent but has had bad racing luck. Must put it all together soon in order to be a serious contender.

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