2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders - Current Top 5

Written by Jake Thompson
Wednesday, 06 April 2011 18:04

Let’s take a look at the current top 5 Kentucky Derby contenders.

There are still plenty of prep races ready for this list to change around completely, but currently these 5 Kentucky Derby contenders are leading the pack and are looking like the best bets to take home Triple Crown glory on May 7th.  Las Vegas and online sportsbooks all appear to agree that the 5 we’ll discuss have performed the strongest in recent races, and these contenders are sure to be amongst the wagering favorites when post time for the 2011 Kentucky Derby rolls around.

2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders – as of April 6th

Uncle Mo – The consensus #1 is fresh off a win in the Timely Writer Stakes and really catapulted his way in Kentucky Derby favorite when he went 1 1/16 miles in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on this same Churchill Downs’ track that will host the 1st leg of the Triple Crown.  Uncle Mo also has a win in the Champagne Stakes as well and has never lost in 4 career starts.  I don’t see a single thing that could happen outside of an injury that will stop him from being your 2011 Kentucky Derby favorite.

Dialed In – This 3-year-old jumped up to take the consensus #2 spot amongst Kentucky Derby contenders after defeating a strong field in the Florida Derby.  There were upwards of 5 horses regarded as contenders for the Kentucky Derby in that race and Dialed In came from way back to best them all.  The large field in the Kentucky Derby makes it tough for these deep closers to find room, but you can bet this guy will be blowing past horses in the backstretch on race day.

Premier Pegasus – We’ll find more out about this offspring of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus when he runs in the Santa Anita Derby this weekend.  This horse stretched out to 1 1/16 miles last time out in the San Felipe Stakes and took home a win in a talented field.  The only career loss for Premier Pegasus was a 3rd place finish in the San Vicente Stakes, and the two horses that beat him are considered to be top 10 amongst Kentucky Derby contenders this year.

Soldat – I’m not as high on Soldat as the sportsbooks are, but he still has to be considered amongst the top contenders because of his Fountain of Youth Stakes win and his 2nd place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs.  Before his poor 5th place showing in the Florida Derby last time out, Soldat had never finished outside of 2nd in his 7 career races.  He’s alternated between dirt and turf races but you have to like the fact that he has plenty of experience and that his last 6 races have been longer than a mile.

The Factor – I’ve seen some horse racing experts put The Factor as high as #2 on their lists, but the Kentucky Derby odds still have him at #5 because of his lack of experience.  He’s fresh off a win in the Rebel Stakes but the competition was modest at best and it was a turf race.  The Rebel was also his first at over a mile and we’ll find out more about this runner in the Arkansas Derby in two weeks.  He does have a victory over Premier Pegasus on dirt, but the race was just 7 furlongs and I still have questions that need to be answered before putting him any higher.