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Smelling like Roses
DULLAHAN
STARTS 8
WINS 2
SECONDS 2
THIRDS 2
TRAINER
DALE ROMANS
JOCKEY
KENT DESORMEAUX
The late-running winner of the April 14 Blue Grass Stakes has made big strides since he finished fourth in November's Breeders' Cup juvenile. The colt is 0 for 3 on dirt, but two of those races were sprints, and trainer Dale Romans says he loves the Churchill Downs track. In a race with plenty of front-end speed, he's the pick.
GEMOLOGIST
STARTS 5
WINS 5
SECONDS 0
THIRDS 0
TRAINER
TODD PLETCHER
JOCKEY
JAVIER CASTELLANO
The son of two-time Breeders' Cup Classic champion Tiznow has never been headed in the stretch, including when he stubbornly held off Derby rival Alpha to win the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 7. With only one pre-Wood workout and just two races this year, he's primed for a big improvement in Louisville.
BODEMEISTER
STARTS 4
WINS 2
SECONDS 2
THIRDS 0
TRAINER
BOB BAFFERT
JOCKEY
MIKE SMITH
Unraced at 2, he has broken the 100 Beyer-Speed-Figure barrier three times (no other Derby contender has done so more than once), including a 108 in a commanding 9½-length victory in the Arkansas Derby on April 14. But he's a front-runner, and in a Derby full of pace, it's going to be hard to win the roses on the lead.
CREATIVE CAUSE
STARTS 8
WINS 4
SECONDS 2
THIRDS 2
TRAINER
MIKE HARRINGTON
JOCKEY
JOEL ROSARIO
The only Derby contender to have beaten both Dullahan and Bodemeister, he heads to Churchill Downs fresh off of a game runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Derby on April 7. He's a grinder, preferring to sit just off the pace and make one sustained run, and he should be in the hunt on May 5.
UNION RAGS
STARTS 6
WINS 4
SECONDS 1
THIRDS 1
TRAINER
MICHAEL MATZ
JOCKEY
JULIEN LEPAROUX
The strapping bay colt has been the Derby favorite since his courageous second-place finish in the '11 Breeders' Cup juvenile. His trainer, who won the '06 Derby with Barbaro, certainly knows how to bring a horse up to the race. But is his colt fast enough? His career-best Beyer of 95 is just average for this field.
ALPHA
STARTS 6
WINS 3
SECONDS 2
THIRDS 0
TRAINER
KIARAN MCLAUGHLIN
JOCKEY
UNDECIDED
Provided he has recovered from four missed training days because of an infection he suffered in his left foreleg after it was cut during the Wood Memorial, Alpha is an intriguing long shot. He lost the Wood to Gemologist by only a neck, but he's improving and he should benefit from the Derby's 10-furlong distance.
FOLLOW @SI_GeneMenez
PHOTO
ERIC PATTERSON/ECLIPSE/ZUMAPRESS.COM
PHOTO
SCOTT SERIO/ECLIPSE/ZUMAPRESS.COM
PHOTO
DAVID QUINN/AP
PHOTO
CHARLES PRAVATA/ECLIPSE/ZUMAPRESS.COM
PHOTO
GULFSTREAM PARK/AP
PHOTO
SCOTT SERIO/ECLIPSE/ZUMAPRESS.COM
SIX ILLUSTRATIONS
