Every owner places his horses where they can win the biggest purses they are capable of winning. It should be no surprise that many of the most successful 3yos race in California, year after year. The purses are generally bigger. I look to California first for my Derby selections because of this and those horses have come through with regularity.

Not only do I want my Derby selections to compete against the best (starting with California), I want a trainer proven capable of beating the others, based on experience. Novice trainers need not apply for inclusion.

The SA Derby was Dan Hendricks Kentucky Derby. It likely meant as much to him as the KY Derby means to Bob Baffert, so Brother Derek was probably as cranked as Hendricks could get him going into that race. Baffert’s horse on the other hand was very likely NOT cranked, since his goal is the KY Derby.

Baffert’s two other 3 YOs likewise were probably not wound up for the SA Derby and, given the obvious pace scenario there, he decided to send them elsewhere against what he probably considered to be inferior packs of 3 YOs.

In winning both of those races, relatively easily, he not only proved the quality of the horses running in California this year, but he also got to tighten the screws on BJ and SM in the process. These were very nice paid workouts.

Don’t over think this one. Just look at the results in the Bluegrass and the Wood and bet against Baffert at your peril. He’s been there. He’s proven he knows how to prepare them. He’s won it before and will win it again.

This year box a Baffert exacta and key a box of his three in tris and supers on top of five other choices and you may collect a set of big numbers.