Just like most of you, I love to try and beat the favorite. But I am not going to try and beat this one. If he stays sound, I just don't see anybody outrunning Empire Maker in the Derby. His Florida Derby was as impressive as any Derby prep I have ever seen. It brought back memories of great performances by horses such as Easy Goer, Sunday Silence and Spectacular Bid. I am not saying that Empire Maker is in that league yet but it is very hard to find a chink in his armor at this point. He is fast (probably ridiculously fast), bred to get the distance, has tactical speed and has the right connections.

We will have to see how Bobby Frankel's three year olds will hold together under the latest quantum improvement in his training methods but if Empire Maker stays sound, it looks like the sky is the limit and that racing just may have the superstar it yearns for and perhaps its first Triple Crown winner in 25 years...

Chris