WinStar TDN Derby Top Twelve for Mar. 7

by T.D. Thornton

Will the true division leader please stand up and assert himself? Over the past week, the No. 1-ranked TDN Kentucky Derby Top 12 contender missed training with an ankle setback and the defending juvenile champion refused to train because of a back ailment. And over the course of the last month, heavily bet favorites have lost the last five North American races on the “Road to the Derby” points schedule. At this point, even hindsight is not truly 20/20 when trying to figure out who's on the upswing or on the cusp of a big breakout race approaching the eight-week mark for the Derby. But that's part of the challenge in compiling these rankings, isn't it?

1. MCCRAKEN (c, Ghostzapper">Ghostzapper—Ivory Empress, by Seeking the Gold)

'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY). T-Ian R. Wilkes. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 4-4-0-0, $310,848.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 1

Last Start: 1st, GIII Sam F. Davis S., TAM, Feb. 11

Accomplishments Include: 1st, GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., CD, Nov. 26, 1st, Street Sense S., CD, Oct. 30

Next start: Possible for GII Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 8

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs, Caulfield on McCraken

KY Derby Points: 20

When you're the top-ranked horse on the Derby trail, you race with a target on your back and every potential physical woe gets magnified. So when trainer Wilkes revealed that a “slight strain” of this undefeated 'TDN Rising Star's' left front ankle will cause him to miss Saturday's scheduled start in the Tampa Bay Derby, the news initially caused repercussive waves to ripple though the Derby Top 12. But after diagnostics revealed the injury was not major, Wilkes expressed relief that McCraken could instead focus on a start in the Apr. 8 Blue Grass S. “He X-rayed clean, but I don't want to come back and work him [this] week. I would rather skip [Tampa] and take care of the horse. It is not really a concern, to be honest.” Either by explicit design or by setbacks because of injuries, McCraken now heads a growing list of 3-year-old contenders who are likely to only get two 2017 starts prior to attempting the Derby. He galloped Sunday morning at Palm Meadows, which is a good sign, and if McCraken does have to take aim on Louisville with only two preps instead of three, it's worth noting he's already won three times at Churchill Downs, an obvious and huge plus in his favor.

2. MASTERY (c, Candy Ride (Arg)—Steady Course, by Old Trieste)

'TDN Rising Star' O-Cheyenne Stables, LLC. B-Stone Farm (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $425,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISW, 3-3-0-0, $271,200.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 2

Last Start: 1st, GI Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity, LRC, Dec. 10

Accomplishments Include: 1st, GIII Bob Hope S., DMR, Nov. 19

Next start: GII San Felipe S., SA Mar. 11

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs, Caulfield on Mastery

KY Derby Points: 10

Only one letter separates Mastery from “mystery,” and only a convincing win in this Saturday's San Felipe S. at Santa Anita separates this undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' from potentially overtaking McCraken at the head of the sophomore class. Yet despite projecting as the dominant and deserving favorite for his 2017 debut, Mastery is a bit of an enigmatic proposition considering he hasn't raced since Dec. 10 and his resume sports only a maiden win (over no horses who are considered Derby contenders) followed by two five-horse-field stakes scores (in the post-Breeders' Cup lull). If the San Felipe draws as expected, Mastery is going to have a real fight on his hands dealing with the likes of stretch-out sprinter Iliad (Ghostzapper) and the battle-tested stalker Gormley (Malibu Moon). Mastery's top tactical weapon has been raw speed so far, but trainer Baffert knows legit Derby candidates must also show a rateable dimension, meaning it's possible Mastery will be asked to back off a beat in the San Felipe to see what he's learned since age two. “I've had the chance to teach him a few things. I love the way he's progressing,” Baffert was quoted as saying on a Twitter account dedicated to Mastery. “He's got a great foundation, and he's learned to settle.”

3. AMERICAN ANTHEM (c, Bodemeister–Indy's Windy, by A.P. Indy)

O-WinStar Farm, LLC, S F Bloodstock, LLC & China Horse Club. B-WinStar Farm (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $180,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP; $435,000 2yo '16 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: GSP, 2-1-1-0, $51,200.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 5

Last Start: 2nd, GIII Sham S., SA, Jan. 7

Next start: GII Rebel S., OP, Mar. 18

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs

KY Derby Points: 4

American Anthem keeps gaining forward momentum on this list, rising yet another spot on the TDN Derby Top 12 because of the faltering of more seasoned foes. But Mar. 18 will be put-up-or-shut-up time for this big, brawny, Bodemeister (Empire Maker) colt when he travels to Oaklawn for the Rebel S. Why is he ranked so highly for a lightly raced (two starts) horse who has yet to win a graded stakes? Primarily, it's because I was so visually impressed by his narrow defeat in the Sham S., a muddy affair in which he was pressed along the inside for the entire trip by a more experienced rival, then re-rallied grittily late to lose only by a bob at the wire. Secondarily, American Anthem gets respect because he's trained by a conditioner who's built a career and reputation out of getting young horses to peak on the first Saturday in May, and it's of note that Baffert's four Derby victories have been earned by four very different types of colts, so it's not like he churns out cookie-cutter 3-year-olds. And yet another plus in American Anthem's favor is the company line from his Dec. 3 Del Mar maiden win, which yielded eventual stakes winners Iliad and So Conflated (Eskendereya).

4. GUNNEVERA (c, Dialed In—Unbridled Rage, by Unbridled)

O-Peacock Racing Stables, LLC. B-Brandywine Farm & Stephen Upchurch (KY). T-Antonio Sano. Sales History: $16,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 8-4-2-0, $1,075,200.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: N/A

Last Start: 1st, GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 4

Accomplishments Include: 1st, GIII Delta Downs Jackpot S., DED, Nov. 19; 1st, GII Saratoga Special S., SAR, Aug. 14

Next start: GI Florida Derby, GP, Apr. 1

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs, Caulfield on Gunnevera

KY Derby Points: 64

Gunnevera cost only $16,000 as a KEESEP yearling, but last Saturday “he looked like a million-dollar horse” according to jockey Javier Castellano, who patiently guided the colt to a last-to-first victory in the Fountain of Youth S. That win vaults him back into Derby contention after he had dropped off the Top 12 rankings with a troubled trip second when rushed and blocked in the Feb. 4 GII Holy Bull S. Gunnevera is most definitely a grinder who needs to be within his comfort zone of making one sustained run from the back of the pack, and if he has to loop the group and give up ground to get that job done, so be it–he just keeps reaching and extending while being responsive to the cues from his rider. “Turning for home, I kept track of the two horses that were my targets before the race,” said jockey Javier Castellano. “I saw those two horses really close to me, and I said, 'Yes, I've got it.' I knew I was going to win because I didn't use my horse before the three-eighths pole, and I started picking it up turning for home. He switched leads in the right time, the right place; he just exploded.” Trainer Sano said he is “90 percent” sure the Florida Derby will be this overachiever's next assignment, a race that was won by Gunnevera's sire, Dialed In (Mineshaft), in 2011.

5. GORMLEY (c, Malibu Moon—Race to Urga, by Bernstein)

O-Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Moss. B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY). T-John A. Shirreffs. Sales History: $150,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-3-0-0, $296,000.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 8

Last Start: 1st, GIII Sham S., SA, Jan. 7.

Accomplishments Include: 1st, GI FrontRunner S., SA, Oct. 6

Next start: Likely for GII San Felipe S., SA, Mar. 11

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs, Caulfield on Gormley

KY Derby Points: 20

Trainer Shirreffs told Daily Racing Form over the weekend that Gormley is likely to be entered Wednesday for this Saturday's San Felipe S., with the caveat that the plan is “not etched in stone” (the Mar. 18 Rebel S. is a secondary option). This nimble, high-energy colt with three races of two-turn graded stakes experience has only lost once from four starts, and that troubled trip defeat was to the eventual 2-year-old champion in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. A bullet (1/14) six-furlong training move in 1:11 flat on Feb. 27 signals a nice edginess after a series of five maintenance moves since Gormley's victory two months ago in the Sham S. The three likely favorites for the San Felipe–Mastery, Gormley and Iliad–have all shown ability to either seize the lead or stalk from just off of it, and you wonder if the potential for a pace logjam on paper could turn into one of those baffling “they all want the lead so no one goes for the lead” over-thought chess matches in terms of race-riding strategy. Of the three though, Gormley figures to be a touch more rateable given his seasoning, and a breakout effort over a small but stacked field would vault him into a loftier ranking as the Derby trail enters its final eight weeks.

6. PRACTICAL JOKE (c, Into Mischief—Halo Humor, by Distorted Humor)

O-Klaravich Stables, Inc. & William H. Lawrence. B-Whispering Oaks (KY). T-Chad C. Brown. Sales History: $135,000 Ylg '15 KEEJAN; $240,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 5-3-0-1, $815,800.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 9

Last Start: 2nd, GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 4

Accomplishments Include: 1st, GI Hopeful S., SAR, Sept. 5; 1st, GI Champagne S., BEL, Oct. 8.

Next start: Uncommitted

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs

KY Derby Points: 34

There was a moment in Saturday's Fountain of Youth S. about four furlongs out when Three Rules (Gone Astray) quickened on the lead and it became apparent that 11-10 favorite Irish War Cry (Curlin) wasn't going to blast by him in response. That's also about the same time jockey Jose Ortiz unleashed Practical Joke for a momentum-building, first-run-at-the-pacemakers rally. The Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) colt couldn't sustain that burst against the depth and tightness of Gunnevera's bold winning bid, but Practical Joke's sharp mid-race move represented better-than-it-looks improvement given that he'd been shelved since the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup. Practical Joke is not yet a dominant force within these rankings and he still hasn't won a two-turn race. But progress, and not a peak, is what you want in early March from a potential Derby player, and trainer Brown seemed to agree after the race. “I was feeling pretty good on the turn there,” he said. “I thought the horse ran a great race considering the layoff.”

7. MO TOWN (c, Uncle Mo—Grazie Mille, by Bernardini)

'TDN Rising Star' O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Team D. B-John D. Gunther & Eurowest Bloodstock (KY). T-Anthony W. Dutrow. Sales History: $200,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP.

Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-2-1-0, $251,600.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 6

Last Start: 5th, GII Risen Star S., FG, Feb. 25

Accomplishments Include: 1st, GII Remsen S., AQU, Nov. 26

Next start: Uncommitted

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs, Caulfield on Mo Town

KY Derby Points: 10

'TDN Rising Star' Mo Town is in regroup mode at Payson Park after his non-threatening fifth in the Feb. 25 Risen Star S. More than a week after indicating that a dislike of the Fair Grounds footing was the cause for the poor showing in his 2017 debut, trainer Dutrow is still operating on that premise because the colt has shown no signs of illness or injury. “We think Mo Town is doing well. We're very happy with him,” Dutrow said in a Sunday phone interview. “Johnny Velazquez, he knows the horse after having ridden him several times, and he's pretty adamant that the horse did not care for the going. And we're hopeful with such a disappointing effort that that is the case. I'm feeling good enough that he did get something out of the race, though. He truly is doing very well, so a workout is imminent here, I would say either Wednesday or Thursday, keeping him in place for either the Florida Derby, or the Blue Grass, or the Wood Memorial.”

8. TAPWRIT (c, Tapit–Appealing Zophie, by Successful Appeal)

O-Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Robert V. LaPenta. B-My Meadowview, LLC (KY). T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales History: $1,200,000 Ylg '15 FTNAUG. Lifetime Record: SW & GSP, 4-2-1-0, $103,902.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: N/A

Last Start: 2nd, GIII Sam F. Davis S., TAM, Feb. 11

Accomplishments Include: 1st, Pulpit S., GP, Dec. 10

Next Start: GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, TAM, Mar. 11

Equineline PPs

KY Derby Points: 4

Last week, Tapwrit was on the bubble and barely missed the Top 12 cut. This week, he not only cracks the main body of the list, but leapfrogs several lower-ranked contenders. What's up with that? Consider this advanced placement a preemptive strike based on the fact that this $1.2 million yearling inherited favoritism in this Saturday's Tampa Bay Derby when McCraken's connections opted out of the race. Based on his adverse trip in the Davis S. (reluctant loader, veered at break, trapped on fence far turn, kicked encouragingly to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind a track-record setter), Tapwrit was already stamped as the solid second choice in the Tampa Derby. Now he's the horse to beat, and after a relatively quiet start to the 3-year-old season, the Pletcher trainees as a group appear as if they're starting to blossom. Pletcher has been quoted as saying this high-spirited, strong gray is the type who needs his lessons presented a few times before he catches on, and Tapwrit does seem as if he's figuring things out and progressing at the right time of the season. His :50.80 half-mile breeze last Saturday at Palm Beach Downs was a nice maintenance move after a more energetic workout a week earlier, and he was completely in hand outside of undefeated (two-for-two) sophomore Third Day (Bernardini) while that rail-running mate was being asked to quicken under mild encouragement as the two bobbed heads to the wire.

9. ONE LINER (c, Into Mischief—Cayala, by Cherokee Run)

O-WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club & SF Racing, LLC. B-Kingswood Farm (KY). T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales History: $150,000 Ylg '15 KEEJAN. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-3-0-0, $373,800.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 10

Last Start: 1st, GIII Southwest S., OP, Feb. 20

Next start: Uncommitted

Equineline PPs

KY Derby Points: 10

Only three horses within the Derby Top 12 have posted triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in winning efforts: Classic Empire's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, One Liner's Southwest S., and J Boys Echo's Gotham all earned 102 ratings. This athletic bay boasts a nice turn of foot and an aggressive streak of competitiveness, but the busy ride by jockey John Velazquez in the Oaklawn victory signals that this colt needs to be focused and cued by his rider to produce a top effort at this stage of the game. The big question for the 3-for-3 One Liner is will his mind catch up with his body in time to withstand–and thrive–on the Triple Crown trail.

10. IRISH WAR CRY (c, Curlin">Curlin—Irish Sovereign, by Polish Numbers)

'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Isabelle de Tomaso (NJ). T-H. G. Motion. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-3-0-0, $299,460.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 3

Last Start: 7th, GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 4

Accomplishments: 1st, GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S., GP, Feb. 4, 1st, Marylander S., LRL, Jan. 23

Next Start: Uncommitted

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs, Caulfield on Irish War Cry

KY Derby Points: 10

Irish War Cry came up an empty seventh as the 11-10 favorite in the Fountain of Youth S., attending the pace about a length off of the lead for the first half-mile before retreating with no spark. This 'TDN Rising Star' is a young (May 2 foal), still developing, and showed enough talent in his first three wins that he merits retaining a spot on the lower tier of this week's Top 12, even though trainer Motion could only speculate on what went wrong. “Really, he seems fine. I have no issues with him. He seemed to cool out fine and he looked good [Sunday] morning. It's a real head-scratcher,” he said. “The one thing I blame myself for perhaps is not telling Joel [Rosario] he should have taken a hold of him and taken him back. I think to compete in these races, at some point you've got to be able to be adaptable to different scenarios. This horse, if he's going to compete at this level, he's got to be able to relax. I think it was a combination of maybe laying a little too close to a pretty good pace on what was a drying-out, cuppy racetrack and maybe just regressing off of his last, when he ran such a big race … My instant gut reaction is that I would have a hard time running this horse back in four weeks off of that kind of a race. I don't want to make a hasty decision. Whatever the decision, he's not going anywhere for a couple of weeks. I'll keep him down here while we try to figure out the next step.”

11. CLASSIC EMPIRE (c, Pioneerof the Nile—Sambuca Classica, by Cat Thief)

O-John C. Oxley. B-Steven & Brandi Nicholson (KY). T-Mark E. Casse. Sales History: $475,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt, MGISW, 6-4-0-1, $1,520,220.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: 7

Last Start: 3rd, GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S., GP, Feb. 4

Accomplishments Include: 1st, GI Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile, SA, Nov. 5, 1st, GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, KEE, Oct. 8; 1st, GIII Bashford Manor S., CD, July 2.

Next start: Possible for GII Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 8

Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs, Caulfield on Classic Empire

KY Derby Points: 32

Classic Empire's series of nagging setbacks–first a foot abscess, then some apparent back discomfort that led to an aborted workout last Friday–are not considered major health issues. But the timing couldn't be worse for a Derby-bound juvenile champion, and the fact that these not-easily-explained medical woes could be compounding one another are of concern. Assistant trainer Norman Casse posted a Twitter video Sunday of a rambunctious Classic Empire frolicking in a Palm Meadows pen, and the colt certainly didn't look hobbled or subdued. But still, one has to wonder what's really going on as his next expected workout gets pushed back to sometime this week. The stated next-race objective remains the Apr. 8 Blue Grass S., and although that storied prep race was a prolific pipeline that routinely produced Derby winners though the 1970s, it's been 26 years since the winner of the Blue Grass went on to win the Derby. Strike the Gold (Alydar) was the last colt to do it, and during that same time frame, only three horses that ran in, but lost, the Blue Grass–Sea Hero (Polish Navy), Thunder Gulch (Gulch), and Street Sense (Street Cry {IRE})–have used that prep as a successful springboard to a Derby victory.

12. J BOYS ECHO (c, Mineshaft#tot">Mineshaft—Letgomyecho, by Menifee)

'TDN Rising Star' O-Albaugh Family Stable. B-Betz/Blackburn/J. Betz/Ramsby/CNHHHNK (KY). T-Dale L. Romans. Sales History: $485,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-2-1-1, $299,600.

Feb. 28 TDN Top 12 Rank: N/A

Last Start: 1st, GIII Gotham S., AQU, Mar. 4

Next start: GII Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 8, OR GII Wood Memorial S., AQU, Apr. 8

Equineline PPs, Caulfield on J Boys Echo

KY Derby Points: 53

In winning Saturday's Gotham S., 'TDN Rising Star' J Boys Echo did exactly what a mid-pack closer is supposed to do with an uncovered, traffic-free rail trip behind two committed pacemakers. He was niggled along seven-sixteenths out, commenced a four wide swoop five-sixteenths from the wire, and edged away under a light drive. In fact, the horses with the most ideal inner-track trips ran one-two in the Gotham–recent maiden-breaker Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) was second, 7 1/2 lengths clear of the rest of the field–but as the pressure ramps up on the Derby trail, neither is likely to experience such fortuitous placement and pace setups in subsequent stakes preps. “They were moving pretty quick up on the back side,” said jockey Robby Albarado. “I swung him out and he took off and I hand-rode him home … It was only his second start of the year. There's room for him to be better. I don't want to say too much, but he's a nice horse.” Trainer Romans would not commit to running the colt next in the Apr. 8 Wood Memorial, indicating an inclination to race on his home circuit in Kentucky. “We'll talk about it. It's hard for me to skip the Blue Grass [on the same date] … We'll be at one of the two I would think.” Interesting to note that the final time of 1:46.34 was the slowest final clocking of the Gotham since the race switched to 1 1/16 miles in 2006, yet figure-wise, it translated to a robust 102 Beyer number.

On the bubble:

Three horses got bumped from Top 12 status this week to make room for the up-and-comers:

Iliad, projected to be entered in this Saturday's San Felipe S. at Santa Anita, can win back his ranking with a sharp showing against two other likely starters that are ranked as higher contenders on this list, Mastery and Gormley. That's a pretty tall task for his first two-turn assignment, however.

'TDN Rising Star' El Areeb (Exchange Rate) got “killed” by the :23.58 and :47.70 internal splits in the Gotham S., trainer Cathal Lynch said. “He ran his race and he'll come back and fight another day. There's plenty of options. This is a nice horse and he'll do well later on. I'm not sure, I'll talk to the owners and decide what we're going to do next.”

Girvin (Tale of Ekati), last week's No. 12, simply didn't do enough to impress in his Feb. 25 Risen Star S. score to remain ranked until his next expected start in the Apr. 1 GII Louisiana Derby. Though it's no fault of the horse, he won under “gift” conditions, saving ground with a squeaky-clean trip in a race where the two legitimate favorites both never fired.

With a two-turn turf maiden win at Saratoga at age two, a dirt win via disqualification at Fair Grounds in January, and now a Polytrack score in the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway, It's Your Nickel (Dialed In), doesn't exactly fit the traditional Derby contender profile. But wow, was he full of run–careening between, and then off the heels of rivals to close from seventh at the quarter pole–when accelerating to blast clear by 6 1/2 lengths on Saturday. “He was farther back than I wanted to be,” said winning jockey James Graham. “He wasn't handling the track real well at first so I just let him go on, but once he got his head down and got into a rhythm on the backstretch, he was traveling beautifully.” The favorites ran 1-2-3 in that under-the-lights synthetic-track stakes. Either Turfway's Mar. 25 GIII Spiral S. or the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds (where It's Your Nickel is stabled) are logical next-race options for the winner.

Beasley (Shackleford) scratched from the Fountain of Youth S. on Saturday and will instead aim for this Saturday's GII Tampa Bay Derby, which will be drawn Wednesday … Royal Mo (Uncle Mo) has been tentatively pegged to ship to Oaklawn for the Mar. 18 Rebel S. as part of the two-pronged plan by trainer John Shirreffs to keep him apart from stablemate Gormley. Untrapped (Trappe Shot), second in both the Risen Star S. and the GIII Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds, is also aiming for the Rebel. Oaklawn is reporting that the second through fourth-place finishers out of the Southwest S.–Petrov (Flatter), Lookin At Lee (Lookin At Lucky), and Silver Dust (Tapit)–are likely Rebel entrants. Silver Bullion (Pioneerof the Nile), a Feb. 9 maiden winner, is also under consideration. 'TDN Rising Star' Uncontested (Tiz Wonderful), the 11-10 beaten fave in the Southwest, is waiting for the Apr. 15 GI Arkansas Derby.

If the purpose of these rankings is to determine which horses are capable of being Derby threats, then yes, the undefeated filly Unique Bella (Tapit) certainly belongs on this list. The 1-9 win by this 'TDN Rising Star' in Saturday's GIII Santa Ysabel S. certainly showed she can bull her way to her desired position and then find multiple gears when challenged late, and her speed figures say she's faster than many Triple Crown-contending colts. But her connections have steadfastly maintained she's on a path to pursue the GI Kentucky Oaks instead, so the mention here is more of a nod of respect than some sort of nudge that she “belongs” on the Derby trail. “I don't have any thoughts about running her against the boys, but some other folks do, I guess,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer after the victory.