Derby Top Twelve

GUN RUNNER (c, Candy Ride {Arg}—Quiet Giant, by Giant's Causeway) Apr. 15 TDN Top 12 Rank: 3 O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC & Three Chimneys Farm. B-Besilu Stables (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Last Start: 1st, GII Louisiana Derby, FG, Mar. 26 Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs Andrew Caulfield on Gun Runner KY Derby Points: 151 There's nothing particularly sexy about this horse. He's never been favored in his five career starts and has never gone off at odds lower than 7-2. He just wins. Gun Runner has lost just once in his life and...

FRANK CONVERSATION (c, Quality Road--Rushen Heat, by Unusual Heat) O-Reddam Racing LLC. B-Marc Keller. T-Doug O'Neill Sales history: $65,000 Ylg '14 FTKOCT; $120,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR Last Start: 1st, GIII El Camino Real Derby, GG, Feb. 13 Next Start: GI UAE Derby, MEY, Mar. 26 Frank Conversation (Quality Road) probably isn't a star, but he has been very well managed by owner Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O'Neill. He shipped to Northern California to win two stakes up there against easy company and could be in line for a huge payday in...

MO TOM (c, Uncle Mo—Caroni, by Rubiano) Apr. 15 TDN Top 12 Rank: 10 O-GMB Racing. B-Hargus & Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm (KY). T-Tom Amoss. Sales history: $150,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP. Last Start: 4th, GII Louisiana Derby, FG, Mar. 26 Thoro-Graph Sheet, Equineline PPs KY Derby Points: 32 What will Mo Tom do if he ever has a clean trip? We still don't know the answer, as he experienced nightmarish journeys around the Fair Grounds oval in the GII Veterans Ford Risen Star S. and the GII Twinspires.com...

SHAGAF (c, Bernardini—Muhaawara, by Unbridled's Song) O/B-Shadwell Stable (KY). T-Chad Brown Apr. 15 TDN Top 12 Rank: On the Bubble Last Start: 5th, GI Wood Memorial, AQU, Apr. 9 Thoro-Graph sheet, Equineline PPs KY Derby Points: 50 'TDN Rising Star Shagaf's stock fell dramatically when he was fifth in the GI Wood Memorial. The connections are hoping he didn't like the mud that day. His critics will tell you he simply isn't that fast…or at least fast enough to beat the upper-echelon 3-year-olds. Interesting to see trainer Chad Brown's main...

CHERRY WINE (c, Paddy O'Prado--C.S. Royce, by Unbridled's Song) Apr. 8 TDN Top 12 Rank: Unlisted O/B-Pacella Racing, Frank L. Jones Jr., Frank Shoop. T-Dale Romans Last Start: 3rd, GI Blue Grass S., KEE, April 9 Next Start: GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 7 Thoro-Graph Sheet, Equineline PPs He may go down in history as perhaps the most talented horse not to get into the GI Kentucky Derby. With 25 points, he's currently 22nd on the list and could fall further after more points are handed out in the GI...

AWESOME BANNER (c, Awesome of Course--Miranda Stands, by Zamindar) O/B-Jacks Or Better Farm, Inc. T-Stanley Gold.   Last Start: 5th, GII Fountain of Youth S. GP, Feb. 27 Next Start: Undecided Andrew Caulfield on Awesome Banner Probably a better horse than he showed in dismal performance in GII Fountain of Youth, but with distant fifth-place showing he is surely off the road to the GI Kentucky Derby and will be dropped from TDN Top 12 when updated later this week.   Equineline PPs Thoro-Graph sheet RACE HISTORY FINISH RACE 1st GII Swale S....

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LET'S MEET IN RIO (c, Flatter--Rio Carnival, by Storm Cat) O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc. (KY). T-Bob Baffert Last Start: 5th, Robert B. Lewis S., SA, Feb. 6 Next Start: Undecided Showed he just wasn't up to par with the top 3-year-olds when finishing fifth in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Hard to get down on anything trained by Bob Baffert, but he no longer looks like a serious contender for the GI Kentucky Derby. He'll no doubt drop out of the TDN Top 12 when we update the list on Feb. 18....

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BRODY'S CAUSE (c, Giant's Causeway—Sweet Breanna, by Sahm) Apr. 15 TDN Top 12 Rank: 5 O-Albaugh Family Stable. B-Gabriel Duignan, William Arvin Jr & Petaluma (KY). T-Dale Romans. Sales: $350,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP. Last Start: 1st GI Blue Grass, KEE, Apr. 9 Thoro-Graph sheet, Equine Line PPs Andrew Caulfield on sire Giant's Causeway KY Derby Points: 114 Whatever happened in the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby happened. Brody's Cause didn't run a step that day but may have shown his true colors when winning the GI Toyota Blue Grass...

COLLECTED (c, City Zip--Helena Bay {GB}, by Johannesburg) O-Speedway Stable LLC. B-Runnymede Farm Inc & Peter J. Callahan (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $170,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR; $150,000 yrl '14 KEESEP. Last Start: 4th, GIII Southwest S., OP, Feb. 15 Next Start: Undecided Likely ran himself right out of the TDN Top 12 with his disappointing fourth-place showing in the Southwest S. at Oaklawn. Equineline PPs RACE HISTORY FINISH RACE 1st GIII Sham S. 1st Maiden

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