Triple Crown Top 12 Archive

• April 8, 2024

  TDN Sophomore Top 20: Separating Contenders From Pretenders

  All the nine-furlong prep races have been run, and the Triple Crown-caliber players have stepped forward and established themselves. We're three weeks away from a campaign's worth of enjoyable chaos sorting itself into some semblance of order, which means there's still plenty of time before you have to lock in your GI Kentucky Derby horse.

• April 1, 2024

  TDN Sophomore Top 12: Final Wave of 9-Furlong Preps About to Crest

  The plot thickens as the cadence quickens. Entries will be drawn Tuesday for this Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass S., and on Wednesday for the GI Santa Anita Derby and GII Wood Memorial S. 1) MUTH (c, Good Magic–Hoppa, by Uncle Mo) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables Inc; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

• March 25, 2024

  TDN Sophomore Top 12: Five Contenders in Action This Saturday

  We're approaching the five-week mark to the GI Kentucky Derby, but not all contenders on this week's list are aiming for the first Saturday in May. This coming weekend's nine-furlong stakes at Oaklawn and Gulfstream have the potential to usher in a shake-up within the rankings, which have remained relatively stable as winter edges into

• March 4, 2024

  TDN Sophomore Top 12: Getting Ready To March Into Nine-Furlong Proving Grounds

  We're at the two-month mark for the GI Kentucky Derby, and we're on the cusp of the major prep races getting extended to nine furlongs and beyond. Not all of the Triple Crown-caliber horses on this list, however, are pointing for the first Saturday in May. 1) NYSOS (c, Nyquist–Zetta Z, by Bernardini) 'TDN Rising

• February 20, 2024

  TDN Sophomore Top 12: 'Rising Stars' Anchor Top Three Spots

  You may have noticed a change in the title of this column, from “Derby Top 12” to “Sophomore Top 12.” Churchill Downs, Inc., has barred trainer Bob Baffert from competing in the GI Kentucky Derby, and that left us in a quandary over how to assess the nation's best 3-year-old prospects. It didn't seem right