Saturday’s two major Kentucky Derby preps – the Florida Derby at Gulfstream and the UAE Derby half a world away in Dubai – did exactly what anyone would want from any critical Derby prep. They each moved the Derby “ball” forward in a big way, and brought the overall Derby picture into much sharper focus. The only difference between them is they employed different methods to achieve similar goals. The UAE Derby, won in an absolute runaway by Mendelssohn, overwhelmed your senses. That happens when an important horse wins an important race by the length of the stretch, or in this instance, by almost 19 lengths. Audible’s win in the Florida Derby, while more than just a bit more subtle, was no less compelling. Audible might not have scored in an absolute runaway like Mendelssohn, but he did win while demonstrating meaningful abilities that elicited comparable appreciation. While I acknowledged he was the horse to beat, I admit I was skeptical of Audible going into the Florida Derby, only because I needed to see validation of the dramatic improvement he showed winning Gulfstream’s Holy Bull over a much weaker group than he faced Saturday. Well, I got that validation, and a whole lot more. The validation came in the ease with which Audible dispatched the Florida Derby field, winning clear over the dangerously improving Hofburg while giving the strong impression he had plenty more to offer if necessary. The whole lot more came with the way Audible accomplished his task. As Fountain of Youth one-two finishers Promises Fulfilled and Strike Power sped away from the field through an insane pace battle into the backstretch, Audible completely shut off, falling well off the pace. While that may have been a concern to Audible’s connections considering he had never been that far back early at this high a level of competition, it set the stage for Audible to demonstrate a dimension he hadn’t shown before. With the winning move he launched on the far turn, Audible showed he can now be not only effective stalking from close range, as he showed in the Holy Bull, he can now also be formidable charging from downtown. And that ability to win from anywhere on the track makes Audible a doubly dangerous Derby contender. Florida Derby runner-up Hofburg also merits mention, as he was easily second-best in his first start off his maiden victory, and only his third career outing. Hofburg was my upset pick, and I maintain my faith in him even if he didn’t quite get the job done. Hofburg took a major step forward Saturday, and his room for improvement currently knows no bounds. As for Mendelssohn, he was nothing short of awesome winning the UAE Derby. Mendelssohn was sent hard to secure the early lead, but ran away from his field in the late stages like a fresh horse to obliterate the track record, and earn an official Beyer Speed Figure of 106. All this in his first career start on dirt. Yes, the Beyer folks make figs for the Dubai World Cup card, and Mendelssohn’s 106 is the highest of any Kentucky Derby contender so far this year. I note that before knowing Audible’s winning Florida Derby Beyer, but I do not expect it to be as high as a 106. What puts Mendelssohn far above any other past UAE Derby winner who had designs on the Kentucky Derby is he is loaded with real substance. He has already successfully traveled to the U.S. and won, having landed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar last fall. Mendelssohn was cut out to be a star (and a star on these shores) as he is a half-brother to four-time U.S. Eclipse Award winner Beholder. And he is in the hands of Aidan O’Brien, perhaps the best trainer in the world. No one has been a bigger skeptic than me when it comes to the Dubai route to the Kentucky Derby. But Mendelssohn is the most dangerous horse to come out of the UAE Derby for the Kentucky Derby, and by a long, long way, just like the way he won Saturday. Saturday notes: ** I know there was talk during the Dubai World Cup card about an inside speed bias on Meydan’s main track. And I’m sure many will take Thunder Snow’s upset of the Dubai World Cup as evidence that a bias was indeed in effect. While I can certainly see that side of this debate, I’m not entirely convinced there was a bias in play. If there was an inside speed bias Saturday night at Meydan – and I mean a true, legitimate track bias – then a horse like Mind Your Biscuits (whom we’ll get to in a moment) would never have gotten up to win the Dubai Golden Shaheen with a late charge from way back and outside of his opponents. A real track bias would have defeated a runner like Mind Your Biscuits. I will admit that Thunder Snow, who got to the front and got to the inside early, might have been the seventh horse I would have bet in this 10-horse World Cup. He was that implausible to me because he simply looked a decided cut or two below the better horses in this World Cup even if he did win the UAE Derby on last year’s Dubai World Cup undercard. But while I can see why some folks might also use that as an additional point in a pro-track bias argument, I think the result of this World Cup was attributable to two far more common factors we come across multiple times every day: First, thanks to expected pace player North America getting left, Thunder Snow wound up setting what seemed like a very pedestrian, and most importantly, largely unpressured early pace. I suspect he got away with a walking lead, and we all know how an even average horse can become dangerous with an advantage like that. Second, I believe heavily favored West Coast most certainly did not run his best race, and yet he managed to beat everyone but Thunder Snow, which says something right there. Why do I think West Coast was not on his game? The West Coast we saw win the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby, and hit the board in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup to 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, would never have been involved in a place photo with Mubtaahij, who, if a hard hitter, is also very limited. ** Welcome back, Mind Your Biscuits. As noted, Mind Your Biscuits got up with a furious late rush to win Golden Shaheen. Again. He wasn’t 15 miles the best on Saturday like he was when he dominated this event last year, but his effort was several notches above the four straight uninspired performances he carried into Saturday, which included his third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint when he raced with the grain of a Del Mar main track that was tilted in favor of outside runners. This time, it was male sprint champ Roy H, winner of 6 of his last 7 and a very unlucky second in his lone loss during that run, who turned in an uninspiring effort. Roy H had a clear shot to get the money in the stretch, but was not only outkicked by Mind Your Biscuits, he also couldn’t even get by X Y Jet despite the latter being in the unfamiliar position of being denied the early lead. But Roy H has been so good for long enough that he certainly merits a pass for his off showing. ** The door is open this year for 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming to be a player in the older dirt male division, which has some quality runners, but lacks quality depth. But if Always Dreaming is to be a meaningful factor this year, he’ll have to do better than his soundly beaten second in the Gulfstream Park Mile to longshot Conquest Big E after having every chance to win. Sure, this was Always Dreaming’s first start since he stopped in the Travers. Maybe he needed one. But that seems like a shaky crutch to lean on for a Todd Pletcher-trained runner. Especially at Gulfstream. ** I’m not sure how good Coach Rocks really is, and I have my reservations about the field she beat in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. But I do know she got about three races' worth of education Saturday having to come from off the pace and after eating dirt early, and she’ll be a much better horse for it going forward.