Rock Hard Ten a rock solid favorite in Derby Trial
By NOEL MICHAELS

The Derby Trial really isn't a Kentucky Derby prep anymore and hasn't been for quite some time, but the presence of Rock Hard Ten in this year's race should bring added attention to the one-mile opening day feature at Churchill Downs' Spring meeting. Rock Hard Ten enters the race as the Derby Trial's reluctant superhero off a head loss in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby last time out. He arguably would be among the favorites in next week's Kentucky Derby, but he currently falls short of making the field for the Run For the Roses based on a lack of sufficient graded stakes earnings. With a win in the Derby Trial, however, Rock Hard Ten should have enough earnings to get into the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Then it will be up to his owners to decide whether they want to point for the Preakness, or wheel back in just one week for the Kentucky Derby.

Derby Trial - G3
Churchill Downs - Race 9
1 mile, purse: $100,000
1) 6-Rock Hard Ten
2) 2-Sir Shackleton
3) 3-Bwana Charlie

Rock Hard Ten will be the prohibitive favorite in the Derby Trial at something near 1-5 odds, but it will still be very difficult to bet against this talented and lightly-raced horse who is just a head shy of being perfect so far in his three-race career. His top Beyer figure of 103 towers over this field, and he already owns impressive wins in his only race at today's distance, and in his only race so far around one turn. He has good tactical speed to be just off the pace, and should have no problem accelerating past this caliber of competition down the long Churchill Downs stretch.

For the exacta, the most likely horse looks like Nick Zito's Sir Shackleton, who has won both starts since adding Lasix two races ago. His Beyer figures have moved in the right direction from an 87 to a 93 to a 97, and Churchill's one-turn mile distance should suit him perfectly based on his successes so far at seven furlongs.

Bwana Charlie has won three in a row coming into this race including the seven furlong Lafayette Stakes-G3 at Keeneland where he beat Quick Action in his last start. Bwana Charlie, however, has never approached the Beyer figures of the top two horses, and managed only a third-place finish in a maiden race the one time in his career that he ran this distance at Churchill Downs.