Brad Free's Santa Anita Derby rankings - March 11

The explosive March 5 debut by Wilburn ranks as one of the meet’s best by a 3-year-old – 1:13.95 was the second-fastest time of the meet for 6 1/2 furlongs; he earned a 91 Beyer. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the Bernardini colt arrived too late for the Derby, but is one to follow as the season unfolds.

The San Felipe on Saturday marks the return of Jaycito; the race could have been more interesting if a Feb. 17 turf allowance for 3-year-olds had filled. That turf race was where trainer John Shirreffs planned to start Mr. Commons, which would give him enough spacing between starts to run back in both the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby.

But the turf allowance did not fill, so Shirreffs postponed Mr. Commons’ next start until Feb. 26 on dirt, which he won. With no graded earnings, the Santa Anita Derby will be all-or-nothing for Mr. Commons. The rankings remain the same from last week, though the Santa Anita Derby status of Silver Medallion remains unconfirmed.

Santa Anita Derby rankings

1. Silver Medallion
2. Comma to the Top
3. Jaycito
4. Awesome Patriot
5. Anthony’s Cross
6. Riveting Reason
7. Bench Points
8. Sway Away
9. Astrology
10. Mr. Commons