The Haiku Handicapper: 2015 Kentucky Derby

DRF sales editor Joe Nevills analyzes the Kentucky Derby field, in post position order, in the form of Haiku, a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

Ocho Ocho Ocho
Delta Jackpot ace
Still seeking 2-year-old form
He’ll find it elsewhere

Carpe Diem
Seven-figure colt
Appears built for the classics
But that post is tough

Materiality
Apollo’s shadow
Looms on a woozy stretch run
This is not his time

Tencendur
Non-winner of two
Took a huge step in the Wood
Was that his ceiling?

Danzig Moon
The Blue Grass bridesmaid
Has stamina in his blood
Should show himself well

Mubtaahij
Lots of U.S.-breds
In eye-popping Dubai score
Don’t overlook him

El Kabeir
The Borel magic
Needed to offset Wood dud
Might not be enough

Dortmund
Mountain of a horse
Has passed all tests before him
Even a lost shoe

Bolo
Pretty good on dirt
Really good over the turf
His run could surprise

Firing Line
Jogged home at Sunland
Without that pesky Dortmund
A dragon to slay

International Star
Gutsy New York-bred
Has done nothing wrong at three
But lacks “it” factor

Itsaknockout
Flopped in his last prep
After steady improvement
Seems a cut below

Keen Ice
Last by more than six
In four of his last five starts
Watch as that streak grows

Frosted
Did throat surgery
Make a solid horse a star?
If form holds, watch out

War Story
Fair Grounds regular
Will be one to watch in the
Ohio Derby

Mr. Z
An innovator
In the field of finding new
Ways to lose races

American Pharoah
The juvenile champ
The Zayats’ best chance yet to
Break seconditis

Upstart
Illness, stretch mishaps
Raising a fleet of red flags
Hard to endorse him

Far Right
Oaklawn’s second-best
Insert “far right post” joke here
Wait for better spots

Frammento
Gets in with a scratch
Which says all you need to know
About his record

AE – Tale of Verve
Crashed the entry box
Needs a miracle to run
Bigger one to win

Prediction
Dortmund grinds it out
When in doubt, pick the giant
Then fifteen and five