Kentucky Derby: Who's hot, who's not for April 10, 2019

WHO’S HOT

Welcome back Vekoma and Win Win Win, both of whom were forced off the Derby Watch top 20 owing to insufficient points but got their deserved spots with their one-two finish in the Blue Grass on Saturday. Tax, who also had fallen off the chart owing to lack of points, returns following his second-place finish in the Wood. New to the list are Gray Magician, the runner-up in the United Arab Emirates Derby, and Master Fencer, who has claimed the qualifying spot offered via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series. Vekoma is 15-1 on the Kentucky Derby line set by Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form’s national handicapper. Tax and Win Win Win are 30-1, and both Gray Magician and Master Fencer are 50-1. Tacitus, who beat Tax in the Wood, is now 10-1 after being 20-1 last week. Roadster, winner of the Santa Anita Derby, is now the co-second choice at 8-1 after being 20-1 a week ago. The first three choices on Watchmaker’s line are all trained by Bob Baffert.

:: DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with comments from Jay Privman and Mike Watchmaker

WHO’S NOT

Owing to performance or lack of points, five horses – Anothertwistafate, Bourbon War, Country House, Instagrand, and Outshine – were dropped, though both Anothertwistafate and Country House are scheduled to run Saturday in an attempt to garner sufficient points to make the 20-horse Derby field.

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ON THE BUBBLE

Signalman currently sits in the top 20 on points but is likely to be overtaken after the Arkansas Derby and Lexington are run this weekend. The seven-race European Road to the Kentucky Derby series ends Thursday with a race on synthetic at Chelmsford City, northeast of London, and there’s a good chance a runner could emerge from there, most notably U S S Michigan, who represents Coolmore and trainer Aidan O’Brien.