Kentucky Derby: Who's hot, who's not for March 24, 2021

WHO’S HOT

Owing to Life Is Good heading to the sidelines, Essential Quality takes over as the current favorite for the May 1 Kentucky Derby on the line of Marty McGee of Daily Racing Form. He is 3-1, with Greatest Honour – scheduled for his final Derby prep on Saturday in the Florida Derby – right behind at 7-2. O Besos is the lone newcomer to the Derby Watch top 20 following his third-place finish in the Louisiana Derby. He is a 50-1 outsider on McGee’s line. Hot Rod Charlie, the Louisiana Derby winner, is down to the co-third choice, at 6-1, from last week’s 20-1. Medina Spirit’s two runner-up efforts to Life Is Good look better with Life Is Good out of the picture. He’s down to 12-1 from last week’s 30-1.

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2021: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

WHO’S NOT

The lone defection from a week ago is Life Is Good, who caused a wholesale adjustment of the odds. Mandaloun, sixth as the favorite in the Louisiana Derby, saw his price increase from 12-1 – with Life Is Good still in the field a week ago – to 20-1 even without Life Is Good owing to his disappointing final prep. Proxy, fourth in the Louisiana Derby, saw his price rise from 20-1 to 30-1.

ON THE BUBBLE

There is the potential for plenty of movement this week, with three points-scoring races, including two – the Jeff Ruby and United Arab Emirates Derby – that have no current Derby Watch members. But with 100 points for first and 40 for second in both races, anyone finishing in the top two would likely get into the Derby, and thus onto the list, which by necessity becomes points driven as Derby Day nears. Known Agenda and Soup and Sandwich are the most-prominent runners in the Florida Derby seeking to move onto the list with a top performance Saturday.