Rattle N Roll tops competitive St. Louis Derby cast

Rattle N Roll, the last horse left out of the 2022 Kentucky Derby, is the morning-line favorite to be the first horse across the wire in the $250,000 St. Louis Derby on Saturday night at FanDuel Sportsbook and Racing.

Rich Strike, the first also-eligible, drew into the Kentucky Derby and famously came away with a most improbable victory. Meanwhile, Rattle N Roll, the second Derby also-eligible, stayed in Kenny McPeek’s Churchill Downs barn on Derby afternoon. His third-place finish in the Matt Winn Stakes, won by subsequent Haskell Stakes hero Cyberknife, and a win in the American Derby on July 2 could indeed make Rattle N Roll the favorite over eight foes in the 1 1/16-mile St. Louis Derby.

Rattle N Roll returned just one week after his American Derby win to start July 9 in the Indiana Derby, and his distant seventh-place finish there easily is forgiven. Badly compromised at the start, Rattle N Roll had lost all chance before the first turn. A return to his more standard performance level makes Rattle N Roll a plausible winner, though the colt has been on the go since late winter, has no major speed-figure edge, and would be no bargain at his 5-2 morning-line price.

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Steve Asmussen, who wins as many of these lesser derbies as any trainer, entered two. Hern, drawn on the rail, looks like an overmatched pace player and his morning-line odds of 6-1 are too low. Chileno is 8-1 on the line but surely will be a lower price than Hern coming off a third-place finish July 9 in the Iowa Derby.

Chileno, a maiden winner in his previous start, did get a favorable setup racing last behind a taxing pace, but the Iowa Derby has proven a key race. Its winner, Ain’t Life Grand, returned to thrash Iowa-bred foes and is headed to the Travers Stakes; runner-up Conagher came back with an easy win in the Housebuster Stakes at Colonial Downs; and fourth-place Diamond Rim returned to beat older second-level allowance foes with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. Fifth-place Big Blue Line also starts in the St. Louis Derby and likely will be sent to try and make the lead at the start.

One Timer, who never has raced on dirt and makes his first start beyond six furlongs, breaks from post 9 and almost has to show speed. Pedigree clues regarding the stretch-out are limited, but it’s hard to see One Timer shaking loose without going at a compromising pace.

Florida invader Strike Hard has been better at one turn than two, but two horses exiting a July 4 allowance race at Churchill, Brigadier General and War Campaign, merit respect. Brigadier General was the first to move on a tiring leader who had set sprint-like fractions in a 1 1/8-mile race, and he probably made his run too soon. Brigadier General went 1:11.16 for his first six furlongs, a taxing fraction, and was swamped just before the wire by late-running Gilded Age, who also is headed to the Travers. Just behind second-place Brigadier General was War Campaign, who got off to a terrible start July 4 and made a solid, sustained run – galloping out in front – in his third career start.

Post time for the St. Louis Derby, which returned in 2021 after a 14-year hiatus, is 8:50 p.m. Central. The race’s purse money comes from the sports-betting company FanDuel, rather than the cash-strapped purse account. The local forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain.