Things did not go as hoped for the 3-year-old colt Bellum Justum in the Derby at Epsom Downs. They may work out better in the Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs. Bellum Justum has pace and should have raced near the lead June 1 as a 16-1 shot in the Derby, but he broke poorly and got stuck in mid-pack traffic, eventually checking in seventh – not a bad showing in a 16-runner field won by perhaps the world’s best 3-year-old, City of Troy. That Derby, the original derby, was worth a little less than $2 million. The Nashville Derby, one of three Saturday stakes at Kentucky Downs, has a base purse of $2 million and is valued at a staggering $3.1 million, including Kentucky-bred incentives. Bred in Ireland, Bellum Justum doesn’t run for the entire purse but could scoop up a massive paycheck for King Power Racing and trainer Andrew Balding. He’s one of three overseas shippers for the 1 5/16-mile contest along with less accomplished but improving Stromberg and Sea The Thunder. Sea The Thunder, with form a couple notches below Stromberg, makes his North American debut after traveling overseas and turning in an Aug. 24 Keeneland workout for new trainer Cherie DeVaux. The Nashville Derby, one circuit around the Kentucky Downs course, drew an overflow field of 14 and can accommodate a dozen. Bellum Justum, Frankie Dettori to ride, is listed, reasonably, as the 7-2 morning-line favorite, but this is a wide-open affair. :: Kentucky Downs Package Available Now - Get All Access PPs, Picks, Players Guide for just $20! American horses Carson’s Run, Cameo Performance, and Cugino all won stakes races in their most recent start, while White Palomino was beaten a head in the Belmont Derby by the excellent Trikari. Bellum Justum looked little like a Derby horse winning a maiden race from four starts at age 2, but he returned at 3 winning an Epsom Derby trial and has moved considerably forward since the Derby. He set the pace in the Group 3 Hampton Court over 1 1/4 miles and held gamely to finish third of 12 behind Jayarebe and King’s Gambit, both of whom have since validated that form. Bellum Justum returned Aug. 1 in the 1 1/2-mile Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, where his strong run fell a neck short of favored Jan Brueghel, an Aidan O’Brien-trained charge now unbeaten in three starts. Stromberg had better 2-year-old form than Bellum Justum but hasn’t hit a level as high this year. A dull 11th in the Hampton Court, Stromberg ran much better Aug. 11 in a listed 1 1/4-mile stakes at Deauville, coming home with good energy to just miss second in a race easily won by the unbeaten Godolphin colt Ombudsman. Stromberg will race farther from the lead than Bellum Justum, who could find himself tracking White Palomino. Trainer Chad Brown has pointed White Palomino this way since early July. White Palomino has raced only four times, winning a Keeneland maiden in his second start before setting the pace in two encouraging New York stakes defeats. The good Godolphin colt Legend of Time ran him down in the 1 1/8-mile Pennine Ridge, and his showing in the 1 3/16-mile Belmont Derby was even better. White Palomino set the place and fought back after being passed by Trikari, nearly getting back up at the wire. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  “He galloped out really good, too,” said Brown. “He’s a big, solid horse with tremendous stamina, one-paced but not slow.” While White Palomino looms a likely leader, Carson’s Run, after blowing the far turn in his 3-year-old debut, sat near the back of the field in both the Tale of the Cat at Monmouth Park and the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational. Both times, he unleashed a sustained, powerful kick to win. “He was a little outpaced in New Jersey, which surprised me,” said trainer Christophe Clement. “Because he was outpaced, we decided to stretch him out at Saratoga, and he won well. He looks like he’ll stay. The question is, can we keep him relaxed in the early part?” Carson’s Run returns on 20 days’ rest but Clement said the colt had quickly recovered from the Saratoga Derby and has maintained regular weight. Carson’s Run campaigns for West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey, while Cugino runs for West Point and Jimmy Kahig. After a series of poor trips, Cugino went to the lead June 1 in the Audubon Stakes and won by 4 1/4 lengths, a career-best showing. He has not started since, however, has a three-week gap in published works from late July to early August, and drew poorly in post 12. Cameo Performance, meanwhile, raced Aug. 3 and already has come back to work twice since zipping his last three furlongs of the Ellis Park stakes trial for this race in 34.58, coming from last behind a slow pace to win going away. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “He’s been improving all year, and I still think he can improve more,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. Lagynos, second in the Hall of Fame at Saratoga, has been knocking on the door in these races all year and was a Kentucky Downs debut winner – one of many contenders in an improbably rich Nashville Derby. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.