Oaklawn Park has center stage Saturday as the top two favorites for the Kentucky Derby – Game Winner and Improbable – go in separate divisions of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes. Game Winner and Improbable were originally supposed to make their 2019 debuts last week in the San Felipe, which was canceled due to the suspension of racing at Santa Anita. Instead, these two led a Southern California charge to the Rebel, prompting Oaklawn management to split the race and generously add $500,000 to the purse, making each division worth $750,000. Also on the Oaklawn card is an attractive renewal of the Grade 2, $350,000 Azeri, and the $300,000 Essex Handicap. Saturday’s only other graded stakes is the Grade 2, $200,000 Inside Information at Gulfstream. Rebel Stakes (2nd division) This is the division in which Game Winner goes, and while I respect last year’s Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male, I am not sold on him. Not yet. I have reservations about his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, reservations that go deeper than the fact that in winning the Juvenile, Game Winner actually ran slower than Jaywalk did winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies just two races earlier – 1:43.67 for the 1 1/16 miles to Jaywalk’s 1:43.62. My main issue with Game Winner is the field he beat in the Juvenile. The 12 horses who finished behind Game Winner that day have combined for a total of 19 subsequent starts. But those 19 starts resulted in only four wins – one each by Signalman, Gunmetal Gray, Mind Control, and Well Defined. And none of those four ranks as a top-tier Kentucky Derby prospect. Moreover, only two of the 19 subsequent starts were good enough for a Beyer Figure of over 90. In fact, 11 of those 19 performances wound up with Beyers of less than 80. And that’s not good. Finally, Knicks Go certainly hasn’t flattered Game Winner’s Breeders’ Cup form. After finishing a game second in the Juvenile, Knicks Go came back to finish 11th, beaten almost 19 lengths, in the Kentucky Jockey Club; fifth, beaten 13 lengths, in the Sam Davis; and was eased in last week’s Gotham, finishing seventh, beaten 51 lengths. For some, Our Braintrust might be an alternative play to Game Winner off a narrowly beaten third in the Withers in his first start for trainer Mark Casse, but I just do not trust the Withers form. My alternative to Game Winner is Omaha Beach. Omaha Beach lost close decisions in his second, third, and fourth starts, but put it all together most recently, crushing maidens at Santa Anita and showing why he has been held in such high regard from the outset of his career. Granted, Omaha Beach is moving way up Saturday in terms of both class and distance. But being by War Front (he’s also a half-brother to the champion filly Take Charge Brandi) suggests he’ll relish as much distance as he can get, and the 90 Beyer Omaha Beach earned for his maiden win while going a distance that might well have been shorter than what he really wants already puts him in the ballpark with Game Winner. Essex Handicap Giant Expectations and Snapper Sinclair are probably the two best horses in this event, but they could have a tough go of it pace-wise. Giant Expectations needs to be involved early in two-turn races such as this. Snapper Sinclair is also a pace horse. So, too, is Dalmore, and even Chris and Dave has some speed. But instead of going for deep closers such as Hence, Sonneteer, and Rated R Superstar, who all lag too far back early for my comfort, I’m opting for Heavy Roller. Heavy Roller is a new horse this year since moving into the Joe Sharp barn, winning both of his starts for Sharp with two of the three best performances of his career. Heavy Roller is not entirely pace dependent, he doesn’t have to be way back early, and should be a nice price. Private Terms Stakes Alwaysmining and Joevia are the two best (and fastest) horses in this 1 1/16-mile, $100,000 race at Laurel Park. But they both have speed styles, and as they stretch out to two turns for the first time they could compromise each other’s chances. I’m taking a shot with Tybalt. Tybalt was soundly beaten by Alwaysmining in two of his last three starts, but the pace did not set up for him in those races like it does Saturday. He can close under the right circumstances, and these circumstances are right.