It’s tough assessing this year’s Derby with so little seemingly separating a half-dozen or so top contenders. The main question, from a wagering standpoint, is obviously justifying taking a short price on Justify, who may well be the most talented member of this bunch but perhaps not worth the short price his unblemished record and all the hype surrounding his sudden rise to stardom is sure to bring, especially considering his inexperience.

BOLT D’ORO seems the Kentucky Derby contender most likely to offer betting value. Despite being fast and accomplished, he lacks the pre-race buzz of other horses, likely the result of coming off a loss in his final prep and being overshadowed in the media build-up.

GOOD MAGIC enters Kentucky Derby 2018 without a flaw. He has established class, upward figures, versatile running style, and reportedly is training super in Kentucky. He was one of the country’s top 2-year-olds last year when he crushed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his third start. The Derby, likewise, is the third start of his campaign, and it follows a confidence-building victory in the Blue Grass. Good Magic has a solid racing foundation, and his versatile style increases the chances of a clean trip.

Historically, horses exiting the UAE Derby haven’t fared well at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, but things could be different in 2018. MENDELSSOHN was exceptional when winning this year’s UAE Derby on March 31 at Meydan, scoring by more than 18 lengths for trainer Aidan O’Brien. While it’s true that Mendelssohn took advantage of a speed-favoring strip, there are other reasons to believe his talent is uncommon and he possesses the ability to win the Kentucky Derby.

JUSTIFY enters this Derby as the favorite with some things working against him from a seasoning standpoint, but his overall talent seems undeniable and his three starts are all faster than anything most of his competition has managed to run. He did get loose on the lead when posting that top figure in the Santa Anita Derby, but he didn’t exactly walk up there, and he turned away one of the better horses in this crop with little fuss in the stretch.

No group of racehorses goes under a stronger microscope than the field for the Kentucky Derby. But even under the heaviest scrutiny, many things remain unknown about the entries until they cross the finish line.

One of the biggest variables that can only be forecasted at this point is the ability to handle the Derby’s 1 1/4-mile distance. It’s a distance no horse in the field has faced, and one that many in the field will never see again in competition.

ELMONT, N.Y. – When trainer Chad Brown made his first appearance in the Kentucky Derby, he had won a grand total of one graded stakes race on dirt. That was in 2013.

Five years later, as he prepares to make his fourth appearance in the Kentucky Derby, Brown has won 44 graded stakes races on dirt, including the Preakness, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Champagne, Hopeful, and Cigar Mile. Oh, and he’s also won the last two Eclipse Awards as the nation’s outstanding trainer.

One of the pleasant surprises of this year’s Kentucky Derby and Oaks trails has been the rapid ascension of Take Charge Indy, who is positioned to have starters in both races from his first crop.

Despite finishing outside the top 10 by first-crop average yearling sale price with his debut foals and being sold to stand in Korea before that group hit the track, Take Charge Indy sits atop the North American second-crop sire standings by winners, stakes winners, and earnings as the calendar rolls into Triple Crown season.

After Justify won the Santa Anita Derby and posted his third consecutive triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure, Santa Anita morning-line maker Jon White asked me if I knew how many horses had started their careers with three triple-digit Beyers. I did not know the answer, but was thinking it could not be many.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Chad Brown will have plenty to keep him busy Saturday before he runs Good Magic in the $2 million Kentucky Derby.

Brown will have runners in as many as five of the six undercard stakes on the 14-horse program, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. His lineup could include Rushing Fall, the undefeated 3-year-old filly whom he entered back in the Grade 2, $300,000 American Turf for 3-year-olds after she drew post 11 in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Edgewood for 3-year-old fillies.