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.

CHURCHILL DOWNS

Weather: Clear
Temp: 50
Track: Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The unbeaten and lightly raced Justify landed post 7 and was installed as the favorite for the 144th Kentucky Derby on Saturday when posts were drawn on Tuesday at Churchill Downs.

A total of 21 horses were entered in the race. A maximum of 20 can run. Blended Citizen, who had the fewest points among the 21 entrants, was placed on the also-eligible list and can only get in if there is a scratch by 9 a.m. Eastern on Friday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  Over a 15-year career than has encompassed over 17,000 rides, jockey James Graham has experienced most everything on horseback – except riding in the Kentucky Derby. That gap in his resume will come to the end Saturday when he pilots longshot Lone Sailor.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Unbeaten Justify's quest to win the Kentucky Derby and defy more than a century of racing history will begin from post 7 as he faces what is considered a highly competitive field for the Run for the Roses.

Justify, who has won his three starts by a combined 19 lengths, was installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite by Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia when the field was set on Tuesday for Saturday's Grade 1, $2 million Kentucky Derby.