EPICENTER 🏆🌷🐎🐎Kentucky Derby 2022 Strong Contender 🐴 

Actually a very weak field. No stars here at all. Zandon is the most likely winner.

@@jaysantos536 I beg to differ. I was throwing shade on Mo donegal cuz of joel rosario riding style, but Mo closes like a beast in the stretch ., I think this 20 horse field is gonna be good. There r some strong horses this derby., 10 great horses. Ok maybe 7 …

@@rzz9594 " 10 great horses?" Sorry but that is laughable because NONE of these horses was Champion 2 year old or even ran well in the BC Juvenile, and none have won more than about 3 or 4 races yet. And NO really fast times either..whats the highest Beyer about 107?

@@rzz9594 "closes like a beast in the stretch>" You want to see the BEST example of this shown by a 3 year old in a VERY long time? Look at Zandon in the Blue Grass. WOW. Now THAT was a winning Kentucky Derby move right there! And a great race call on top of that. "Zandon is flying in the stretch and overtakes Smile Happy....and it's OVER! NBC should fire that tool Larry Callmus NOW and hire the Keeneland race caller whoever he is. Brilliant...

@@jaysantos536 Gun Runner became a great star but not until after he finished third in the Derby. Forego was Horse of the Year many times but not until after he was fourth in Secretariat's Derby. Rock Your World was the top Beyer going in to last year's derby but only had a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. Taiba could be as good as Maximum Security. Time will tell.

Epicenter comes strong for the Kentucky Derby 2022

What does he have to do? He has to beat Taiba. Bred on the lines of Gun Runner, Epicenter has the same two influences but reversed. He has Giant's Causeway on his sire's side and on his dam's side, Candy Ride. Yet Gun Runner, trained by the same trainer as Epicenter, could not last the Derby Distance. He was passed by Nyquist and Exaggerator and had to settle for third. That's why Taiba's dam's side is so important. It adds the needed stamina through his damsire, A P Indy. IMO Taiba will be passing Epicenter down the stretch and show he is both faster and has more stamina than the horses that Epicenter has heretofore faced.

@@vernonfrance2974 Okay you make good points. But remember Epicenter is the one of those two that's gone farther in a prep race so far. Good information thanks!

@@vernonfrance2974 Taiba is the horse I'm rooting for. Still, they have all worked so hard and I wish all of them could win.

@@jdbarry30 They are truly impressive athletes and they love what they do or they would not excel at it. Of course, being young animals they may get afraid or upset and that is to be expected.

Taiba is an exceptional foal and is obviously among the favorites

@@RACINGAROUNDTHEWORLD Taiba is just getting started. He'll be great if he does not have any illnesses or injuries. His trainer worked under two of the best - Baffert and Whittingham.

Agree. Charge It is a fresh horse. Can perfectly surprise in this Kentucky Derby!

What about Cyberknife? He won the Gr I Arkansas Derby. Sure Epicenter beat him in the Lecompte three races back but since Cyberknife has been like a sabersaw. Epicenter broke a track record but I heard there were only three other races at that distance so it was not a big deal. Is that true? Epicenter has yet to face horses like Taiba, Messier, White Abarrio and is used to getting an easy lead. The tables are about to turn and Epicenter will get challenged like never before.

Thanks Will. I did not know either of your two points. Essential Quality (2-1) got sandwiched by Hidden Stash (50-1) and Highly Motivated (10-1). HIghly Motivated was not next to EQ but outside the horse next to him, Rock Your World (5-1). The result was that the two top ranked favorites got creamed but nobody can DQ anybody at the start. This was far worse than a bit of salve on Medina Spirit's backside. EQ (trainer Brad Cox) pulled himself together, ran wide all the way around and still came in in fourth. Rock Your World (trainer John Sadler) got his world rocked and finished 15th. Hidden Stash (Trainer Victoria Oliver) finished 13th and Highly Motivated 17th. (Trainer Chad Brown ) Ironically, EQ's trainer Brad Cox, also trained Mandaloun which was moved up to first. Medina Spirit had 25 picograms of a legal med, except not on race day, and it made no REAL difference. A picogram is a unit of mass equal to 0.000 000 000 001 grams. This was a way to knock the GOAT down a few notches just like they did with Tom Brady by digging up a little known law of physics that happens to all inflated objects when taken from warmer to cooler environs.

@@vernonfrance2974 I personally think Epicenter left his best effort breaking the track record in the LA Derby. The last 1.5 furlong was run in 18.22 sec. That's 12.+ secs for the last furlong which is less than 13 sec. Cyberknife was 13.18 sec for the last furlong which has also held true even for Grade 1 winners before derby under point qualifiny systen. Bench marks for me is Gr 1 winner in derby preps, Less than 1.49:00 seconds for 1 1/8 race, under 13 seconds for last furlong of last race beforethe derby. Cyberknife underneath.

@@vernonfrance2974 Vernon, I have to correct something. Last year's kentucky derby was the exception. Medina Spirit won without winning the Gr 1 Santa Anita derby. Disqualified as you point out for the illegal substance as minute as it was. Trainer had a few horses to die for reasons that made national news.

The most well known number (beyer) says the opposite of what you're saying. And Abarrio ran his final furlong in 14.1 secs. Just for reference, Donegal ran his final furlong in 11.9 secs.

Today, yes.

Ricardo Santana jr

Joel Rosario suits Epicenter much better