I’m looking forward to the trio of Kentucky Derby preps heading our way this weekend. The Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Derby, and Illinois Derby will all have major Kentucky Derby implications. They have produced a combined 18 Kentucky Derby winners; that’s quite a staggering total!

The Grade I Wood Memorial will probably receive the most fanfare due to Grade III Gotham Stakes winner I Want Revenge. The Stephen Got Even colt romped in that race by 8.5 lengths. It was even more impressive because it was his first run over traditional dirt. IEAH, who owned last years Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, purchased a 50% share in the colt on Monday.

Probable starters for the Wood Memorial include the aforementioned I Want Revenge, Imperial Council, Just a Coincidence, Lime Rickey, Atomic Rain, West Side Bernie, and Danger to Society. I Want Revenge won’t just waltz into the winners circle; he will be facing a formidable bunch. I’ll reserve final judgment until I see the PPs for the race, but Imperial Council may be a live runner. He was charging hard to finish second in the Gotham, and the connections may have been saving something for this race on that day.

The Santa Anita Derby will be headlined by The Pamplemousse and Pioneerof The Nile. The former is a speedster and will be racing on the front end, and the latter is a closer who will be rolling late. I expect Pioneerof The Nile to be the favorite, but only by a slight margin. I’m not a huge fan of the Bob Baffert trainee. He has done nothing but beat up on stumble bums. The Pamplemousse, trained by Julio Canani, has taken down a few nice ones. I expect The Pamplemousse to bury the field and win the Santa Anita Derby in wire to wire fashion.

Musket Man heads the field in the Illinois Derby. He is a multiple stakes winner and most recently took the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby. I question whether the Yonaguksa colt will like the distance.He will have to beat second choice Giant Oak, who has been facing better horses at the Fair Grounds. Giant Oak finished fourth in the Louisiana Derby in his last start. Todd Pletcher has entered three horses for this race (Al Khali, Lord Justice, Il Postino).

True horse racing fans don’t want to miss these races. They will be major factors for any handicapper when trying to pick the Kentucky Derby winner. I’m most looking forward to the Santa Anita Derby. I’ve believed all along that The Pamplemousse was better than Pioneerof The Nile; I hope he proves me right.