There were no major Kentucky Derby prep races this past weekend, but the road to the first Saturday in September is about to get busy again, with the biggest points race on the scrambled calendar coming up next.
The Belmont Stakes _ traditionally the third and final leg of the Triple Crown _ is scheduled for Saturday, and 150 points will go to the winner. The Belmont will be one of six Derby points races over the next four weeks, which will culminate with next month's Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park _ the final two 100-point races on the prep calendar.
That means we should have a much clearer picture of the top Derby contenders by this time next month. As of now, the prospective field is a muddled mess.
The past couple of weeks have brought the defections of undefeated Bob Baffert duo Charlatan and Nadal _ arguably the two Derby favorites _ to injury, as well as injuries to Maxfield _ another possible Derby favorite _ and Louisiana Derby winner Wells Bayou. All four of those 3-year-olds are now off the Derby trail.
To make things worse for Baffert, his other star Derby contender, Authentic, suffered his first career defeat in the Santa Anita Derby shortly after the announcements that Nadal and Charlatan would be sidelined.
Though new contenders will surely emerge over the next few weeks, here's a closer look at my 10 top 3-year-olds on the Derby trail, as of now (in order of the latest odds, courtesy of the William Hill sportsbook).
