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2011 Kentucky Derby Favorites: Who's Worth a Straight Bet On?

Usually with only days away from the Run For The Roses, The Kentucky Derby will have everyone talking about a specific horse or even two. Uncle Mo has been fighting a virus and not much is being said on his recovery.  Toby’s Corner has scratched before making it to Louisville due to a rear leg injury although details are sketchy. Derby Kitten has been named a possible replacement to round out the field with the maximum of twenty. Dialed In is a little younger than most Derby winners even if he did win the Florida Derby.
Pants on Fire may not run like he exactly has his proverbial pants afire, but he did win the Louisiana Derby and beat Mucho Macho Man who came in third. He’s not quite a favorite, but he does like a muddy track so if the weather turns the track sloppy, money could be placed on him raising his odds. Mucho Macho Man likes to run, but I’m not sure he knows the point is to lead the rest of the horses to the wire.
Archarcharch came in first in the Arkansas Derby and that’s where Smarty Jones began his run for the Triple Crown. He’s got good stamina to hold on in a long race, he definitely has some speed, but he also has the tendency to get a little bit sidetracked by the other horses when trying to pass. He hasn’t figured out this is not the time to catch up on stable gossip.
Top three contenders: Uncle Mo, if he’s feeling better, Archarcharch, and keep a close eye on Dialed In who’s young, but may have youthful energy on his side.
So far there are no hints that any of these horses could take the first jewel in the Triple Crown, a feat that has not been accomplished since Affirmed did it in 1978. Uncle Mo had generated a lot of talk early on in the season, but a cold, even a minor one could seriously debilitate the capacity to surge to the finish on the track. His stable has been quiet about mentioning how well he is or is not recovering, perhaps it’s a closely guarded secret when he’ll do the unthinkable and charge the wire several lengths ahead of the rest. This will be an interesting year to watch.