3 questions loom after Saturday's 2018 Kentucky Derby preps

Saturday was an exciting one on the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail. During a busy afternoon across three tracks, we witnessed a trio of prep races worth a combined total of 51 Kentucky Derby Points. Now that the dust has settled, here are three questions about the winners and their connections.

What comes next for Audible?

Todd Pletcher, a two time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer, appears to have a chance at becoming the race's first repeat winner since 1998. Leading his charge is Audible, a son of Into Mischief who dominated the field in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Joining Pletcher was WinStar Farm, the same owner that was in the winner's circle with the future Hall of Fame trainer when he scored his first Kentucky Derby in 2010. The route that led Super Saver to Louisville in the 3-year-old season was Tampa Bay to Hot Springs.

The team has remained close and entered the Kentucky Derby together on four other occasions. In each of those attempts, one thing was consistent: none of those starters ran a points qualifier at Gulfstream. So, this time is different already, but where will we see Audible race next?

In 2014 and 2015, Vinceremos and Carpe Diem used the same path, going from Tampa Bay to Lexington. Revolutionary, who finished third in the 2013 Kentucky Derby, left Aqueduct after the Withers and headed south to the Louisiana Derby before making his way to Churchill Downs for his shot at the roses.

The only comparable path was Gemologist's in 2012. After a four-month layoff, he opened his sophomore campaign with a win in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park before heading north to win in the Wood Memorial.

Will Pletcher stick with what worked last year when Always Dreaming used the Florida Derby as his final prep race, or will connections choose another route? And will Audible run once or twice more? Said Pletcher after the Holy Bull: "That race was key, and now we've got plenty of options."

Will 2018 be Kiaran McLaughlin's year?

Avery Island's win in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes extended trainer Kiaran McLaughlin's total in the race to four. Because Enticed didn't get the best trip from the inside post position in Holy Bull, his total number of wins in that race remained at three.

All of McLaughlin's seven combined winners across these two races were respectable Kentucky Derby prospects, but the Lexington, Ky., native has yet to score in his home state's biggest race.

If ranking the top active trainers without a Derby victory, McLaughlin sits near the top of the list. He has won the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Belmont Stakes, the Travers and the UAE Derby. It seems like it's only a matter of time before he gets this one.

The run that stands out for McLaughlin came in 2005. Closing Argument ran a gutsy race, using everything he could to defend the lead in the final furlong, but it was Giacomo's day.

Avery Island's Withers victory marked the colt's second win in his last three starts, all graded stakes at Aqueduct, and his fourth consecutive finish in no worse than second place. So, the stock for the son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense continues to rise.

Enticed suffered from a rough trip in his 3-year-old debut, but there's still enough time to bounce back from his fourth-place finish. There's also time for McLaughlin if this isn't his year in the Derby. As of now, though, he has a solid shot at it.

Lombo: contender or pretender?

Before we dive into the debate about this Kentucky Derby hopeful, let's start by giving credit where it's due. The wire-to-wire win by Lombo in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita was impressive.

Now that that is out of the way, what do we make of this young colt and his Kentucky Derby chances?

I think everyone would agree that this horse wasn't on the radar before Saturday. Sure, he beat a pair of Bob Baffert trainees to break his maiden last out, but that doesn't necessarily indicate a stakes winner -- or Derby contender. He's by first-crop sire Graydar, too, another unknown.

But, that was before the Mike Pender trainee quickly graduated to stakes winner, turning back a trio of pace pressers entering the turn. Let's look at this winner now with fresh eyes. Should we consider Lombo a serious Kentucky Derby contender?