Baffert, Brown horses lead early Kentucky Derby 2019 list

An early look at Horse Racing Nation’s 2019 Kentucky Derby contenders — a list assembled by user-assigned ratings, and including all 2-year-old males in the website’s extensive racing wiki — shows the rest have some catching up to do with trainer Bob Baffert’s current No. 1 prospect.

Game Winner’s 8.29 rataing of a possible 10 leads the pack, with the unbeaten and multiple Grade 1 winner also the expected favorite in the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

A son of Candy Ride, Game Winner collected 10 qualifying points toward the Derby with his last out victory in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1). Strike in the Juvenile, and a total 30 points would likely already secure his spot in the starting gate for the May 4 race.

Hopeful (G1) winner Mind Control, who’s training up to the Juvenile, is second, followed by another well-regarded colt from the Baffert barn, Tale of the Union, who broke his maiden during the Del Mar meet but doesn’t show recent works.

Complexity — the Champagne Stakes (G1) hero — is fourth with that race’s runner-up, Code of Honor, fifth. Both are on to the Juvenile as well.

The previous No. 1, Instagrand, has slipped to seventh in recent weeks following news that owner Larry Best, of OXO Equine, has shut down the undefeated Grade 2 winner to focus on next year’s campaign.

Baffert, who won his fifth Derby with Justify earlier this year, trains six of the first 25 on the current list. Chad Brown is similarly loaded with five 2-year-olds in that same range led by Complexity.

Of course, behind Baffert-trained Justify in last May's Derby was Brown's Good Magic. Some things never change.

Again, these rankings are assembled by registered Horse Racing Nation users’ votes. To set your own ratings, simply hit register at the top of our website, and visit the 2019 Kentucky Derby contenders page. The list is updated hourly.