Kentucky Derby 2020 rankings: Nadal, Enforceable on the rise

Who expected a Sunday maiden special weight event at Santa Anita Park would wind up more important than Saturday's 2020 Kentucky Derby prep, the Lecomte Stakes?

By the slimmest of margins, that's what reflected in Horse Racing Nation's user-generated Kentucky Derby contender rankings as debuting Bob Baffert trainee Nadal climbed all the way to No. 10 as of Wednesday morning, one spot ahead of the Lecomte winner Enforceable.

Nadal, named after the world's No. 1 tennis player, is a Blame colt who sold for $700,000 in 2019 as a 2-year-old. Going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita, he took control of the pace along the rail, cut fast fractions and zipped away to an easy victory -- and so the hype machine began.

Some 24 hours earlier, Enforceable had made it back-to-back Lecomte victories for the Mark Casse barn with a grind-it-out victory that boosted him to No. 11 in the rankings.

Sporting an impressive pedigree, the son of Tapit is a full brother to graded stakes winners Mohaymen and Kingly, as well as a half to New Year's Day, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner who produced Maximum Security.

As for the top of the rankings, there continues to be no change. Dennis' Moment is No. 1 while preparing for his 3-year-old bow in the Feb. 29 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Grade 1 winner Eight Rings flipped spots this week with Breeders' Cup winner Storm the Court for second and third, while Structor and Maxfield round out the Top 5.

Next on the Derby trail is Friday's Smarty Jones Stakes featuring No. 7 Silver Prospector, No. 14 Three Technique, No. 20 Shoplifted and No. 28 Lynn's Map at Oaklawn Park.

HRN's Derby rankings are adjusted by readers' star ratings on respective horses. To begin putting your own spin on the list, sign up for a free account today.

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