News 2022 Kentucky Derby Rankings 12/16/2021: It’s Way Too Early, But List Debuts Anyway December 16, 2021 Smile Happy (Credit: Coady Photography) News 2022 Kentucky Derby Rankings 12/16/2021: It’s Way Too Early, But List Debuts Anyway December 16, 2021 By: Aaron Halterman twitterfacebooklinkedinemail Share: share on facebook share on twitter share on linkedin email this article Welcome to the 2022 Kentucky Derby Rankings! Each week leading up to the race, we will provide our Top 20 Kentucky Derby Prospects, as well as updates with the latest news on each horse. You can also visit our Kentucky Derby page for loads of information, including the latest news, rankings, prep race schedules, the Kentucky Derby point standings, and much more! 2024 Kentucky Derby Let’s take a look at our first list: 1. Smile Happy Pros: Perfect record; graded stakes victory over the Churchill Downs surface Cons: Speed figures still a bit low; not sure what he’s faced yet Outlook: His Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) victory was pretty impressive. He showed a burst of speed late in both starts so far. 2022 Kentucky Derby Contenders: Smile Happy 2. Corniche Pros: Undefeated; Bob Baffert; Champion Juvenile Cons: Speed figures are low; competition he’s faced is sketchy Outlook: He’ll be the champion 2-year-old with ease while being the clear Kentucky Derby favorite heading into 2022. 3. My Prankster Pros: Recent win was impressive; speed figures are consistent Cons: Failed against stakes company more than once Outlook: This horse continues to run consistent races even though he’s failed twice against stakes company. He might be the favorite in the early stakes at Gulfstream Park, though. 4. Jack Christopher Pros: Most talented horse in the crop so far Cons: Sprinter pedigree; injured before the Breeders’ Cup Outlook: After watching several replays, he looks to be the most talented, but distance is a major question mark. He’ll be behind schedule a bit as well with an injury. 5. Slow Down Andy Pros: Improved greatly in his last start; distance pedigree Cons: Other than 1 race, he’s looked extremely average Outlook: If his Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) win wasn’t a fluke and he can build off of that effort, then he will be a factor. 6. Mo Donegal Pros: Excellent pedigree; victory going long Cons: Unimpressive speed figures; Remsen winner hasn’t done much in a long time on the Derby Trail. Outlook: His Remsen Stakes (G2) win was workman-like, and while that race hasn’t produced much on the Derby Trail, it was still a solid win. 7. Unpredictable Bay Pros: Maiden victory last time earned a high speed figure; solid distance pedigree Cons: Took 7 races to break his maiden; questionable connections Outlook: We’ll see if relatively unknown trainer Alnaz Ali can keep this horse on the improve in 2022. It took a while to break the maiden, but it was a pretty nice effort when he finally did it. 8. Emmanuel Pros: Solid debut effort at Gulfstream Park Cons: Speed figure wasn’t great; his next step will be a large jump up in class. Outlook: His debut effort at Gulfstream Park was good enough to make him interesting moving forward; however, he must show improvement. 2022 Kentucky Derby Contenders: Emmanuel 9. Doppelganger Pros: Solid debut effort at Los Alamitos Cons: Must improve next out from a speed figure standpoint Outlook: This horse looked pretty professional on debut, sitting a little off the pace, and then pouncing late for an easy debut victory. 2022 Kentucky Derby Contenders: Doppelganger 10. Messier Pros: Stakes winner; Bob Baffert Cons: Recent loss not a good look Outlook: Losing as the heavy favorite is never a good thing, so we’ll see if he can bounce back from a runner-up effort in the Los Alamitos Derby (G2). 2022 Kentucky Derby Contenders: Messier 11. Rattle N Roll Pros: Impressive victories going two turns; Grade 1 winner Cons: An injury has him behind schedule Outlook: He has the talent, but the key will be how quickly he can get healthy and get back on the track. 12. Zandon Pros: Solid in both of his starts so far; should improve Cons: Low speed figures Outlook: His runner-up effort in the Remsen Stakes (G2) was impressive considering it was his first time going two-turns. If he can improve, he might be one that can rise up the rankings. 13. Kid Corleone Pros: Maiden win was impressive; Doug O’Neill Cons: Progression needed after lone victory Outlook: We’ll need to see him progress as we go along, but his recent maiden win was impressive, and O’Neill usually can get the most out of his horses. 14. Trademark Pros: Two wins over the Churchill Downs surface Cons: Speed figures are low Outlook: I’m on the fence with this guy until we see more. He certainly has proven to be classy, but can he break through and win a big race? 15. Pappacap Pros: Consistent runner; Grade 2 winner Cons: Three clear losses when jumping up to the Grade 1 level Outlook: He seems like the type that will hit the board in a lot of races, but might not be good enough to win one of the big ones. 16. Rockefeller Pros: Distance pedigree; room to improve; Bob Baffert Cons: Low speed figures; didn’t beat much in his stakes victory. Outlook: He shipped to Aqueduct and won the Nashua Stakes (G3), which was a solid victory. He is back on the work tab at Santa Anita now. 17. Trafalgar Pros: Two impressive wins Cons: Sprinter pedigree, speed figures are a tad low Outlook: He seems like an up-and-comer who could make some noise, but distance is a bit of a question mark. 18. Make It Big Pros: Undefeated Cons: Distance is a question mark; must move up in class Outlook: This Florida-bred is 2 for 2 so far but must prove he can do it in open company, which starts with a try in the Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park. 19. Sir London Pros: Impressive maiden victory Cons: Took 3 races to break his maiden Outlook: He performed well in his first 3 starts but only won once, which is a little concerning. 20. Pinehurst Pros: Bob Baffert; Grade 1 winner Cons: Well-beaten in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1); low speed figures Outlook: This guy suffered his first defeat at the Breeders’ Cup; however, this is one to keep an eye on as he could rebound off of that effort.
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