Kentucky Derby 2022 Kentucky Derby Rankings 12/29/2021: Epicenter On The Map With Victory December 29, 2021 Epicenter (Credit: Coady Photography) Kentucky Derby 2022 Kentucky Derby Rankings 12/29/2021: Epicenter On The Map With Victory December 29, 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. Epicenter put himself squarely on the map with his victory in last week’s Gun Runner Stakes. 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 latest 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. American Icon Pros: Impressive debut victory, Todd Pletcher Cons: Lack of experience, no races around two turns yet Outlook: He was awesome on debut, but how will he do when he moves up the ladder? That will be the big question. 4. Epicenter Pros: Impressive stakes winner, seemingly getting better with distance Cons: As of now, not much, but will the competition be strong at Fair Grounds? Outlook: He won 2 in a row after a very impressive Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. 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 10. 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 11. 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 12. 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. 13. Make It Big Pros: Undefeated in three starts, all victories were decisive Cons: Class remains a question mark Outlook: He passed his first test with flying colors, shipping to Remington Park and winning the Springboard Mile Stakes. He earned an 84 Beyer for the victory, which is solid for this time of year. 2022 Kentucky Derby Contenders: Make It Big 14. 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. 15. My Prankster Pros: Recent win was impressive; speed figures are consistent Cons: Failed against stakes company more than once, could be a sprinter 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. 16. 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. 17. 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? 18. 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. 19. 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. 20. 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.
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