Fantasy League Update: Derby Upset Creates Wide-Open League

Each week, this important article will provide the standings, power rankings, and recent transactions for every league member. Not only will you see the latest claims in the league (which will show you what horses might be up-and-coming), but you can now see how each horse is progressing as we move into the Triple Crown season. Let’s check out the latest updates:

Current Standings

Recent Claims

There are no claims to announce this week

Power Rankings

The “Power Rankings” from now on will feature teams’ odds to win the contest, as well as an update on every horse on a team. Here we go:

1. Jon White/Ryan Stillman (2/1) 

• Alwaysmining – He turned the Federico Tesio Stakes into a laugher and is on to the Preakness Stakes (G1).
• Improbable – He made a decent run in the Kentucky Derby (G1), yet came up a bit short. It’s onto the Preakness Stakes (G1) for him.
• War of Will – A brutal trip cost him all chance in the Kentucky Derby (G1). He’ll likely run back in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
• Omaha Beach – He will miss the entire Triple Crown season after surgery for an entrapped epiglottis.
• Maximum Security – His brutal disqualification in the Kentucky Derby (G1) has turned this fantasy league into a wide-open event.

2. Jared Welch (5/2)

• Country House – How about this? A major upset in the Kentucky Derby (G1) gives the defending champion a legit shot to win. However, he is now out of the Preakness Stakes (G1), which is a major blow to this team’s chances.
• Gun It – This horse has been a total disaster.
• Spinoff – He was a total non-factor in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
• Intrepid Heart – We’ll see if he can pick up a valuable 20 points in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) this weekend at Belmont Park.
• Gray Attempt – After his third-place effort in the Bachelor Stakes, he has no value as far as the fantasy league is concerned.

3. Paul “Free Beers” Withrow (3/1)

• Game Winner – He suffered the worst trip in the history of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and will reportedly take some time off, but there is still plenty to be excited about moving forward.
• Super Steed – Bone bruising forced him off of the Kentucky Derby trail.
• U S Navy Cross – His allowance race at Keeneland was poor. He won’t make an impact during the Triple Crown season.
• Anothertwistafate – We’ll see if he can pick up some massive points for this team in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
• Roadster – He was a no-show in the Kentucky Derby (G1) after a terrible trip and flat performance.

4. Brandon “B$” Bauer (7/2)

• Galilean – It looks like he won’t make much impact during the Triple Crown season after a poor Arkansas Derby (G1) effort.
• Haikal – A scratch from the Kentucky Derby (G1) was a tough break for a team that had a big shot at winning.
• So Alive – A poor effort in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2) is not what this team wanted to see.
• Tacitus – After a tough trip in the Kentucky Derby (G1) he still managed to finished third.
• Global Campaign – He didn’t draw into the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3); however, it’s nice to see that they want to run him again.

5. Patrick “Mad Dog” Meagher (5/1)

• Code of Honor – A runner-up effort in the Kentucky Derby (G1) gives Patrick a shot; however, it was just announced that he is not likely for the Preakness Stakes (G1).
• Signalman – The Preakness Stakes (G1) is likely up next for this horse.
• Knicks Go – He’s bad.
• Rowayton – He’s also bad.
• Elvis – He’s even worse.

6. The Fans: Austin and Bones (30/1) 

• Vekoma – He was a non-factor in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
• Mihos – An injury has forced him off of the Kentucky Derby trail.
• Tax – It was a flat performance for him in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
• Sueno – He’ll head to the Preakness Stakes (G1), which is going to be a wide-open race.
• Owendale – He picked up a big win in the Lexington Stakes (G3), which should set him up for the Preakness Stakes (G1) next.

7. Aaron Halterman (30/1)

• Mucho Gusto – After setting a fast pace, he faded to third in the Sunland Derby (G3). He’ll be a non-factor in this league
• Gunmetal Gray – An injury forced him off of the Kentucky Derby trail.
• Long Range Toddy – He got the worst of the interference in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
• Bankit – He couldn’t even hit the board against New York-breds at Aqueduct. This was a terrible draft pick.
• Cornacchia – Worst claim in the history of fantasy sports.

8. Mike “Saratoga Slim” Spector (99/1)

• Instagrand – His Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3) disaster closes the book on him.
• Kingly – He finally won a race – at Golden Gate!
• Mind Control – He picked up a nice win in the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) while sprinting, but has no value in this league moving forward.
• Dream Maker – His third in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3) was encouraging.
• Dessman – Put him on a milk carton… he’s missing.

9. Dan “Wise Dan” Waite (99/1)

• Bourbon War – He could be a handful in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
• By My Standards – This turned out to be a terrible claim as he was a non-factor in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
• Win Win Win – Another horse who played no part in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
• Standard Deviation – This is a very slow horse.
• Nolo Contesto – A poor effort in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) means that he’ll likely not make an impact during the Triple Crown season.

10. The Magic Mike Show (99/1)

• Mucho – Running last of four in the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) was an extremely poor showing.
• Well Defined – The pace killed him in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2). There are no public plans for him at the moment.
• Walking Thunder – His UAE Derby (G2) effort was decent; however, he could be at his best when going 1 mile.
• Limonite – He won on Kentucky Derby Day… but it was the race AFTER the Kentucky Derby (G1).
• Plus Que Parfait – He was better than expected in the Kentucky Derby (G1), but he still couldn’t hit the board.

As a reminder, let’s take a look at the official rules of the league.

The Rules

Scoring:

Horses will earn points for finishing first, second, third, and starting a race. Below is the breakdown of how to earn points:

⁃ Triple Crown Races

Win: 100 points
Place: 50 points
Show: 25 points
Start in the race: 10 points

– Bonus Races: Oaklawn Invitational, Pat Day Mile, and Peter Pan Stakes

Win: 20 points
Place: 10 points
Show: 5 points
Start in the race: 1 point

A Triple Crown winner is worth an extra 1,000 point bonus!

Claiming: For the first year ever, teams can claim horses every week!

– Players will have the ability to claim horses every Monday. After everyone has had a chance to put in claims on Monday, new claims will be announced Tuesday. In the event of two or more people trying to claim the same horse, a live video shake will be conducted by the dictator, just like what happens when two or more people try to claim a horse out of a race.

– Each claim will cost you points. You can go into the negatives, so you don’t have to have points established to make a claim. The claiming points fees are as follows:

– A May claim will cost you 50 points

– A June claim will cost you 60 points

Trades:

⁃ Trades are allowed. All trades must involve an equal amount of horses. All teams must always have five members at all times.

⁃ All trades must be approved by the commissioner in case of obvious shenanigans.