Fantasy League Update: It’s Derby Week!

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 (4/5) 

• Alwaysmining – He turned the Federico Tesio Stakes into a laugher and is on to the Preakness Stakes (G1).
• Improbable – He ran well once again in the Arkansas Derby (G1), but he had to settle for second for the second straight time.
• War of Will – His Louisiana Derby (G2) was a disaster; however, it looks like he is going to be ok after being slightly injured at the start of that race.
• Omaha Beach – His big Arkansas Derby (G1) win will make him one of the favorites heading into the first Saturday in May.
• Maximum Security – This turned out to be a great claim after he went wire-to-wire to win the Florida Derby (G1).

2. Paul “Free Beers” Withrow (6/5)

• Game Winner – He suffered another close loss in the Santa Anita Derby (G1); however, he should be set up well for the Kentucky Derby.
• Super Steed – Bone bruising has forced him off of the Kentucky Derby trail.
• U S Navy Cross – His allowance race at Keeneland was poor. It doesn’t look like he’ll make an impact during the Triple Crown season.
• Anothertwistafate – He is now OUT of the Kentucky Derby after finishing second in the Lexington Stakes (G3). He could still make the race with a couple of defections, though, and he already has an automatic bit to the Preakness Stakes (G1).
• Roadster – This will turn out to be the claim of the year after his impressive Santa Anita Derby (G1) win.

3. Brandon “B$” Bauer (5/1)

• Galilean – It looks like he won’t make much impact during the Triple Crown season after a poor Arkansas Derby (G1) effort.
• Haikal – It was another solid performance for him in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), which has him securely in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.
• So Alive – A poor effort in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2) is not what this team wanted to see.
• Tacitus – He made it two in a row with an impressive showing in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2).
• Global Campaign – A minor injury suffered in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) has forced him off of the Kentucky Derby trail. He could run this week in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3), though.

4. The Fans: Austin and Bones (30/1) 

• Vekoma – A strong Blue Grass Stakes (G2) has stamped him as a major Kentucky Derby contender.
• Mihos – An injury has forced him off of the Kentucky Derby trail.
• Tax – His Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) second-place effort was a solid performance and placed him in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.
• Sueno – It was another average performance for him in the Lexington Stakes (G3), finishing third. He is out of the Kentucky Derby as of now, but he’s a likely Preakness Stakes (G1) candidate if he doesn’t make the Derby.
• Owendale – He picked up a big win in the Lexington Stakes (G3), which could set him up for the Preakness Stakes (G1) next.

5. Aaron Halterman (30/1)

• Mucho Gusto – After setting a fast pace, he faded to third in the Sunland Derby (G3). It looks like the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3) will be next for him.
• Gunmetal Gray – An injury has forced him off of the Kentucky Derby trail.
• Long Range Toddy – A poor effort in the Arkansas Derby (G1) is the exact opposite of what this team needed.
• 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.

6. Patrick “Mad Dog” Meagher (50/1)

• Code of Honor – A solid third in the Florida Derby (G1) was a positive sign as he moves toward Kentucky.
• Signalman – A decent third in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2) has him on the Kentucky Derby bubble.
• Knicks Go – He’s bad.
• Rowayton – He’s also bad.
• Elvis – He’s even worse.

7. Jared Welch (50/1)

• Country House – Predictably, he dropped way back early on in the Arkansas Derby (G1) before finishing a decent closing third.
• Gun It – This horse has been a total disaster.
• Spinoff – He looked to have the Louisiana Derby (G2) won before losing to By My Standards in the last stages of the race.
• Intrepid Heart – The plan for this horse is working perfectly after a determined allowance win at Keeneland over a solid field.
• Gray Attempt – After his third-place effort in the Bachelor Stakes, which means he probably has no value as far last the fantasy league is concerned.

8. Mike “Saratoga Slim” Spector (50/1)

• Instagrand – His Santa Anita Derby (G1) third-place effort was decent, but he doesn’t have enough points to make the Kentucky Derby starting gate.
• Kingly – He won a race over the weekend at Golden Gate!
• Mind Control – He picked up a nice win in the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) while sprinting. Maybe he can earn some points if he runs in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3).
• Dream Maker – As his own fantasy owner said, “They need to find something else for him to do other than horse racing.”
• Dessman – Put him on a milk carton… he’s missing.

9. Dan “Wise Dan” Waite (99/1)

• Bourbon War – He will not get into the Kentucky Derby; however, he could be a handful in the Preakness Stakes (G1)
• By My Standards – A new claim lands Dan an additional Kentucky Derby starter; however, he paid a big price of 40 points.
• Win Win Win – He got another terrible trip in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2), but he came with a big run to finish second.
• 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 – We’ll turn the page on this horse after a poor Louisiana Derby (G2) effort.
• Plus Que Parfait – His UAE Derby (G2) upset has given this team a shot of life. They now have a Kentucky Derby runner.

Get in-depth Kentucky Derby coverage from professional handicappers in our Inside Track to the Kentucky Derby wagering guide!

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.