FOURTH RACE: 2-3-5-4

FIFTH RACE: 7-5-3-2-4

SIXTH RACE: 2-6-3-11-8

SEVENTH RACE: 2-11-4-3-8

EIGHTH RACE: 1-7-5-9-11

NINTH RACE: 11-2-1-14-6

10TH RACE: 5-7-10-6-11

11TH RACE: 7-8-10-5-1 (BEST BET)

12TH RACE (Kentucky Derby); 1. Two Phil’s, 2. Mandarin Hero, 3. Angel of Empire, 4. Derma Sotogake. LONG SHOT: Confidence Game.

To say this has been a weird Derby week with four scratches before Saturday is an unsderstatement. I lost two West Coast horses that I thought would run well, but that’s life. TWO PHIL’S has done little wrong on the trail and has done well on dirt and all-weather surfaces. I think he’s sitting on a big race. MANDARIN HERO is from Japan and put in a huge effort in the Santa Anita Derby to finish second. Will he bounce today? Good question but at the price I’m willing to find out. ANGEL OF EMPIRE has also been strong on the trail and has been impressive. DERMA SOTOGAKE might be the best from Japan but how he reacts off the huge Dubai win has to be questioned. I really wanted to pick CONFIDENCE GAME on top, but the layoff since the big win in Arkansas has to leave some doubts.