Philadelphia, PA - The start of another Triple Crown year of racing in the US is quickly approaching, as we are less than a month away from the Kentucky Derby. The famous race captures the imagination of sports fans from around the world every year, and this year’s renewal could be one of the most interesting in decades.
2022 Kentucky Derby Horses To Watch
A number of horses that have accumulated the required qualifying points have excellent chances, and cases can be made for nearly the entirety of the field. As a comparison, you can check the past winners of the competition here: https://www.twinspires.com/kentuckyderby/winners
So, which horses in the Kentucky Derby will be the most exciting to watch in the race this year?
Epicenter
It would be hard to start talking about any of the leading contenders for the race this year before mentioning the current favorite in the betting. Epicenter is a very deserving favorite to head the betting after claiming victories in races against many of his Derby contenders. His first win this year came in the G2 Risen Star, as he held off Smile Happy and Zandon to win over 1 1/8 miles. That prep race has proven to be a significant one in recent years, with both Mandaloun and Country House running in the Risen Star before capturing their Derby win.
Epicenter’s final start before heading to Churchill Downs came at Fair Grounds, as he won the G2 Louisiana Derby from Zozos and Pioneer of Medina. Once again, the Louisiana Derby has been a promising prep stop for past winners, with the same Derby winners mentioned previously running in the race. However, neither actually claimed success at Fair Grounds.
Taiba
One of the big talking horses on the road to the Kentucky Derby this year will be Taiba for Tim Yakteen. This three-year-old firmly entered Derby calculations at Santa Anita in early April with victory over 1 1/8 miles against Messier in the G1 Santa Anita Derby. The three-year-old is now looking to join the greats such as Justify and Apollo to win the Derby, having failed to the line-up as a two-year-old.
The comparisons between Taiba and Justify will be evident all the way up to the start of the Kentucky Derby this year, with Mike Smith taking the ride, just as he did on the Triple Crown winner from 2018. A victory for Taiba at Churchill Downs will certainly raise the roof, and excitement will quickly build ahead of the Preakness Stakes, as fans will be beginning to believe that history could be made in 2022. However, it would be a tall order in this year’s race, given the quality of opposition and Taiba’s lack of experience in bigger fields.
Tiz The Bomb
It’s still unclear whether Tiz The Bomb will be heading to Churchill Downs this year, but connections have spoken about potentially achieving a feat that no other has managed before. The three-year-old has earned enough qualifying points to line up in the Kentucky Derby this year, but a challenge on the English Classics has also been muted. It could be one of the global racing stories of the year, as Tiz The Bomb could potentially head to England for the Epsom Derby as a Kentucky Derby winner.
The three-year-old is certainly a talented contender this year, but reservations remain around whether he is capable of producing the runs that he does on the all-weather and turf on the dirt. His only start on the dirt saw him finish seventh in the G3 Holy Bull behind White Abrarrio. However, he returned to the track with back-to-back wins in the John Battaglia Memorial and G3 Jeff Ruby. The distance will not be an issue, but whether he can perform on the surface is a different matter.
