LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ Unlike last spring, there's no 3-year-old dazzling you with his potential and his presence the way Justify did. The most popular adjective attached to Saturday's 145th Kentucky Derby is "wide-open." Few handicappers will dispute that in a race with no standout and plenty of disagreement.
Mr. Derby, five-time winner Bob Baffert, is running three colts _ the Santa Anita Derby winner, Roadster; last season's 2-year-old champion, Game Winner, and the quick but temperamental Improbable _ but not the morning-line favorite. That distinction goes to 4-1 Omaha Beach, who beat Game Winner (the 5-1 second choice) in the Rebel and Improbable (6-1) in the Arkansas Derby. That convinced last year's Triple Crown-winning jockey, Mike Smith, to leave Baffert and Roadster (6-1) and stick with Omaha Beach.
"I think it's a nice group of horses," Baffert said, "but none of them are really popping off the screen. Whoever gets the trip is going to win it.
