Kentucky Derby Profile: Pioneer of Medina

The defection of Morello has opened the door for Todd Pletcher's Pioneer of Medina. JN Campbell isn't sure that he won't be just making up the numbers...

One of the last runners to get into this Derby field, and of course, the colt belongs to Todd Pletcher. That gives him a trio of starters, and of them, this one has the most to prove. I am not exactly sure how good a form this son of Pioneerof the Nile is in, but the Sumaya U.S. Stable is probably pleased to be invited to the most celebrated race in North America. In 6 starts, at 4 different tracks, Pletcher attempted to get him a strong foundation against maidens.

At Monmouth, Gulfstream, and Tampa, he performed well … breaking through in his final try. Pletcher then moved him to the Fair Grounds, where he won an AOC50kn1x against Steve Asmussen’s heavily-favored Stellar Tap. That got the HOF conditioner thinking that contesting the Louisiana Derby (G2) could be a possibility. In what was essentially a 2-horse race with Epicenter and Zozos, Pletcher’s colt ran-on for 3rd. It was a ho-hum try for me, but I am sure that bettors will be looking at this one as a classic “wise-guy” entry. As the Triple Crown Trail unfurls, it will be interesting to see how far he can go.

A magnificent barn if there ever was one … it is just a pass for me this time around, especially considering that his 2-yr-old campaign did not sparkle, and his 3-yr-old attempts just do not stack up against other opponents. Is he as good a horse as Mo Donegal? I do not think so … backing that entry would be a much more productive play, in my opinion.

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