Jeff Nahill’s Kentucky Derby opinions

1. (3) Epicenter, 2. (16) Cyberknife, 3. (12) Taiba, 4. (10) Zandon. LONG SHOT: (8) Charge It.

Gotta be honest, this year, I don’t have a strong opinion. This crop seems pretty even. That being said I think the best 3-year-old I’ve seen is EPICENTER (7-2). Thank goodness trainer Steve Asmussen broke his 0-for-75 streak in Kentucky on Friday’s Oaks undercard. This son of Not This Time has tactical speed and should be up close from the start. CYBERKNIFE (20-1) was beaten by Epicenter In January, but he has won two in a row and reports are he loves the Churchill Downs surface. I view TAIBA (12-1) and MESSIER (8-1) as one in the same. Both are from the Bob Baffert barn (now trained by Tim Yakteen?). Taiba has a ton of talent despite just two starts (and two wins) and he doesn’t work out well so ignore those morning times. MESSIER has loads of talent and a win wouldn’t surprise. ZANDON (3-1) has that guy Flavien Prat in the irons and will be in the mix. CHARGE IT (20-1) comes from Florida and has talent. If you have an opinion on another horse, bet it. It’s wide open this year.