It’s almost impossible to get a handle on which horses will be Kentucky Derby contenders next year based on their two year old campaign. The road to the Derby is long and difficult and there have been plenty of two year olds that impressed to become also rans as three year olds. Even winners of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile are far from a ‘sure thing’. That being said, some two year old horses begin to serve notice that they could be a factor. One such horse could be Competitive Edge, son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver.
Trained by Todd Pletcher Competitive Edge looked very strong in his two year old debut winning by 10 1/4 lengths Saturday at Saratoga. Pletcher was not only pleased with the victory but also Competitive Edge’s overall effort. Pletcher said that”He has never disappointed us in anything that he has done, literally, from the first time we breezed him. He continually showed us he’s a very talented colt, and every time we did something with him it was impressive. So we had high hopes coming into today. You never know when you run one for the first time. We were impressed, but not surprised.”his much talent. We’re excited about his stud career and excited to have one of his sons in our barn that appears to be this talented.” Pletcher also said that Competitive Edge’s next race would likely be the Grade 1, $350,000 Hopeful on September 1.
John Velasquez was the winning jockey and shared Pletcher’s enthusiasm saying that Competitive Edge has been impressive since he started working with him. Not only was he impressed with the race but like Pletcher he’s been impressed by all of his workouts. The only exception was some issues with gate work but that’s not surprising for a young horse.
There’s no guarantees that rising two year old race horses will become Kentucky Derby contenders. Competitive Edge could struggle in his next few starts and become a Kentucky Derby afterthought. On the other hand, he could impress in his remaining two year old campaign and Pletcher might have a legit Kentucky Derby contender on his hands.