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CREATIVE CAUSE (12/1, # 5 on Money List)

This gray son of top sire Giant’s Causeway has a  lot of things going for him on the first Saturday in May. A Grade 1 winner at age two, he proved he can handle the dirt at Churchill Downs when he finished a close third, beaten only one length, behind Hansen and Union Rags in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall. He has three races under his belt this year, starting with a good third in the swiftly run G2 San Vincente. He followed that up with a very nice score over Bodemeister, who would return to flatter that win in the G2 San Felipe by crushing the field in the G1 Arkansas Derby in his next outing.

Last time out in the G1 Santa Anita Derby, Creative Cause looked like a winner at the 1/8th pole when he collared the loose leader. But right on his heels was eventual winner I’ll Have Another, who got his nose in front at the wire after a stirring stretch duel. Although the top two earned a modest speed figure, Creative Cause once again earned a huge triple digit BRIS Late Pace Rating, which is a very good sign for this improving three year old.

Creative Cause, as a mid-pack stalker, has the perfect running style for this year’s Derby and a great rider in Joel Rosario. He was the top horse this spring on the West Coast, and the three-year-olds from California are believed to be very good this year.

Status: Contender