Churchill Downs' Darren Rogers reveals his top 2 Derby picks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The countdown to Kentucky Derby 149 is on, as horses get familiar with the Churchill Downs track.

Racing fans are interested to hear from the experts including Churchill Downs' Vice President of Communications Darren Rogers, who told WDRB Mornings on Monday that he's never been more sure about his Derby picks: Todd Pletcher's Forte and Tim Yakteen's Practical Move.

Forte:

"Typically I like horses that have forward position. They get speed, they put themselves into the race. But quite simply Forte, I think, is the fastest kid on the playground. I think you're going to hear people talk all week long about this race being wide open, it's all over the place. I think Forte is the fastest kid on the playground. He's a 4-time Grade I winner. The last time we had a horse -- Grade I, by the way, is the highest caliber race in America. Obviously the Derby is a Grade I race.

"He's won four of these. He's beaten the best competition easily. He was a champion 2-year-old. The last time we had a 4-time Grade I winner in the Derby was Nyquist in 2016, and we saw what he did. He's won six of seven starts. I think the Florida Derby, he was near the back of the pack. I don't think he was set for his best race. It reminded me American Pharoah's victory in the Derby in 2015. I don't think Pharoah was at his best the day he won that 2015 Derby. I don't think he liked the racetrack. He was urged, he was in a dog fight. And then we saw what he did moving forward in the Preakness and the Belmont. He really stepped forward.

"So I'm expecting Forte to actually move forward off of that seemingly impossible come from behind win in the Florida Derby. He's usually mid-pack to further back. And that's my one concern. I do think you're going to get a fast pace in the Derby because you always do. On paper it doesn't look that fast. But somebody's gonna move, with $3 million on the line. But he's going to have to work out a trip and weave through traffic. I just think he's multiple lengths faster than the rest of this group.

"So I'm going to use that to my handicapping advantage where I will single him for example in pick 4s and pick 5s, rather than going eight or deep like many people do in the Derby."

Practical Move

"(Tim Yakteen) had this horse all along. You know Tim's a very good horseman. He came up under Charlie Whittingham. He was an assistant for Bob Baffert for years. He's been training on his own. This horse he's had all along and he won the Old South Futurity last December. He came back and won the San Felipe and the Santa Anita Derby. To me he's clearly the second choice, but he won't be. I think Tapit Trice will probably end up being the second betting favorite. You might even see Derma Sotogake, the Japanese horse, take some money.

"Practical Move is a serious contender for the Derby. A very nice horse. I think he's a clear second behind Forte. To me it's an ice cold exacta in the Derby, in a 20-horse field. And I never thought I'd have that strong of an opinion. But I think the rest of the horses are just kind of very similar and below those top two."

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