1. Perry’s Double Down 15-1 Jockey Raul Valenzuela

     “He’s certainly been a work in progress,” trainer John Stinebaugh said. “This horse won his trial from the rail and we’re right back in the same spot—and he’s getting so much better as he grows older. He’s on the feedbag—and we’re hoping that he’s on the upswing for the final.”

2. Apollitical Papa 12-1 Jockey Jose Amador Alvarez

     Trainer Fred Danley: “He’s like a big teddy bear. He’s big physically but just as gentle a race horse as you’ll find. You can do anything with him and he’ll try to oblige. What I like is that he’s going to show that he’s a much better 440 horse than we’ve seen at the shorter distances. The further he runs the better the outcome.”

3. Gold Heart Eagle V  30-1   Jockey James Flores

     Trainer Marty Arrossa: “It seems like we got dragged into the final with a little luck and a tailwind so we’re just happy to have made the final with the colt. Having a world champion jockey in Flores on your horse is a good thing. Our horse has shown a little talent but it seems that we’re in pretty tough on Saturday.”

4. Cers Final Try    7/2    Jockey Alfredo Sigala

     “We were only one-length behind the filly in the Ruidoso Derby and our horse didn’t break sharply in the final that day,” trainer Tony Sedillo said. “As long as we break like we’re supposed to I believe this horse can run her down. I would like to see them hooked up head-to-head and see what happens.”

5. Jess Sumokin Hot    9/2   Jockey Ricky Ramirez

    “He’s training great and came back fantastic from the trial,” trainer Duke Shults said. “We think he’s as good right now as he’s going to get—finished second by a neck to qualify so we know he’s competitive against some pretty powerful three-year-olds. We’re looking forward to it and hope he gets a clean trip down the race track.”

6. Dynast C 20-1  Jockey Adrian Ramos

    “This horse is as gutsy as you’ll find,” trainer Wes Giles said. “He’ll give you every effort and that’s what happened in the trial. He just kept after it and ran as hard as he could. I do think he’ll struggle with the 440-yard distance but we anticipate he’ll break with them—then we’ll have to see whether the horse can hold on.”

7. Apollitical J Wild 30-1   Jockey Paul Osbaldo Garcia

    “The filly is the Queen so we’re going to try and dethrone her,” trainer Salvador Soto quipped. “This horse suffered a hard bump coming out of the gates in his trial race and the rider said it cost him three strides to gather himself and start running again—and we still qualified for the final. He won the Ruidoso Derby consolation by running them down from behind. This is a true 440 horse and if we can just stay close early we can make it up in the final strides.”

8. He’s Back  8-1    Jockey Benito Baca

     “It’s clear we were outclassed in the trial by Hotsempting,” trainer John Stinebaugh said, “but we stuck around and got close enough to qualify. The filly (Hotsempting) is making a fourth start now and we’re all going 440-yards—that would be difficult to do for any horse—let alone a filly. This horse is going to improve off that last race and I believe we’ve got him right.”

9. Hotsempting 9/5 Jockey Esgar Ramirez

     “We feel blessed to be running with the boys out of the nine-hole,” trainer Sergio Ibarra said. “She’s set and ready to go. We stood her in the gates the other morning and Fernweh happened to be there at the same time—maybe they’ll meet again some day. Hotsempting is the number-one ranked three-year-old in the nation right now so they will all be gunning for her. She’s a professional in every way—always ready to compete and deserves to be in the Derby.”

10. KJ Mucho Macho Man 6-1 Jockey Alan Hernandez

     “It seems like this is the unluckiest race horse,” trainer Wes Giles said. “He’s always been either winning or near the front but in the wrong post or not in the right time of day to qualify. But if you look at his racing lines, the colt has never missed the board. We like that he’s on the outside of the filly—that will give him a target.”