In the view of this corner, Game Winner was the favorite for the Kentucky Derby going into Saturday’s three major final prep races, even though he lost for the first time in his 3-year-old bow when nosed in the second division of the Rebel Stakes. And after Saturday’s preps, and despite the fact that he finished second yet again, in the view of this corner, Game Winner remains the favorite for the Derby, albeit a tepid one. Without intending to take a single thing away from Roadster, who was along to beat Game Winner by a half-length in the Santa Anita Derby in his second straight victory after returning from throat surgery, Game Winner ran a winning race in defeat Saturday. Again. That was the case in the Rebel on March 16, when Game Winner was beaten an inch off a 4 1/2 month layoff by Omaha Beach, who is indisputably one of the ones on the road to this Kentucky Derby. And that was most definitely the case in the Santa Anita Derby. :: DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with comments from Jay Privman and Mike Watchmaker Two things lead me to that conclusion. The first and most obvious is the fact that in a six-horse Santa Anita Derby field, Game Winner found a way to be four wide around both turns, while Roadster was two wide on the first turn and two to three wide on the far turn. (Right here, it should be noted that some might feel the outside was the place to be Saturday on Santa Anita’s main track. I understand. But I saw enough horses run reasonably well near the inside to leave me unconvinced a bias was in play.) The less obvious factor in the outcome of this Santa Anita Derby was Game Winner making his move into the second-fastest fraction of the race – a third quarter in 24.36 seconds. Roadster, meanwhile, was given a more patient ride and did not move into that relatively quick third quarter, and that left him with just enough in reserve late to get the money. The point here is, while Game Winner was clearly better than virtually all of his contemporaries last year when he was the undefeated 2-year-old male champion, that is no longer the case. While I’m not suggesting – yet – that Game Winner has been definitely overtaken by any member(s) of his division, the talent gap has certainly been narrowed. That means Game Winner can no longer expect to concede gobs of ground and make ill-timed moves, and still expect to get the job done. He’s still plenty good, he just needs a more considerate approach. As for Roadster, let’s give him credit for good work on Saturday. The pace of the Santa Anita Derby probably was a little quicker than it could have been given the abject lack of speed on paper, but the race in no way set up Roadster’s winning late charge. Let’s also not forget that in Roadster’s only loss – a third in the Del Mar Futurity before his throat operation – he was the 3-5 favorite against Game Winner. The Santa Anita Derby was a pretty clean race and so was the Blue Grass at Keeneland, won in decisive fashion by Vekoma. Vekoma, who showed real potential winning both of his starts last year and who finished a respectable third in the hot-paced Fountain of Youth off a four-month layoff in his first start this year, scored by 3 1/2 lengths after pressing the pace over a Keeneland main track that seemed very kind to speed. In other words, Vekoma raced with the grain of the track, which does temper his performance just a bit, as does the questionable overall quality of the Blue Grass field left in his wake. Win Win Win gets extra points for rallying from way back to get second in the Blue Grass while going against the grain of the track. Nevertheless, despite that and his third-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby, I’m still skeptical about Win Win Win’s real proficiency going long. In contrast to the Santa Anita Derby and Blue Grass, Saturday’s Wood Memorial was anything but a cleanly run race. Nik Juarez on Joevia took a left turn out of the gate from post 11 in the Wood, seemingly intent on the early lead and the rail. That would have been amusing if it weren’t so dangerous because in Joevia’s last start in the Private Terms Stakes, Juarez made no attempt whatsoever to go for the early lead, which handed an easy, uncontested lead to the heavily favored Alwaysmining, who then – predictably – went on to a romping score. And to add insult to injury, Reylu Gutierrez on Not That Brady came over sharply into the first turn, causing more checking. Many Wood horses were severely compromised in the early stages. I feel for you Overdeliver and Final Jeopardy. And seriously, Juarez should get lots of days because someone could have been badly injured as a result of his actions. But the only horse who was a victim in all the early roughhousing and who went on to any really meaningful running was Tacitus, which makes his Wood victory look all the stronger. Tacitus was squeezed and bumped hard in the initial stages due to the crush initiated by Joevia, but he bulled his way through into the semi-clear, only to have to check again into the first turn when Not That Brady slashed over. And yet, Tacitus still had it in him to outmuscle the blessedly clean-trip Tax through the stretch. We knew going into the Wood that Tacitus was pretty darn good off his win in the Tampa Bay Derby in his first start in four months, his first start going two turns, his first start against winners, and his first start in a stakes race. But now we know that Tacitus is also as tough as they come, and that’s a pretty potent mix. Notes: ► The combination Saturday of another impressive victory by Bellafina and another loss by last year’s champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk all but ensures Bellafina will be the clear favorite for the Kentucky Oaks. Although she was beating only three opponents, Bellafina was very good again romping in the Santa Anita Oaks. It was her sixth win from her last seven starts, with her only loss during that period coming in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, a fourth-place finish that looks more aberrational as time goes on. Jaywalk clinched her championship with her runaway score in the Juvenile Fillies, but her two outings since were nothing like that performance. She meekly surrendered when fourth in the Davona Dale in her 3-year-old bow, and she gave it up again finishing third in Saturday’s Ashland at Keeneland. Yes, Jaywalk set a strong Ashland pace under pressure, but let’s not forget she was going with the way the track was playing. And the strength of the Ashland is open to question, anyway. After all, it was won by Out for a Spin, the rank 52-1 outsider in the seven-horse field. And Out for a Spin was the one who put the early pressure on Jaywalk, and was likely carried by the track. ► If you want anyone out of the Ashland, it would have to be Restless Rider, who finished second, beaten a neck, in her first start in more than four months, and who closed against the grain of the track. ► That was a tremendous show Gift Box and McKinzie put on in the Santa Anita Handicap, finishing a nose apart in that order. I must admit, it’s stunning how Gift Box is thriving this way in California; he won the San Antonio in his first start out west. Gift Box made his first 13 career starts here in New York for trainer Chad Brown and while he always had potential, he was ultimately a profound disappointment. ► World of Trouble had to work hard to deliver at 4-5 in Aqueduct’s Carter, but I wouldn’t get down on him because of that. Even though World of Trouble had two prior wins at the Carter distance of seven furlongs, those wins came against weak company in Tampa and I don’t consider them definitive. I don’t believe seven furlongs is World of Trouble’s best trip, nor do I believe rating this wickedly fast colt, the tactics employed Saturday, is the best approach for him. ► I don’t get jazzed by turf sprinters too often, but Imprimis was most impressive winning the Shakertown at Keeneland, running down a very well meant Bound for Nowhere despite stumbling badly at the start.