Derby Spotlight: Tacitus

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The fact that Bill Mott saw for it enter this guy in the Tampa Bay Derby off a four- month layoff speaks volumes about the confidence he has in this son of Grade I winner Close Hatches. The fact that Tacitus won that race says a lot about his ability. And then he comes back and takes the Wood Memorial. That makes three wins in four starts, and no matter how you slice it, he’s a win contender in the Kentucky Derby.

If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago if Tacitus was going to be a big part of my Derby bets, I’d have told you no. But as we draw closer, and as other top contenders slip down my list, Tacitus has moved up. He’s just a difficult horse to knock. I don’t particularly love his running style for the Kentucky Derby. But this just may be a case where his ability can go a long way towards overcoming a possible less-than-fast pace or some traffic issues. As I have said before, I like my Derby contenders to be forwardly placed. And Tacitus probably won’t be. But I’m warming up to him based on what I’ve seen in the replays.

On the other hand, I don’t think either the Tampa Bay Derby nor the Wood were all that tough. I don’t think he’s beaten much. I know some people like Tax and others think Win Win Win is a sneaky bomb for the Derby. But I’m mostly against both of them.

With more than week until Derby Day, a lot can change. But at the moment, I’lll be using him. I’ve been trying to figure out which two of the top choices would be on or near the top of my tickets. And I think he’s one of them.