Not one major handicapper has Bob Black Jack on their radar. There are twenty horses in the Kentucky Derby, and he isn’t even in the top ten. That may be a mistake, and if his pedigree boasted A.P. Indy, he would certainly be higher on the list.

True, he does not have the running style you like to see in the Derby. He will face a swift pace, and may be nothing more than a pace casualty. He also has never run on dirt, so no one knows what to make of that.

He does have grit and determination, and has already outrun his pedigree. He may sit right behind Big Brown, and could come out fighting down the stretch. He almost won the San Felipe, but Georgie Boy (who just may be California’s best three year old) beat him to the wire. He fought Gayego gamely for second and lost to the budding superstar by a hard fought neck. Then Colonel John stormed past him in the Santa Anita Derby, and he is the second choice currently to wear the roses. His only question mark, like Bob Black Jack is the dirt, but he still rates in most people’s top ten. So why not Bob?

Bob may very well be this year’s Hard Spun, and while it is easy to imagine a scenario in where he gets beat, he also may be a horse not to leave off the exotics. What makes the story of Bob Black Jack so much better is that he was bought for a mere $4500. He has earned $450,000 now, outrun his meager pedigree and goes to the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby, an afterthought to some. Synthetics are not kind to speed horses, and yet Bob Black Jack has run well on them. Some would have left him at the sprint distances, and he still may go back to that, and emerge as Sprint Champ this year. Still, he deserves a spot in the Derby, and may just be tougher than everyone thinks. He has already done more than anyone expected him to do, and wherever he finishes in the Derby this year, has certainly deserves respect. California certainly wins in the consistency department this year, and it would be no surprise at all to see one from the West taking the big prize Saturday.