Derby offers interesting take on Pace

Summary: With the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby drawing near, gamblers, bookies and fans alike are trying to identify who are the pretenders and who are the contenders. Last year at this time, Giacomo was a pretender, and since hindsight is 20/20, what a horse!

This year, strong convictions are starting to mount about who is a logical pick and who might be considered a "Budweiser Longshot." A few horses to keep an eye onfrom this fan's point of view are Brother Derek, Lawyer Ron, Barbaro and Sweetnorthersaint. Let's start with the probable favorite, but first, let me remind you that the post-time favorite has only cantered into the winner's circle twice since 1979. Fusaichi Pegasus did it in 2000, and Smarty Jones did it in 2004. So, as probable as some of these horses may sound, it's a statistic that does merit serious consideration. It makes it even more intriguing with the 20-horse field likely for this year's running of the roses. Brother Derek, the Cecil Peacock-owned and Dan Hendricks-trained horse, is a monster. His last outing, a 3 and