Family and Connections: Sire - War Pass; Dam - Runup the Colors; trained by Todd Pletcher; rider Calvin Borel; owner Winstar Farm.
Pros: After four attempts to break his maiden, Revolutionary won the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in his only two starts this year; both victories at a margin of a neck. In his Withers win, Revolutionary came up between two horses deep into the stretch. In the Louisiana Derby, Revolutionary was very wide on the turn into the stretch, bunched in a pack with others, but kept moving forward when challenged. In both victories, he showed a confidence and a maturity not often seen in a colt this early in his three-year-old season.
Cons: With two victories at a margin of only a neck, it’s hard to say if this horse could have a problem going the 1 ¼ mile distance in the Kentucky Derby or if he’ll be able to fend off a field of 20 talented runners.
Fun Fact: The trio of Todd Pletcher, Calvin Borel, and Winstar Farm teamed to win the 2010 Kentucky Derby with Super Saver in the slop. On that day it poured almost all day long, but when the horses came onto the track for the Derby, the clouds parted and the sun shined through.
Analysis: With the fearless rail-rider Calvin Borel aboard on a horse that also seems to have no fear, the pair could be unstoppable. Revolutionary likes to stalk the pace and has produced good speed figures in his previous starts, so post position likely won’t matter and if ever there were a horse to save ground and skip up the rail to victory, it’s Revolutionary.
