Trying to figure out who's going to win the Kentucky Derby at about the time all 2-year-olds become 3-year-olds is like trying to predict how next season's Lakers will do in the post-Kobe era.
But that doesn't keep some of the guesswork from starting. So, checking with a few of the Derby hopefuls that will be stabled — and likely run — at Santa Anita seems totally appropriate.
The early favorite, and likely Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old, is Nyquist. His connections are familiar, as trainer Doug O'Neill and owner Paul Reddam entered 2012 with the same Derby aspirations with I'll Have Another.