Barbaro shows he's the country's best 3-year-old

Key Moment

	Barbaro became the sixth undefeated Kentucky Derby winner, following Smarty Jones in 2004. Bill Frakes/SI
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The scariest moment for Barbaro came right at the start, as the big bay colt took two bad steps and stumbled coming out of the gate. He showed his athletic ability by regaining his stride in just a few jumps, then promptly rushing up to join the leaders. From that point on, he just rolled. Said jockey Edgar Prado afterwards, "From the beginning, he was in command of the race."

Racing Strategy

The 132nd Kentucky Derby played out just as many people expected, with speed horses Keyed Entry, Sinister Minister and Sharp Humor setting a fast, enervating pace. Those three colts zipped through the first ¼ mile in 22.63 seconds, and the first ½ in 46.07 -- not a suicidal rate, but not jogging, either. Barbaro showed that the stalking form he displayed in winning all five of his lifetime starts was not a fluke. He stayed about five lengths off the lead, saving ground by racing two wide around the first turn and down the backstretch. When Prado asked him for more run at the 5/16 pole, the colt began to roll. The rider sat chilly on him all the way through the stretch, showing Barbaro the whip, but never using it.

Big Disappointment

The three horses entered by three-time Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert, who many railbirds believed was in very good position to win the Run for the Roses again. Bob and John, Point Determined and Sinister Minister had all shown talent in the months leading up to the Derby, and the conventional wisdom on the backstretch all week was that if Sinister Minister didn't hold on to win from the front, then one of the other two colts would be flying at the end. Instead, Point Determined (ninth place) started in mid-pack and finished there; Sinister Minister (16th) faltered after getting outrun by Keyed Entry through the first ¾ of a mile; and Bob and John (17th) managed only a mild early bid before reversing gears.

Preakness Prospects

It's hard to believe there will be a new horse in Baltimore who will be able to challenge Barbaro in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. In winning the Derby, Barbaro crushed a 20-horse field that included every star in the 3-year-old division (save for the injured Stevie Wonderboy). And, after the five-week layoff he enjoyed following the Florida Derby, he's a fresh horse. Trainer Michael Matz has his colt well prepared to end racing's 28-year Triple Crown drought. Can he? That remains to be seen. What is clear right now is that Barbaro is by far the best 3-year-old in the country.