Barbaro won Kentucky Derby 132 having not raced in five weeks, the first time that had been done since Needles a half-century earlier. So which of these top contenders is most likely to eliminate a “Derby Rule” this year?

– Curlin didn’t race as a 2-year-old, and has only three lifetime starts.

– Street Sense is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and Eclipse Award champion, and has had only two preps this season.

– Hard Spun has been away 6 weeks.

– Circular Quay has never raced beyond 1 1/16 miles, has been away 8 weeks, and like Street Sense, has had only two preps.

I give the narrow advantage to Curlin. He has been so brilliant in all three lifetime starts, and we may not have yet seen his best.

Circular Quay would be more appealing if the two preps were by original design, but the fact he was penciled in to the Wood and then passed is a bit troubling.

Street Sense has looked sensational in races where he has been able to rally through openings along the fence, but seemed lost in the middle of the track in the Blue Grass. What are the chances Calvin is able to skim the wood this time around like he did last fall?

Hard Spun failed to handle the Oaklawn surface, and while has has apparently gotten over the Churchill strip satisfactorily in recent works, the track he encounters come Derby Day may be a bit different.