It’s Florida Derby Week, the 5-week marker on the 2021 Kentucky Derby trail. With the news that last week’s consensus No. 1 Life Is Good will miss the Triple Crown series, things have shaken up among the prospects.

Our resident historians and handicappers with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet check back in with their late-March Top 10 contenders for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. We’ve included the projected next start for each horse in parentheses (subject to change).

Jeff Siegel // @jsiegelracing

#1 Essential Quality (Blue Grass)
#2 Greatest Honour (Florida Derby)
#3 Concert Tour (Arkansas Derby)
#4 Hot Rod Charlie (Kentucky Derby)
#5 Medina Spirit (Santa Anita Derby)
#6 Risk Taking (Wood Memorial)
#7 Collaborate (Florida Derby)
#8 Prevalence (Wood, Blue Grass or Arkansas Derby)
#9 Rock Your World (Santa Anita Derby)
#10 Helium (Kentucky Derby)

Jon White // @PostTimeJon

#1 Essential Quality (Blue Grass)
#2 Concert Tour (Arkansas Derby)
#3 Hot Rod Charlie (Kentucky Derby)
#4 Greatest Honour (Florida Derby)
#5 Medina Spirit (Santa Anita Derby)
#6 Spielberg (Florida Derby)
#7 Midnight Bourbon (Kentucky Derby)
#8 Keepmeinmind (Arkansas Derby)
#9 Risk Taking (Wood Memorial)
#10 Dream Shake (Santa Anita Derby)


John DeSantis // @XBJohnnyD

#1 Concert Tour (Arkansas Derby)
#2 Essential Quality (Blue Grass)
#3 Greatest Honour (Florida Derby)
#4 Hot Rod Charlie (Kentucky Derby)
#5 Medina Spirit (Santa Anita Derby)
#6 Spielberg (Florida Derby)
#7 Midnight Bourbon (Kentucky Derby)
#8 Roman Centurian (Santa Anita Derby or Wood Memorial)
#9 Highly Motivated (Wood Memorial)
#10 O Besos (Kentucky Derby)


Jeremy Plonk // @HorsePlayerNow

#1 Concert Tour (Arkansas Derby)
#2 Essential Quality (Blue Grass)
#2 Greatest Honour (Florida Derby)
#4 Medina Spirit (Santa Anita Derby)
#5 Hot Rod Charlie (Kentucky Derby)
#6 Proxy (Kentucky Derby)
#7 Midnight Bourbon (Kentucky Derby)
#8 Prevalence (Wood, Blue Grass or Arkansas Derby)
#9 Risk Taking (Wood Memorial)
#10 Hozier (Arkansas Derby or Santa Anita Derby)