The Haiku Handicapper Presented By NYRA Bets: 2022 Kentucky Derby

Time to analyze the 2022 Kentucky Derby field, in post position order, in the form of Haiku; a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

To read previous editions of The Haiku Handicapper, click here.

#1 – Mo Donegal
Copy/paste Zandon
Pretty much the same thing here
But less intriguing

#2 – Happy Jack
Least resistant path
To a stall in the big gate
He's gonna get thwomped

#3 – Epicenter
Best of Bourbon Street
Crushed this season's deepest prep
A “must” on tickets

#4 – Summer Is Tomorrow
Brave run in Dubai
But he hit a hard ceiling
Doubt he stays the trip

#5 – Smile Happy
Trending the right way
Feels more like a Preakness threat
But should run fine here

#6 – Messier
Did the class catch up
In his So-Cal second place
Or did he need one?

#7 – Crown Pride
Whether Dubai win
Or hometown Hyacinth dud
I've yet to be wowed

#8 – Charge It
Maturing quickly
But he fits the profile of
A Belmont winner

#9 – Tiz the Bomb
If Churchill burns down
And they move this to Turfway
He'd be worth a look

#10 – Zandon
Love his bravery
Tough race for a deep closer
If clear, he hits board

#11 – Pioneer of Medina
Needed defections
But Fair Grounds was deep this year
Could sneak a small check

#12 – Taiba
Hey, remember when
Zedan said he wouldn't run
If Bob wasn't here?

#13 – Simplification
A versatile style
But his class, distance limits
Are well short of this

#14 – Barber Road
Has some closing jets
That never have enough gas
He'd be an upset

#15 – White Abarrio
Unmatched at Gulfstream
Not sure how deep that group was
Foresee a step back

#16 – Cyberknife
He's grown up a lot
From his wide-run Lecomte dud
Worth examining

#17 – Classic Causeway
Came back from the bench
To run about as well as
The horse he nudged out

#18 – Tawny Port
Solved the dirt riddle
Not sure he's good enough here
But he'll win plenty

#19 – Zozos
He held on gamely
Once Epicenter blew by
Grits into top half

#20 – Ethereal Road
Third start in five weeks
Each harder, none on the board
He shouldn't be here

#21AE – Rich Strike
Hung on the fringes
In a weak Turfway platoon
An allowance horse

#22AE – Rattle N Roll
The wheels have come off
After such promise last year
It's not happening

Prediction
Epicenter is
Who everyone thought he was
Ten, twelve fill the tri