Classic Countdown

It is a case of "one down, one more to go" as Real Madrid won La Liga, the Los Blancos being heavily tipped to land the title in these pages for a long time. The other one, Man City for the EPL, currently looks a good shout as well, although it is by no means a certainty as their next travel to Newcastle will certainly determine the destiny of the title.

The first Saturday of May one of the most exciting of any year as one side of the Atlantic holds the Kentucky Derby and the other one the 2000 Guineas. Just last year, Frankel gave a scintillating display for the ages in trouncing his contemporaries in the Newmarket classic. The focus this year has been on Camelot who's not put a foot wrong in his 2-year old campaign, not least winning the Racing Post Trophy in a canter. Will he do a St Nicholas Abbey and flop? That is the main question.

The other question is how good is Born To Sea, the half-brother to superstar Sea The Stars? His trainer John Oxx would not send him across the Irish Sea if he thought he'd be going to the wolves. One thing is certain, his pedigree suggests that Born To Sea will have been born with speedier genes than his half-brother and if a mile on soft ground is within his realm, he will be a major player on Saturday.

Stateside, it's the countdown to the Triple Crown race they all want to win, the Kentucky Derby. This looks a very close affair as well with at least 5 main protagonists in my cards; Bodemeister,  Union Rags, Gemologist, Creative Cause and Alpha. I think the winner will come from this group, unless there is an extreme outsider out there that is destined for a good day. Powerhouses Godolphin and Coolmore are represented in this year's race, it would be something if one of them were to land this.

Track and weather conditions are bound to play a big role in these Classics come Saturday; I'll be more confident on my selections as we get close to race-day.