Combing the Backside in Search of the Next Big Horse LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As the sun rose above the iconic Twin Spires on Tuesday, the backside at Churchill Downs began to come alive. Owners and trainers made small talk with reporters, and fans lined the rail to catch a glimpse and snap a picture of their favorite Derby and Oaks horses. "Verrazano looks lethargic," one bystander said of the probable Kentucky Derby favorite. His friend agreed. "I got my eye on Normandy Invasion," he replied. Such scenes played out across the backside as the horses flew past on the racetrack. Experts and amateurs alike examined the horses, discussed their theories and made their picks. But predictions aside, most knew better: with a 20-horse field, the Derby is as much about luck as about talent. "I've seen really great horses get completely blown out in the Derby," said the Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who will not saddle a Derby horse for the first time since 2008. You just never know. The Rail's contributors know this well. In the days leading to the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby, our cast of reporters, handicappers and fans will help sort through the field and the story lines. There are certainly some big ones this year. Kevin Krigger, aboard Goldencents, is attempting to become the first black jockey to win the Derby since Jimmy Winkfield in 1902. Doug O'Neill, Goldencents's trainer, won last year's Derby with I'll Have Another. Rosie Napravnik, aboard Mylute, will try to become the first woman to ride to victory on the First Saturday in May. Gary Stevens, 50, who left his job as a TV analyst and is in the midst of a successful comeback, will ride Oxbow for the Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. And those are just the people. The horses have stories as well. The Wood Memorial winner Verrazano is undefeated but did not race as a 2-year-old. The last Derby winner who did not race at 2 was Apollo in 1882. Kevin Scatuorchio, co-manager of Verrazano's ownership group, Let's Go Stable, was on the backside Tuesday. He wore a Yankees cap and projected confidence in the colt named after the bridge that connects Brooklyn with Staten Island. On Monday, the Florida Derby winner Orb was the talk of the backside after he turned in a bullet work for another Hall of Fame trainer, Shug McGaughey. Orb is owned by Dinny Phipps and Stuart Janney III, first cousins and prominent members of the first family of horse racing. For all the success that members of the Phipps family have had in the sport, a Derby victory has remained elusive. After the horses returned to their barns for a post-workout bath, the crowd dispersed and the tractors readied the track for the day's racing card. The scene will spring to life again Wednesday morning, and there will be new theories and new "it" horses. We will be there to sort through the noise, and, as always, we welcome your insight. Here's to another captivating Triple Crown season. As they say in Louisville, Happy Derby.