Baffert can't split Kentucky Derby pair Bob Baffert is finding it difficult to be sure which of his two Kentucky Derby contenders is the best as he prepares to saddle American Pharoah and Dortmund in the feature at Churchill Downs tonight. American Pharoah is the ante-post favourite having been beaten once in five starts, winning three Grade Ones, with his most recent triumph coming in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park last month when he ran out a comfortable eight-length victor. The unbeaten Dortmund follows his stablemate in the market with two Grade One triumphs already on his CV, including his win in the Santa Anita Derby, and Baffert admits it is hard to split the pair. He said: "I don't know what was behind him (American Pharoah) in the Arkansas Derby. Dortmund has been running against better horses. I think the California horses are pretty tough this year. I watch them work at Santa Anita. "We know Pharoah is a brilliant horse from what he did in California in the morning. But they are both good horses. They are pretty close. These horses have to get their trips. "Maybe Dortmund is the horse. We don't know. I don't know how good he is. And the further the better it's going to be for him. He loves this track. He's tough. We know Pharoah is brilliant from what he's done. He gallops around there and he really hasn't had to break a sweat." American Pharoah has been drawn wide, starting in stall 18 of 20 runners, with Dortmund in eight. The duo's main market rival is Carpe Diem, who is one of two runners for Todd Pletcher, along with Materiality. The handler withdrew his third contender, Stanford, on Thursday, which means outsider Frammento now gets a run. Godolphin will be represented by Frosted, winner of the Grade One Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on his most recent outing. Trainer Kieren McLaughlin said: "It's a lifelong dream, especially to be here with Godolphin. All 19 other owners deserve to win the race, but no one more than Sheikh Mohammed for his commitment and passion for the thoroughbred industry. I mean, no one has done more for our game, so it would be great to win for him." Mike de Kock fields highly impressive UAE Derby winner Mubtaahij - but he admits it is hard to weigh up the chances of Christophe Soumillon's mount. He said: "I suppose he is a mystery. He hasn't run in North America. The whole Carnival thing is a mystery and the horses he ran against. It's hard to get a handle on him - why he can, why he can't." Former Newmarket trainer Simon Callaghan has a live chance in Firing Line, who won last month's Sunland Derby by 14 and a half lengths - a verdict which was somewhat unexpected. He said: "Well, as a trainer, you'd prefer to have an 'easy' race for your horse coming into one like this. We thought we could do well in that race, but we were a bit surprised by just how well he did. "I've never had a horse win a stakes race by that far; maybe another kind of race, but not a stakes. It was a confidence builder for him and we're glad for that."
