KENTUCKY DERBY CONTENDERS- Ete Indien

Welcome back to Kentucky Derby Contenders on Saratoga Springs Racing. Today, we will look into 3rd place in the standings, Ete Indien. On Saturday, we will be posting Oaklawn park predictions, and on Sunday, we will either do Gulfstream park picks or we will do another Derby Contender Profile. Let us know your preference.


Ete Indien is a Summer Front son who was the winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and was the runner up in the Holy Bull (G3). Ete Indien most recently finished 3rd in the Florida Derby (G1) behind potential Derby favorite, Tiz the Law. Ete Indien has won over $350,000 in purse money in his career. Now, let's watch some of his races from his career.

I thought that Ete Indien ran respectable in this race, but nothing special. He had a bad post (12) on the outside, which forced him to use quite a bit of energy to avoid going super wide around the turn. I also thought he made his move a bit too early, and could have waited a bit longer to challenge Tiz the Law. In the Holy Bull, Ete Indien again ran well, but he was no match for Tiz the Law, finishing second place. He ran well, under some solid fractions, and he has been running close to the best horse in the entire field by far. We will ignore the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes for Ete Indien, because this was a turf race, and he obviously runs a lot better on dirt.

This race was no joke, as some very solid horses such as As Seen on TV and Dennis' Moment were running in this race. It was a very impressive win, wire to wire, in a tough post position. Ete Indien just put these horses away easily, which leads me to believe that he is the second best horse in the Derby, behind Tiz the Law. However, I think that there is a chance that Ete Indien could run away with the Derby. For many years now, speed has dominated the derby, Maximum Security should have won the Derby (except for a ridiculous disqualification), American Pharaoh won the derby very close up on the pace. Nyquist won the derby very close up on the pace, and so did Always Dreaming. Ete Indien could also possibly get sloppy conditions, which could help him go wire to wire. Realistically though, he will probably fade to second or third, just like he did when he faced Tiz the Law in the past. I would strongly consider to play him though in a trifecta or exacta, as he is one of the best horses in the races, and might be considered the best horse if Tiz the Law did not exist.