Mike Brunker Horse racing editor • Profile • E-mail

It’s that time of year where horseplayers are making lists, checking them far more than twice and constantly reordering them as their early picks for the Kentucky Derby bubble up, get knocked down a peg or drop out of the picture altogether.

In addition to being fun and sparking discussions with other fans, lists serve a purpose, particularly if you keep the old ones and go back to see how your thinking — and that of other alleged experts — has changed over the months.

That can lead to some huge rewards on the first Saturday in May and beyond, when talented 3-year-olds toss in clunkers, then bounce back to their true potential. One of the best examples of this from recent years is the whopping $51 payout on 1995 Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch, who captured the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby before flopping in the Blue Grass Stakes.

My list already has undergone a few revisions this spring, with Eskendereya and Awesome Act briefly occupying the top slot as I waited for 2-year-old champ Lookin at Lucky to begin his 3-year-old campaign. He did so Saturday in the Rebel Stakes (Gr. 2) at Oaklawn Park and is back on top on my ledger. But with a little more than six weeks remaining until the Derby, I’ll be surprised if I don’t shuffle the order a few more times before the horses reach the starting gate at Churchill Downs.

Here is my current Top 10:

Lookin at Lucky: This Bob Baffert-trained colt is back on top of my list off his very determined victory in the Rebel Stakes (Gr. 2). I liked the determination last year’s Juvenile Eclipse Award winner demonstrated, as he was crowded and bumped early, had to check off another horse’s heels in the middle of the race and still had enough energy to wear down Noble’s Promise in the final stride. He’s expected to run once more before the Derby, in either the Wood Memorial (Gr. 1) at Aqueduct on April 3 or the Arkansas Derby (Gr. 2) on April 10.

Eskendereya: Unlike Ponce de Leon, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt found the Fountain of Youth, romping to an 8 1/2-length victory in the Gulfstream Park prep. We still don’t know how he’ll react if he receives a stiff challenge in the later stages of a race. We should learn more when he returns to action Saturday in the Florida Derby (Gr. 1).

Awesome Act: The European invader lived up to his name in the Gotham Stakes (Gr. 3) at Aqueduct, turning in an ultra-professional performance in his first start on the dirt. That wasn’t the toughest field in the world, but colt did it easily and his trainer Jeremy Nosada is one of the best on the other side of the pond. He’ll probably race next in the Wood Memorial.

Discreetly Mine: Triumphed in the Risen Star Stakes (Gr. 2) at the Fair Grounds when stretched out in his second start of the year, turning back the lightly raced but very talented Tempted to Tapit. The son of Mineshaft, who adds to Pletcher’s strong hand for the Triple Crown, is expected to surface next in the Louisiana Derby (Gr. 2) on March 27.

Odysseus: Somehow got up in the last possible second to capture the weirdly run Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday. The Tom Albertrani trainee appeared to lose focus or be intimidated exiting the far turn, dropping back and appearing to be beaten. But he found another gear in the stretch and rallied to win by a desperate nostril over Schoolyard Dreams. That suggests he can still get better if he learns to concentrate. No word yet on where he’ll run next.

Alphie’s Bet: He looked good annexing the postponed Sham Stakes (Gr. 3) on March 6 for trainer Alexis Barbra, who is running so hot with her small stable that she’s threatening to ignite a barn fire at Hollywood Park. Let’s see how he handles the deeper waters of the Santa Anita Derby (Gr. 1) on April 3 in his next start.

Sidney’s Candy: Wired the San Felipe Stakes (Gr. 2) at Santa Anita on Saturday and looked good doing it. I liked the burst he exhibited at the top of the stretch, and jockey Joe Talamo didn’t push him hard in the late stages. He’s also expected to run next in the Santa Anita Derby for trainer John Sadler.

Conveyance: Baffert’s second-stringer ain’t shabby, with victories in the San Rafael Stakes (Gr. 3) at Santa Anita and the Southwest Stakes (Gr. 3) at Oaklawn this spring. He’s expected to run next in the Sunland Derby in New Mexico on March 28.

Make Music for Me: My “sleeper” horse so far this spring, this colt won for the first time in his career in the Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita on March 6. The Pasadena, a one-mile turf race, isn’t a typical stop on the road to the Kentucky Derby, but Barbra was able to use this race for his 3-year-old debut because the son of Bernstein finished on the board in three graded stakes last year. Another headed for the Santa Anita Derby.

Noble’s Promise: Kenny McPeek trainee finished second in the Rebel Stakes, a head behind Lookin at Lucky. He didn’t have the trouble that the winner had, but he wouldn’t need to improve much to turn the tables on my top pick. And he's a popular little son-of-a-gun, with more than 400 fans on his Facebook page! He's likely to return in the Arkansas Derby.

Tempted to Tapit: Blew away many observers with a scintillating 11-length maiden victory when blinkers were added at Aqueduct on Jan. 18, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 100. The Steve Klesaris-trained runner then ran a good second to Discreetly Mine in the Risen Star. Still has plenty of upside and could turn the tables if he continues to improve. Might be headed to the Louisiana Derby.

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That’s my lineup. What’s yours? Click here to send me e-mail listing your favorite Derby candidates and I’ll run a Hoofbeat fan consensus with some featured comments next week.

In the meantime, I’d recommend checking the mother of all Derby lists — the Paulick Derby Index — compiled by Ray Paulick of the Paulickreport.com. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the individual lists of all 29 handicappers tracked by the index.