With two weeks remaining before the start of the Sim Triple Crown (and also, with precious little left in the universe to parody after last week in <\/SPAN> At this particular stage in the three-year-old silly season, the Bluegrass Derby field typically is set in stone.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Most of the main contenders in the top 20 have had their final starts before the Bluegrass Derby, and those who are on the fence about making the trip two weeks hence are about to decide whether or not they want to try a mile-and-a-quarter at this time.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This weekend, there are two potential Derby runners who are praying that someone changes their minds about running in Kentucky, while also hoping their own charges run well enough to boost their ranking enough to guarantee a spot in the field in a fortnight.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>For the connections of Crafty Cyclone, ranked #30, and Dark Princes, #22, this race is fraught with fear, dread, and potential exhilaration.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>It is also fraught with a couple of late-developing threats that hope to establish themselves on the scene as future threats.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The good news is that the Middle Jewel is always a great backup plan in four weeks, but the leading contenders hope to raise their profiles on the main stage before then. The field: Intergalactic<\/SPAN><\/B> [Aptitude x Unbridled], trained by eddie72<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s 3-for-5 with a pair of stakes wins, with an impressive victory in a <\/SPAN> Elusive Infinity<\/SPAN><\/B> [Elusive Quality-Otto Infinity, by Danehill], trained by 2die4<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s been a busy campaigner, with eleven starts under his belt.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He comes up just a little shy on performance, with only two wins, but he\u2019s hit the board six times, so he can be consistent.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He came much too late in the Corkscrew, finishing a belated fourth and earning a 92 for the stretch kick.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He also was a hard-charging second in the Grade III Myocardial Infarction three back, earning a career-high 94.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He should like to sit mid-pack and wait for the last half-mile before beginning to move, though he can sit near the lead and aid in the pace scenario, yet despite the solid results in graded company, he seems a bit behind a developmental curve with some of these.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019ll be in the mix, but seems to have tailed off somewhat in recent times. Tapit From Behind<\/SPAN><\/B> [Tapit-Kaladan Too(<\/SPAN> Bourbon St. Blues(<\/SPAN><\/B> Josheba<\/SPAN><\/B> [Alysheba-Lady Jo Ann, by Saint Ballado], trained by coroner<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In case you were waiting for it, here\u2019s your first potential pace influence.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This latecomer to the party is starting to impress, with a front-running win in an <\/SPAN> Genocide Junkies<\/SPAN><\/B> [Louis Quatorze x Valid Appeal], trained by sdmf1<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Here\u2019s a hard-luck horse for ya.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This colt has been injured twice within four starts dating back to last fall, earning a speed fig of 6 in an allowance two back, and a 13 in a restricted allowance four back.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>But each time, he\u2019s bounced back hard: after the first injury, he returned to win his maiden with a 90 off a thirteen-week layoff, and after the last one, he was a fast-closing third in a NW2L, earning a 93 off a nine-week layoff.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s certainly well-rested, and comes back harder than before when fresh, but he makes an open-stakes debut in a tough Grade II affair featuring some highly talented colts, and with his trend towards needing a long recuperative period every other start fresh in the past performances, it raises a few red flags.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He hasn\u2019t been too far away from the lead each time out, and should make his own late run here, but it certainly looks to be too much, too soon for this colt in this spot. Joe\u2019s Boy<\/SPAN><\/B> [Silver Ghost-Their Fires, by Wavering Monarch], trained by epsom<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s been busy this spring, with five starts under his belt already in 2006.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>And he\u2019s done well for himself, winning a leg of the USA Vs The Rest Of The World Challenge two back.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>But his test for class was the Equinics in February, and that resulted in a twelth, where he was always outrun.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He did earn a second to start the year in an Ascot stakes, coming from off the pace to get there, but his abilities at this distance fall under strict scrutiny, and based on his recent form, it might be asking a bit much here coming off a couple of mile allowances (while he won that restricted allowance two back, he lacked the needed late response late last out). Azroc Red N Yellow<\/SPAN><\/B> [Green Desert x Diesis(GB)], trained by cjt<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Another late bloomer, this colt initially looked like a solid grass horse, but he has developed into a very good sophomore on dirt.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He was third last out in the Corkscrew, which probably looks a little better on paper than in practice, as he was gaining only nominal ground on the winner late and every time he started to close, someone else knocked the wind out of him.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He can appreciate these middle distances, as he won a Kentucky race at the end of 2005, but nine furlongs remains a question mark for his abilities.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The 93 in the Corkscrew is a solid number for him, and he did manage to close two back in a mile-and-a-sixteenth stakes in Iowa, but at the graded level, it remains to be seen if he can effectively close the deal going this distance. Tricky Nate<\/SPAN><\/B> [Tiznow-Oh Boy Linda, by Regal Classic], trained by kneeboot<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I know some tricky Nates in my time, but I don\u2019t know a lot about this newcomer, with just four starts in his career, all coming this year.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s grown fond of routes in a hurry, with a game fourth last out at this distance, which followed up a entry-level allowance win going seven-and-a-half furlongs.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>That allowance win earned a 90, and the follow-up allowance got him a fig of 91, but there are just way too many unknowns about him at this level to recommend.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>It should be said, though, that his ever-improving numbers keep him a factor among these, and he should be coming from off the pace in here.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>It\u2019s ambitious placement, and the biggest journeys do have to start somewhere. Dark Princes<\/SPAN><\/B> [Empire Maker x Wild Again], trained by super27<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This colt is the main focus here, as he\u2019s currently on the outside looking in, in terms of the division rankings—#22 won\u2019t get you into a field of twenty without there being some defections to guarantee your inclusion.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Maybe his name should have been Alwaysabridesmaid—as in, \u201c\u2026never a bride\u201d; he has an almost-terminal case of seconditis.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He was a hard-charging second in the Grade II Easy Goer last out (earning him a strong 96 fig), had a tantalizing near-miss second in the Equinics (a strong 102, the best overall number in the field), and was a head short in his season debut in Maine (a 95), but he hasn\u2019t won a race since last October.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Is this the time for him?\u00a0 <\/SPAN>As pointed out in the Bluegrass Derby Watch<\/A>, he\u2019ll need to hit the board to guarantee a spot in the Derby in two weeks.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>A good closing kick in this field should get him what he needs, but even with that stretch drive putting him in good stead, there\u2019s the matter of getting the distance.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s not been able to step it up going nine furlongs (he was a belated fourth his only try in Dubai two back), and the series of near-misses when he\u2019s constantly done well enough at this high level to get up to #22 can\u2019t help but lead on to believe that he might not want to be a part of anything being nine furlongs.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Nevertheless, among these, the stage is set for him to get the points and cash needed to cement a spot in the Derby. Crafty Cyclone<\/SPAN><\/B> [Crafty Prospector x Gone West], trained by ydracing<\/I><\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This is the other headliner, and this colt is another one who conceivably could be left on the outside looking in of the Derby picture, if that\u2019s been on the minds of his connections.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Ranked #30, he\u2019ll likely need a lot of help to get him into any of the Sim Triple Crown events, and a strong performance here ain\u2019t gonna hurt, either. \u00a0<\/SPAN>He came from way out of the action to be fifth in the Grade I Green Monkey last out; his solid closing dash got him a 95 fig.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>His best efforts came on a graded level last year, when he was twice graded-placed as a juvenile.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The pedigree doesn\u2019t immediately suggest distance, although Gone West could stay a distance of ground, and Crafty Prospectors are considered to be solid sires of middle-distance horses, but this colt and his come-from-nowhere late run are well-suited to the distance.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He won the Six Index two back while maintaining closer contact with the field; a repeat of that is not terribly likely with the lack of early pressure expected, but his long strides in the lane make him a serious factor among these three-year-olds, and he\u2019s the immediate main foe of Dark Princes<\/B>. Lunar Cleansing<\/SPAN><\/B> [Awesome Again-High Voltage(<\/SPAN>