OAKLAWN Park offers two Derbys for the price of one tonight as the Arkansas Derby takes up the first Saturday in May slot usually occupied by the Kentucky Derby. The race has been split into two divisions as 22 horses were originally entered last Sunday, but we now have two races of nine runners each. Not surprisingly Bob Baffert supplies the favourite in both divisions.

Charlatan, with Martin Garcia on board, is even money on the morning line for the first division ahead of Gouverneur Morris and Anneau d’Or.

And in a more competitive second division another Baffert colt, Nadal, is the 5/2 favourite under Joel Rosario. King Guillermo is the second favourite and Wells Bayou the third choice.

Charlatan heads the betting despite the colt not having contested a graded race yet. The son of Speightstown won a maiden and an allowance race but achieved a good speed figure in impressive victories.

Todd Pletcher’s Constitution colt Gouverneur Morris is the danger after the grey showed promise when behind three-year-old division leader Tiz The Law in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

Unbeaten Nadal, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Storm The Court, Tampa Bay Derby winner King Guillermo and Louisiana Derby winner Wells Bayou make division two more competitive.

The Baffert colt is favourite after winning his three races this year. He made his debut in a January maiden at Santa Anita and moved on swiftly to win the Grade 2 San Vicente and then the Grade 2 Rebel here in mid-March.

“We’re just fortunate and just grateful that they split it and we get to run them there and keep them separated,” Baffert said. “I really did not want to run them together.”

King Guillermo, an Uncle Mo colt, was very impressive in beating Sole Volante in Tampa and may be a bigger danger than Brad Cox’s Lookin At Lucky colt Wells Bayou. Storm The Court needs to step up on his two Santa Anita runs this year, only fourth behind Nadal and then third to another Baffert colt in Authentic last time in the Grade 2 San Felipe.

Some of last season’s top three-year-olds return in the Oaklawn Handicap over nine furlongs, including Tacitus and Improbable.

Juddmonte’s Tacitus deserves a big win after placing in four Grade 1s – the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup – after winning the Tampa Bay Derby and Wood Memorial.

He returned with a fifth place in the Saudi Cup.

Improbable was a Grade 1 winner at two and was second last time in the Oaklawn Mile here to Tom’s d’Etat.

Bravazo ran in all the Triple Crown races at three and was placed in the Haskell, Travers and Clark Handicap but lost his way a bit last year.