WANT to know about the Triple Crown in January?

Simple. Make three columns. Title them Established, Developing, Dreaming.

And get ready to shuffle quicker than a Las Vegas blackjack dealer.

The best of the newly turned three-year-old crop stand established at the top, they’re moving toward their sophomore debuts. The undefeated Nyquist, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will get back to work in the San Vicente at Santa Anita February 15th.

The undefeated Mohaymen, winner of the Remsen, will return in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park today. Champagne winner Greenpointcrusader, who showed stamina while running late in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile could clash with Mohaymen.

Allowance winners Cherry Wine, Conquest Big E and Awesome Speed could wind up there as well, in the deepest three-year-old prep so far.

Your three columns could look very different after this one.

So, if you’re keeping score, Mohaymen is established, Greenpointcrusader is straddling the line between established and developing while Cherry Wine, Conquest Big E and Awesome Speed volley for position in the developing column.

On a side note, Swipe, second to Nyquist in four consecutive stakes starts last year, had ankle surgery, so perhaps put him in the established column and the dreaming column, established form but dreaming to get back in time for the Triple Crown. Swipe’s trainer, Keith Desormeaux, trains Exaggerator who’s firmly in the developing category.

As always, Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert hold the most cards. Pletcher plays his hand from the east coast, while Baffert holds his from the west coast, they have their own boards of established, developing and dreaming. Only they know exactly who fits where. Or do they?

Pletcher looks strong with Zulu, winner of both his career starts, including a facile romp against allowance foes at Gulfstream Park on January 15th.

He’s in the developing category, but probably not for long. The water will be deeper, but he’s got the engine.

Baffert’s best at the moment looks like Mor Spirit, who grinds it out when he looks like he shouldn’t. He’s aiming for the Robert E Lewis on February 6th. With Baffert at the controls, put Mor Spirit in the established category. Baffert is loaded well past Mor Spirit.

Collected and Let’s Meet In Rio finished 1-2 in the Sham, both are established, although I’ll take Let’s Meet In Rio looks like he’s still developing. It’s about time Juddmonte Farm gets back to the Triple Crown, although it would be more fun with Bobby Frankel. Ah well, talk about dreaming.

Graham Motion won the Kentucky Derby in 2011 with Animal Kingdom and has embarked on the trail this year with Rafting.

He’s in the developing column, after four starts, including a win in minor stakes at Gulfstream Park West this winter. By Tapit, out of a Kris S mare, he’s got the pedigree to go far and wouldn’t have been as pressured as some of the others. Circle his name.

DREAMER

Chuck Lawrence is a dreamer. He dreamt his way out of a cul-de-sac in the small town of Marshall, Virginia to become two-time champion steeplechase jockey. Lawrence has managed a blue-collar stable for years, but met owner Matt Schera at the salesgrounds’ bar in Saratoga a few summers ago.

Lawrence was lamenting his lack of owners, or at least conviction from his owners. Schera, with Irishman Benny Heeney as his racing manager, has conviction.

They traded cards and now they have a horse who might turn dreams into reality. Vorticity owns two wins, a second and a third in his career. The son of Distorted Humor finished second in the Jerome Stakes on January 2nd and could continue to develop into a contender for the big races. Put him in the developing/dreaming division.

Flexibility, trained by Chad Brown, handled Vorticity that day and looks ideal for the longer races later on in the journey.

He’s developing, but edging closer to established, as are his stablemates Gift Box and Shagaf. Brown has yet to win a Triple Crown race, perhaps, he’s in the same category.

As Baffert and Pletcher beat another well-worn path to the Triple Crown, Hall of Fame trainer Jack van Berg has started to cut down the wilderness he’s been in for decades, conditioning Cutacorner to win two out of his last three.

An original in an age of prints, van Berg would offer a breath of fresh – established – air. It’s been 29 years since he trained Alysheba to win the Derby and Preakness.

As for this writer, Sail Ahoy had me ringing up Vegas for some future Derby odds. He’s lost three in a row since breaking his maiden and hasn’t worked since finishing fourth in the Remsen. A text to his trainer Shug McGaughey, asking how he’s doing, went unanswered. Maybe, I’m dreaming.