A few Kentucky Derby preps have been run, some horses have stepped forward and a couple of others have struggled to keep up, but one thing has not changed since the season began: the best 3-year-old in the country is the filly Halfbridled.

That, of course, is an opinion and not a fact, but the supporting evidence is rather strong. While a less-than-ordinary class of males did little to distinguish itself last year and no single colt won than one Grade I race, Halfbridled breezed through a spectacular headline-grabbing campaign, winning all four of her starts.

The highlight, of course, was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, where she overpowered 13 others and had no problem overcoming the 14 post and a wide trip under jockey Julie Krone. The victory seemed all the more impressive four races later when her stablemate Action This Day won the mile-and-a-sixteenth Juvenile in 1:43 3/5, a full second slower than Halfbridled.

Had a male horse done what she did the hype would have been extraordinary, probably like nothing seen for a future Kentucky Derby contender since the Arazi craziness. So far, that hasn't been the case. The problem, as many people see it, is that she is a filly. To that, I say, "So what."

With only three fillies having won the Kentucky Derby in its 129-year history, it's obviously immensely difficult for the supposed weaker sex to win the race, but there's never been a situation quite like this one, where a filly has seemed so clearly superior on paper to her male rivals entering the prep season. She is undefeated, has run fast and overcame an adverse situation in the Breeders' Cup. And she is in the hands of a top trainer in Dick Mandella, who isn't the least bit afraid to tackle the Derby challenge.

"I'm not saying I'm aiming at the Derby, but I'm sure not aiming away from it," Mandella said. "It just depends on how she comes back this year compared to last year. Sometimes they are fancy 2-year-olds who don't train on, but there's every reason to think she will. If she's as dominant as she was last year, we'll sure have to give it a lot of thought."

This comes not from someone desperate to win the Kentucky Derby or someone who takes reckless chances. Rather, Mandella is a careful and pragmatic horseman who happens to be smart enough to know there's no reason to eliminate a gifted horse from Kentucky Derby consideration just because she happens to be a she.

"It takes an extremely talented filly whose talents make her equal to the colts," he said. "Two months ago, I probably had the best 2-year-old in the country. Six months, as they grow up, can change that. We'll just have to see how she runs when she comes back. But we are surely excited that she will be as good or as better than ever."

That's the fear, that Halfbridled was so good last year only because she was precocious and developed a lot faster than her rivals. It happens. From the fall of their 2-year-old seasons to the spring of the 3-year-old year, horses grow physically and mentally and those who can't keep up are left behind. That's why a horse like Monarchos, who didn't come close to breaking his maiden in a November race at Churchill could win the Kentucky Derby less than six months later over the same racetrack. That's why Chapel Royal, the top 2-year-old in New York early last summer, has been long forgotten.

Like everyone else, Mandella won't know how much Halfbridled has progressed until her 3-year-old campaign gets underway. She was supposed to start her season Sunday in the Las Virgenes at Santa Anita, but Mandella has decided instead to kick off her year in the March 13 Santa Anita Oaks. (Coincidentally, Action This Day will run the same day in the San Felipe).

Mandella, who felt Halfbridled, who had been coughing, would benefit from some more time, doesn't believe the setback will have any impact on his Derby plans. After the Santa Anita Oaks, Halfbridled is scheduled to start in the Ashland at Keeneland. From there, he will assess how his filly is doing and the strength of the competition and plot a course to either the Kentucky Oaks or the Kentucky Derby.

It sounds like he's going to let Halfbridled make the decision for him. Should she look just as good in the Santa Anita Oaks and the Ashland as she did in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, then you can bet she'll be running on the first Saturday in May. If Mandella believes Halfbridled is the best 3-year-old in the county of either sex he's not going to waste an opportunity to win his first Kentucky Derby. Why should he?