Concern established himself as one of his crop's top three-year-olds by winning two big races and finishing in the money in each of his twelve starts as a sophomore. He started the season with three stakes placings in the spring at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. In each successive stakes, he improved, beginning with a third-place finish in the Great West Stakes. He followed that up with a runner-up finish under jockey Francine Villeneuve in the grade three Rebel Stakes to Judge T. C. In April, Concern scored the second biggest win of his career under Garrett Gomez in the $500,000 grade two Arkansas Derby. He ran the 1-1/8 mile distance in 1:48.1 in a field of nine, defeating Blumin Affair and Silver Goblin.