LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Bob Baffert realized Justify was something special after his debut race, the Hall of Fame trainer didn’t hesitate in seeking a more experienced rider for what he had planned for the freakishly talented 3-year-old colt.
So, even though young Drayden Van Dyke had ridden Justify to a 9 1/2-length victory on Feb. 18, Baffert called Mike Smith and told him he would be riding Justify in his next start. Baffert had already started dreaming of the Kentucky Derby.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chad Brown said there was a point in the stretch on a rain-soaked Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs that he thought Good Magic had “a really, really good chance” to give him his first Kentucky Derby victory.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The eagle has landed.
The moon shot of trying to win the Kentucky Derby with a horse who never raced at 2, which hadn’t been done since Apollo in 1882, finally ended on Saturday on a rainy, dreary day at Churchill Downs that was in contrast to the ray of sunshine on the racetrack.
While there certainly are instances where there are virtually uniform opinions, the concept of value is much like beauty, as it is largely in the eye of the beholder - in this case, the handicapper. So here's one handicapper's take on what horses offer value in the Kentucky Deryb. To simplify, we'll use the Churchill Downs morning line as an odds barometer:
#1 FIRENZE FIRE (50-1) Proof that long odds alone don't constitute value. His speed figures suggest he has little to no chance to hit the board, and the inside draw doesn't help matters.
The Kentucky Derby generally features an honest pace, and the 144th running this year appears to be no different. While there may not be many true front-runners in this year’s Derby, the number of horses who like to be forwardly placed and who possess solid tactical speed should ensure a genuine pace throughout.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On the first Saturday of May 2017, McCraken was in the Kentucky Derby spotlight, ultimately finishing eighth as the 6-1 fourth choice in the 20-horse field.
On the first Saturday of May 2018, McCraken will be one of three graduates of the 2017 Kentucky Derby to run in allowance races at Churchill Downs. McCraken will compete in a multi-conditioned one-mile allowance that goes as race 5.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mendelssohn was the horse everyone was waiting to see here Thursday following his release from quarantine the previous afternoon.
The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner clearly announced his presence to the crowd with a few good hollers, apparently par for the course for him, as he jogged by the grandstand with a trio of his buddies from the Aidan O’Brien barn shortly after the special Derby-Oaks training session ended around 7:45 a.m.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Quantifying a race as the “best ever” or “best in years” is largely a matter of subjective opinion, but there are cold, hard facts that make the 144th Kentucky Derby on Saturday here at Churchill Downs deserving of its prerace huzzahs.
Never before has a Derby featured two Breeders’ Cup winners, something that will happen when Eclipse Award recipient Good Magic, who took the Juvenile last fall, and Mendelssohn, the Juvenile Turf winner, line up.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There’s the usual betting smorgasbord available to bettors on the 14-race Saturday card, including these offerings: three 50-cent pick fives (races 3-7, 8-12, 10-14), four 50-cent pick fours (races 2-5, 5-8, 9-12, 11-14), a $2 Single 6 (races 7-12), and the familiar array of rolling doubles, pick threes, and vertical wagers, including a $1 super high five on the Derby (race 12).
Superfectas are normally available at 10-cent increments, but not on Oaks and Derby Days, when a $1 minimum is in effect.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Including the lone also-eligible, Blended Citizen, among the 21 entered in Kentucky Derby 144 there are six horses listed at 50-1 on the Churchill morning line. They are Firenze Fire, Lone Sailor, Bravazo, Instilled Regard, Combatant, and Blended Citizen. Seven more are pegged at 30-1.
The debate rages, therefore, as to which horse will wind up being the longest shot at post time. A highly informal poll taken this week among media wags landed on Bravazo, but only the international wagering audience has the final answer.
