Midshipman, last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and champion 2-year-old, has been injured and will miss the Triple Crown, according to a statement Sunday on the website of his owner, .
The statement said Midshipman suffered a minor soft tissue injury in his left foreleg during routine training at the Al Quoz exercise facility in Dubai. He was preparing to make his 3-year-old debut at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday in the Al Bastikiya, a listed stakes.
It took more than 45 years to make Tom McCarthy an overnight sensation. Now semi-retired from a life spent first as a trainer, then in public education, McCarthy has hit the jackpot with General Quarters, who scored an upset win last week in the Sam Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. On a Derby Watch list that includes such prominent names as Bob Baffert and Bobby Frankel, Larry Jones and John Ward, Rick Dutrow, Barclay Tagg, and Steve Asmussen, McCarthy finds himself right there with his horse.
His one and only horse.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For the 11th time in as many years, the mutuel field closed as the favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which ended its customary four-day run Sunday.
The field, the 24th or "all others" option, closed as the 9-5 favorite over the 23 separately listed 3-year-olds in the first of three futures pools.
After his victory in Thursday's UAE 2000 Guineas, Desert Party was introduced by the British bookmaker Coral into their Derby betting at 16-1. In the Kentucky Derby Future Wager in the United States, through midafternoon Friday, he was only 3-2, part of the mutuel field. By far the best price was available in Las Vegas: Harrah's Race Book had Desert Party at 60-1.
The mutuel field continued as a solid favorite midway through the second of four days in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
As of 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday, and after $89,371 was bet into the win-only wager, the field, the 24th or "all others" option, was the 3-2 favorite, followed by Old Fashioned (6-1), Pioneerof the Nile (13-1), Midshipman (18-1), Silver City (19-1), Friesan Fire (21-1), and The Pamplemousse (22-1).
Sizable bets placed just minutes after wagering opened made the mutuel field a big favorite as Pool 1 in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager began its customary four-day run Thursday at noon Eastern.
The mutuel field, the 24th or "all others" option, was the 1-2 favorite as of 5 p.m. Thursday. After $32,108 in handle, the field towered over the top three separate wagering interests: The Pamplemousse (12-1), Old Fashioned (14-1), and Pioneerof the Nile (15-1). There were no reported defections from the lineup of 23 separate interests.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It was in February 1999 that Churchill Downs introduced the Kentucky Derby Future Wager as a new twist on an old concept. Renowned oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough said at the time that "parimutuels and futures mix like oil and water," but here it is, 10 years later, and the Future Wager has become an institution of sorts among Derby watchers.
The early consensus assessment of this year's crop of Kentucky Derby hopefuls is more harsh than usual. Outside of a couple of abnormally fast sprint performances, the word most often associated with this group seems to be "uninspiring." Certainly a big reason for that is the leaders of this division are shakier propositions than you would usually expect. Three-year-olds of prominence at this time of year always have at least some questions to answer. But this year, the questions are bigger and speak to much deeper issues.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When wagering opens for the first of three pools of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager on Thursday at noon Eastern, horseplayers across the country will begin to play the wager. Some will place a bet for the usual reason gamblers do, believing they can make a score, while others will simply want the excitement of being a wagering part of America's greatest horse race.
If backing the Derby winner on Derby Day is good for the wallet and an ego boost, betting the Derby winner in February is almost a chest-thumping experience for a horseplayer.
Churchill Downs is staging a Kentucky Derby promotional event beginning Thursday in Tampa, Fla., coinciding with Super Bowl Festivities there.
At a mobile unit, Churchill is holding auditions for what it calls Chief Party Officer for the infield festivities at this year's Derby, scheduled for May 2 at the Louisville, Ky., track. Applications can also be found at .
