HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Two pieces of advice for anybody interested in watching the undefeated, 3-year-old sensation Big Brown train up to his role as the likely favorite in this year's Kentucky Derby: Plan to get up early and find a cheap flight to south Florida over the next couple of weeks.
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - Just as post positions were about to be drawn on Wednesday for the 12 3-year-olds entered in the Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, Jack Wolf, whose Starlight Stable is a co-owner of Monba, muttered to two people sitting next to him at breakfast, "I hope we get No. 5."
After 10 horses had posts assigned, pills 5 and 11 remained, as did slips for Halo Najib and Monba. The 11-pill was drawn, concurrent with Halo Najib's slip. Monba, indeed, got 5.
"That's the longest shot of the whole meet," Wolf said, laughing.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The winners of the three major Kentucky Derby prep races last Saturday will continue to Churchill Downs for the Derby on May 3, but the situation is uncertain for those who chased them, in many cases because of either questionable performances or the critical factor of earnings in graded stakes races.
Big Brown was a slight favorite over Pyro during the second of four days in Pool 3 of the 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
As of 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Big Brown was holding at 3-1, followed by Pyro at 7-2, War Pass at 9-1, and El Gato Malo at 14-1. Handle was $46,770, although with three Derby preps slated for Saturday - the Wood Memorial, Illinois Derby, and Santa Anita Derby - surely a majority of fans had yet to make their bets. Final odds are not locked in until Sunday at 6 p.m.
Pyro and Big Brown attracted easily the most action during the early hours of the third and final pool of the 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opened Thursday at racetracks and wagering outlets throughout North America.
As of 4:30 p.m. Eastern, Pyro was the 2-1 favorite over Big Brown at 5-2. Handle of $17,314 was relatively light, as expected, since many of the 23 separately listed wagering interests are scheduled to be in action Saturday in three Derby preps: the Wood Memorial, Illinois Derby, and Santa Anita Derby. Odds are not locked in until Sunday at 6 p.m.
The trainers of Southern California-based Kentucky Derby prospects are facing a difficult decision this month: whether to have their horses' last Derby prep on a synthetic surface, or take a leap into the great unknown now and race on dirt, the surface over which the Derby is run.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - WinStar Farm is hoping a change in philosophy will result in a change of luck when it comes to the Kentucky Derby.
In 2006 and 2007, WinStar got three or more prep races into its trio of Derby runners. After racing three times before the Derby, including a well-beaten fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes, Bluegrass Cat finished second to Barbaro in 2006. Last year, Any Given Saturday finished eighth in the Derby after having three prep races, and Cowtown Cat finished last of 20 in what was his fifth start of the year.
When someone tells you it's not about the money, rest assured, it's about the money. Cash is king, especially when it comes to the Kentucky Derby, because if you've got cash, you're a smash.
Despite the overpowering victory by Big Brown in the Florida Derby on Saturday, and the continued excellence of Pyro this spring, it appears inevitable that more than 20 horses will be entered in the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. With the Derby just a month away, the list of prospective runners in the Derby still numbers more than 40.
For a horse who has won just two races six months apart, Big Brown has become the buzz horse of this year's Kentucky Derby. Off those two wins, including a victory March 5 in a first-level allowance race at Gulfstream Park, he has been installed as the morning-line favorite for the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream.