Despite my continuing record of futility I was able to eek out a "profit" on the Churchill card. Yes, my choice finished 9th. It actually may be one of my better choices!! No one really cares about, though, what we care about is the Derby. There will be plenty of coverage online detailing the racerunning itself at the Daily Race Form. Be sure to check the blogs I follow down the left side of this page for some interesting views on the race.
Some of my thoughts on the day we had:
- How about Borel? Holy crap! A great ride and it is unbelievable that he has won three of the last four Derbies. An absolutely stellar performance. Pletcher is right - at Churchill, Borel is a rock star.
- Finally Todd! While my string of Derby failures continues, Todd Pletcher's comes to a screeching halt. He carried himself admirably all week long answering every question about the 0-24 with grace and aplomb. I found myself very happy that he won. Granted, I wish he did it with Mission Impazible, but I'm happy for him none-the-less.
- Lookin at Lucky. Man, did he get pinballed around!! When the dust settled he was 6th. All in all, that was a pretty impressive performance. This type of trip is one of the reasons I hate the twenty horse field. This horse is a star and will prove it the rest of the year.
- Chasing the Dream Racing 2008 LLC. A bunch of folks buy a horse for $10,000 and end up in the Kentucky Derby. Sounds like my dream! I can only hope that Tabby Lane is a fraction as successful as Noble's Promise.
- A not so Awesome Act. Yikes. He was nowhere to be seen the entire race. The sexy pick of the 'experts'? Not so much.
- 99-1. The odds that Backtalk should have been going into this race. The "Mine That Bird effect" at work. Everyone wanted to be on the longshot and handicapping took a vacation. 23-1?
- Post 20. Sidney's Candy broke well, got with the front group and promptly fell out of contention when it counted. Was it the post or was it the dirt? We may never know.
- Freight train. How about that closing kick from Ice Box? I have to agree with the folks that say skip the Preakness and point to the Belmont. A smaller field and that closing kick could be deadly at a mile and a half.
- The filly. She had a good first portion of the race but ran into all kinds of problems - not to mention Discreetly Mine and Dublin - in the last portion of the race. She a nice filly and she'll be fun to watch battling it out with Blind Luck and Evening Jewel the rest of the year.
- Triple Crown. Is Super Saver the Triple Crown lock that Borel says he is? His worst finish ever was a fourth only beaten by 2 lengths as a 2-year old. He obviously handled the distance and seems to be improving with each added furlong, but it's a tough row to hoe. The upside for him? The rest of the crop that are eligible to run over the next 5 weeks do not seem overly impressive. As noted above, Ice Box would be tough in the Belmont. Bottom line: It could happen but it won't be easy.
So another Derby is in the books and my horse betting skills in the biggest race in America have failed once again. Thankfully the rest of the card worked out. Now the real fun begins.
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