The racing world is abuzz about I Want Revenge's win in Saturday's Wood Memorial. The visually impressive performance will make him the Kentucky Derby favorite pending a blowout by someone in next week's Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland or the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn.
I Want Revenge (shown on far right) will get plenty of time to adjust to life under the Twin Spires as he leaves for Churchill Downs on Monday. Not that spending nearly a month training at Churchill Downs guarantees a victory but trainer Jeff Mullins is doing the right thing.
I Want Revenge has already made two round trips from Los Angeles to New York so limiting his travel is a smart move for a young horse. Be curious how many days trainer Jeff Mullins will spend in Louisville but he is not a Derby rookie.
"He came out of the race real well," Mullins said from Aqueduct this mornning. "We had him out this morning, went over him from head to toe and everything looks good."
For those who love numbers (like me), the Daily Racing Form has their trademarked Beyer Speed Figures.
There haven't been many 3-year-olds on the Road the Derby with Beyer Figures over 100. I Want Revenge ran a 113 in the Gotham last month so I wondered if he could top that lofty figure. Meanwhile, Pioneerof the Nile, who won Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, had never broken 100 in any race. After going to drf.com, here are the Beyer numbers for yesterday.I Want Revenge's - 103Pioneerof the Nile - 96 That's good news for both horses. The 96 for Pioneerof the Nile is his career best and I Want Revenge dropped 10 points from his Gotham victory but that should bode well for him in the Derby.The interesting part to keep in mind is that Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge went head-to-head twice in California and Pioneerof the Nile won both matchups. Keep in mind the racetracks in California are the artificial kind while Aqueduct and Churchill Downs have the "traditional dirt."When Pioneerof the Nile starts in the Derby, it will be his first start on "traditional dirt." That will bear close watching.
The mystery race of Saturday was Musket Man in the Illinois Derby. He is getting hot at the right time and quietly has posted an impressive career record of five wins in six starts. Win or lose in the Kentucky Derby, their owners got a bargain when they bought the colt at auction at Keeneland for just $17,000.
(Photo Courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)
On the eve of the one of the biggest pre-Derby racing days, here's some things to look forward to tomorrow.
On my radio show (The Kentucky Winner's Circle with E.J. Clark and Molly Rosen), we will have Daily Racing Form's David Grening to talk about the Road to the Kentucky Derby and a close look at the horses running in the Wood Memorial in New York. If you are in Louisville, the show is this and every Saturday from 11:00 a.m. - 12 Noon and WKJK- AM (1080). Tune in.
All horses are a go for the big three races (Wood Memorial, Illinois Derby and Santa Anita Derby). The horses to watch in those races.
Wood Memorial - I Want Revenge and Imperial Council. For those betting on the race, don't take a very short price on I Want Revenge. He may well "bounce" after his dazzling win last month in the Gotham Stakes and Imperial Council needs the victory to assure himself a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.
Illinois Derby - The whole field. Although Musket Man won the Tampa Derby last month, this group of 11 horses is very evenly matched and is not a very strong field. An upset here is likely and be wary of any horse who wins this race.
Santa Anita Derby - Pioneerof the Nile and The Pamplemousse. The two West Coast heavyweights have yet to meet head-to-head but they both have swept all the major 3-year-old races in Southern California. This should be a great race and a lot of people have knocked these horses in part because their times haven't been that fast and they are running on an "artificial surface" in SoCal .They should be taken seriously for the Derby if they live up to their billing Saturday.
And for those who following the road to the Kentucky Oaks, the sister race to the Derby, two of the big favorites are running this weekend.
Stardom Bound, the reigning 2-year-old champion, is the big favorite in Saturday's Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. Meanwhile, the white hot Rachel Alexandra scared off a lot her rivals as she only faces four others in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas on Sunday. Not worth betting those races but should be fun to watch.
I will be at Aqueduct tomorrow and will be writing updates throughout the day.
Good night and "May the Horse Be With You."
Welcome to my new blog. Before we get this race started, a quick introduction is in order for those who don't me. (If you already know me, please skip ahead a couple of paragraphs.)
My love of horse racing started when I was a kid watching racing at Aqueduct and Belmont in New York. I then moved my tack to Louisville to attend the University of Louisville's Equine Administration program. While finishing up my degree in 1996, I began an internship at Churchill Downs and landed a full-time job there upon graduation in 1997. While rounding the final turn of my Churchill tenure (ok, 2003), I began co-hosting the Kentucky Winners Circle Radio Show with E.J. Clark (for those in Louisville: Saturdays, 11am, WKJK-1080 on your AM dial).
I moved back to New York in November 2004 but my love of racing has endured. I still co-host the radio show and attend the races frequently.
Now that we've crossed the finish line on my bio to-date, it's on to the blog. It is my sincerest hope that the perspective and insights I have into the racing world are both informative and intriguing (and perhaps find you a winner for the betting windows).
To say this weekend is incredibly important for the Kentucky Derby contenders, is an understatement. The potential field is starting to take shape but it looks like more than 20 want to be in the starting gate.
And what complicates it even more is that one spot is already reserved for Mafaaz, the winner of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes in England last month. So with only 19 spots left, and six major races before the Derby, the scramble for cash is on.
This week's race to keep a close eye on are:
Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in NY
Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita in Los Angeles
Illinois Derby at Hawthorne in Chicago
I will update the horses to watch and the crucial money chase on Thursday.
Stay tuned!
