Monthly Archives: April 2014

Things are getting dicey as we draw closer and closer to the biggest date on the annual horse racing calendar, the Kentucky Derby. Horses, trainers and owners continue to jockey for points and positioning, while a number of others are deciding if they want to go to Churchill Downs – or if they’re even healthy enough to attend.

Cairo Prince Ruled Out

There will be no Kentucky Derby this year for Cairo Prince, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin confirmed. The Holy Bull Stakes winner has suffered a near-fore fetlock injury, and while it won’t require surgery, it will keep Cairo Prince out of at least the annual Run for the Roses and perhaps the Preakness and Belmont too, though McLaughlin wasn’t prepared to say if either race was a possibility just yet.

From a betting perspective, Cairo Prince’s exclusion is big news. He’s been on the Derby radar since last year, when he won the Nashua Stakes as a 2-year-old, then showed extremely well in a runner-up performance to Honor Code at the Remsen. It was expected many who bet on Kentucky Derby online would’ve wagered on Cairo Prince, with McLaughlin calling it a “sad day” in having to announce the horse’s departure from the Derby field.

Keep an Eye on Commanding Curve

Dallas Stewart has been here before, and he’s hoping for similar results.

Stewart, who rose to prominence at last year’s Derby with Golden Soul, is optimistic that his horse for this year’s Kentucky Derby – Commanding Curve – can reap some similar results at Churchill.

A quick refresher for those unfamiliar with Stewart: one year ago, he was on the fence with Golden Soul, unsure if the colt would even qualify for the Derby (sitting 28th at one time on the points leaderboard). A late surge and some drop-outs got Golden Soul into the field, though, and that’s when things went crazy – a 34-1 longshot for the Derby, Golden Soul stunned onlookers and nearly pulled a gigantic upset, finishing second to Orb in a very exciting race.

Now, Stewart is hoping for the same luck.

Commanding Curve is right on the cusp of the Derby, currently sitting 21st on the points leaderboard. He got some good news last week when Bob Baffert pulled Midnight Hawk out of contention, and could get some more in the not-too-distant future considering Sunland Derby winner Chitu is highly questionable to run at Churchill too.

For bettors, Commanding Curve is certainly one to watch. He’s won at Churchill before and recently put forth a solid third-place showing at the Louisiana Derby, and has run in a number of highly-competitive fields (finishing sixth at the Risen Star, for example). But what horse racing enthusiasts will want to pay close attention to, though, is what odds Commanding Curve will carry into the Derby. As Stewart’s shown in the past, he has an affinity for getting underdogs to perform well in big moments.

Things are getting dicey as we draw closer and closer to the biggest date on the annual horse racing calendar, the Kentucky Derby. Horses, trainers and owners continue to jockey for points and positioning, while a number of others are deciding if they want to go to Churchill Downs – or if they’re even healthy enough to attend.

Cairo Prince Ruled Out

There will be no Kentucky Derby this year for Cairo Prince, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin confirmed. The Holy Bull Stakes winner has suffered a near-fore fetlock injury, and while it won’t require surgery, it will keep Cairo Prince out of at least the annual Run for the Roses and perhaps the Preakness and Belmont too, though McLaughlin wasn’t prepared to say if either race was a possibility just yet.

From a betting perspective, Cairo Prince’s exclusion is big news. He’s been on the Derby radar since last year, when he won the Nashua Stakes as a 2-year-old, then showed extremely well in a runner-up performance to Honor Code at the Remsen. It was expected many who bet on Kentucky Derby online would’ve wagered on Cairo Prince, with McLaughlin calling it a “sad day” in having to announce the horse’s departure from the Derby field.

Keep an Eye on Commanding Curve

Dallas Stewart has been here before, and he’s hoping for similar results.

Stewart, who rose to prominence at last year’s Derby with Golden Soul, is optimistic that his horse for this year’s Kentucky Derby – Commanding Curve – can reap some similar results at Churchill.

A quick refresher for those unfamiliar with Stewart: one year ago, he was on the fence with Golden Soul, unsure if the colt would even qualify for the Derby (sitting 28th at one time on the points leaderboard). A late surge and some drop-outs got Golden Soul into the field, though, and that’s when things went crazy – a 34-1 longshot for the Derby, Golden Soul stunned onlookers and nearly pulled a gigantic upset, finishing second to Orb in a very exciting race.

Now, Stewart is hoping for the same luck.

Commanding Curve is right on the cusp of the Derby, currently sitting 21st on the points leaderboard. He got some good news last week when Bob Baffert pulled Midnight Hawk out of contention, and could get some more in the not-too-distant future considering Sunland Derby winner Chitu is highly questionable to run at Churchill too.

For bettors, Commanding Curve is certainly one to watch. He’s won at Churchill before and recently put forth a solid third-place showing at the Louisiana Derby, and has run in a number of highly-competitive fields (finishing sixth at the Risen Star, for example). But what horse racing enthusiasts will want to pay close attention to, though, is what odds Commanding Curve will carry into the Derby. As Stewart’s shown in the past, he has an affinity for getting underdogs to perform well in big moments.

What we’re seeing, at least in terms of the latest news and Kentucky Derby odds, is a clearer picture of the horses that have already racked up enough points to qualify for the big day at Churchill Downs. With the race just weeks away, now’s the time to find out all you can about the Derby’s top contenders.

Borel Regains Ride On Curlin Mount

Celebrated trainer “Bronco” Billy Gowan and owner Dan Dougherty aren’t messing around when it comes to this year’s Kentucky Derby as their prized colt, Ride On Curlin, will be ridden by three-time Derby winner Calvin Borel. Borel and Ride On Curlin achieved great success in the points races leading up to the Derby, setting a track record at Ellis Park earlier this season (5 ½ furlongs in 1:03) while capturing first place at Oaklawn this year.

Borel had previously shared saddling duties with another three-time Derby winner – Kent Desormeaux – but Gowan expressed disappointment in how Desormeaux handled Ride On Curlin at the Rebel Stakes in mid-March. Ride On Curlin finished a distant third after looking the part of a first-place challenger for most of the race; he had 12/1 odds to win. Therefore Gowan and Dougherty decided to go back to Borel.

Borel, who won the 2010 Derby on Super Saver, the ’09 on Mine That Bird and the ’07 on Street Sense, knows how to get the most out of his colts at Churchill.

Dance with Fate Earns His Spot, But Will He Go?

It’s one of those decisions that keeps trainers up at night.

Dance With Fate, a relatively inexperienced three-year-old colt, booked his place in the Kentucky Derby with a solid win at the Blue Grass Stakes (coming in first at odds of 6-1) – yet trainer Peter Eurton is unsure if the horse should be running at Churchill.

Why?

The answer is: dirt.

Dance With Fate is far more comfortable on synthetic, Eurton explained, and the trainer is unsure if his horse would be able to successfully transition to the Churchill Down dirt track in such a short period of time (we’re talking weeks here, which isn’t much of an adjustment period for the horses.)

Jockey Corey Nakatani, who rode Dance With Fate to the win at the Blue Grass, also expressed hesitation in wanting to go to the Derby, saying it’s “all a matter if he can handle” the adjustment.

So for now, stay tuned. Eurton is expected to announce his decision on the Derby soon.

Cairo Prince Books Spot

Cairo Prince had been, at times, one of the hot-ticket colts earlier in the Derby season, one many expected to see on race day. Well, Cairo Price is now definitely going – but it wasn’t easy. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was breathing a sigh of relief after learning Cairo Prince finished 20^th on the points list after the first prep race cut-off, meaning he’d qualified to run at the Derby.

The horse had some nervous times earlier in the season when he put up a poor fourth-place finish at the Florida Derby in March, leaving the training staff in doubt if Cairo would even get to the Kentucky Derby.

The horse did, though, but that doesn’t mean they’re in the clear. McLaughlin’s team is looking to make some noise at the annual Run for the Roses, and will need to improve Cairo’s form if they’re going to achieve that.

We’re now just weeks away from the biggest and most exciting date on the horse racing calendar – the 2014 Kentucky Derby, to be run at Churchill Downs.

And, as we’ve seen in years past, the lead-up to the Derby is proving to be nearly as exciting as the big race. A number of colts have moved up and down the points leaderboard in the quest to earn a berth in the Derby field – or in certain cases – stave off elimination. So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the horses making noise as the Derby draws near.

Keep an Eye on Wicked Strong

Most don’t consider Boston (or the state of Massachusetts in general) a real hotspot for producing horses, but a runner by the name of Wicked Strong is looking to change that.

Owned by Centennial Farms in Beverly, Massachusetts, Wicked Strong raised some eyebrows recently by capturing the $590,000 Wood Memorial, surprising a field that included two undefeated colts, Social Inclusion and Samraat (who won the Gotham Stakes). Wicked Strong came in as a 9-1 longshot and for the majority of the race, looked as though he was finished – until he caught the outside down the stretch and sailed home, winning the race by three and a half lengths and more importantly, secured enough points to guarantee a berth in the Kentucky Derby.

Wicked Strong’s name was actually first “Boston Strong,” until Centennial president Don Little Jr learned another stable had already swept up the name. So one night (at a Bruins hockey game, fittingly), Little and some guests in a suite suggested “Wicked Strong” to pay tribute to the Bostonian lingo.

And the Boston ties don’t end there.

Just to ensure the public that he’s not trying to leverage the now-infamous Boston Marathon tragedy and subsequent “Boston Strong” catchphrase, Little is giving back; he and partners will donate five percent of all of Wicked Strong’s Triple Crown winnings to The One Fund, a charity formed by Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, designed to help those most affected by the Marathon bombings.

Albano Out

Owner and breeder Brereton C. Jones announced this week that his colt, Albano, would be held out of the Kentucky Derby despite a very strong showing in the lead-up season.

You might remember Albano from his fourth-place finish at the Louisiana Derby, or his pair of second place finishes in the Risen Star Stakes and the Lecomte (both were run at the Fair Grounds). While he wasn’t tagged as a major Kentucky Derby contender, Albano did have enough going for him points-wise to get into the mix with another good performance.

Jones, though, simply feels his horse isn’t ready.

Jones noted that Albano was a May colt, and that he lacked the maturity and poise to make an impact at Churchill Downs. How Albano’s departure affects the field remains to be seen. He had 34 points and was inside the top 20 to qualify for the race, so horses on the bubble have to be pleased with this latest development.

With the big race drawing closer and closer, the latest Kentucky Derby betting news is shifting from who might qualify for the field to who’s clinched their spots.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at which ponies will be in the mix for the annual Run for the Roses.

Constitution and Vicar’s In Trouble Clinch

Constitution booked his place in the Kentucky Derby field with a stellar showing at the Florida Derby, capturing 100 points which will be more than enough to see him run at Churchill Downs later this season.

Constitution got the points on the strength of a scintillating rail run to catch and beat Wildcat Red, running the one-eighth mile track in a sizzling 1:49.16. The win returned $8.60 as Constitution bested the eight-colt field – a field that included early Derby favorite Cairo Prince, who was a massive disappointment on the day and finished in fourth place (still managing to muster 10 Derby points, however.)

Vicar’s In Trouble also booked his spot at Churchill by capturing the Louisiana Derby, and he did it in style. The Vicar (we’ll use that shorthand name moving forward) also returned $8.60 for the win, knocking off the favored Intense Holiday in the process. The race was actually noteworthy for two reasons – one, The Vicar’s surprise victory and two, the fact In Trouble was disqualified from his fourth place finish (losing 10 crucial points in the process) after it was judged he came out and bumped Albano twice during the race. With that decision, Albano jumped up to finish fourth and secured the 10 points.

Keep an Eye on Toast of New York

There’s a colt running overseas that could be a dark horse come Derby time.

Toast of New York, ridden by Jamie Spencer and saddled by Jamie Osborne, cleaned up at the prestigious UAE Derby in Dubai recently, and earned 100 points in the process. Thing is, nobody’s sure if Toast of New York will make the trip across the Atlantic to run in the Derby – he’s never run on dirt before – and it’s unclear if Osborne will take the risk given there’s so little time between now and the Derby. He recently said it’s “not impossible” for Toast of New York to take the challenge on, but added he hadn’t really given it too much consideration.

And then There’s Ring Weekend

Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Daniel Centeno, Ring Weekend is an interesting case study as the Derby draws near. Motion knows a thing or two about winning at Churchill – he had Animal Kingdom in 2011 – and Ring Weekend impressed many by crushing the field at the Tampa Bay Derby. He’s posted a 6-2-1-2 record over 11 races thus far and has 50 Derby points, to go along with 24-1 odds to win it all. The question, it seems, is if Ring Weekend’s faced enough stiff competition to be ready for Churchill. The field at Tampa Bay was pretty weak, and that was his most recent signature victory.