Wednesday Morning Notes
– Post positions for the Kentucky Derby will be drawn later this afternoon and handicapping will begin in earnest soon after. Stats are always a big part of figuring the Derby and everyone has their favorite angles. Superfecta, a fan of the Courier-Journal Data Track, pays attention to the proven ability to handle traffic factor. Dean Keppler, writing on the Rail, looks for triple-digit speed figures and key prep races. And for a thorough assessment, look to the 20/20 Derby Vision system developed by Kennedy. I’ll add to the stats overload tomorrow, when I finally delve into my Derby Profiles and how those factors relate to this year’s field.
– Jeremy Plonk reports that Adriano, despite schooling in the Churchill paddock repeatedly, remains skittish:
I can relate. Except for the kicking, I’m the same way on trips into Manhattan. I also find that earplugs help …
Trainer Graham Motion, who blamed Adriano’s paddock antics before the Fountain of Youth for his dull finish in that race, told Plonk that Adriano improves daily, but with four days to go, how he’ll behave surrounded by a crowd of 150,000 on Saturday remains a big question.
– Rick Bozich tries to talk about drugs in racing, is greeted with silence and requests to go off the record.
– Paulo Lobo doesn’t hustle.
– As the hype around Big Brown builds, Turf Luck returns again and again to the story of a Derby long ago.
