Derby Preview?
Will Street Sense get the same ground-saving, rail-hugging trip that Calvin Borel and Silverinyourpocket just got in the La Troienne? The Derby could be his race to lose then …
JC / Railbird
Derby Notes
– Rags to Riches gave a bravura performance winning the Kentucky Oaks (Blood-Horse), and there’s a good chance her workmate Circular Quay (DRF) will return trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Michael Tabor to the Churchill winner’s circle following the Derby. If Pletcher wins the Derby with any of his five starters, he’ll be the first trainer in 55 years to take the Oaks-Derby double. The last to do so was Calumet Farm’s Ben Jones, who won the 1952 Oaks with Real Delight and the Derby with Hill Gail. Circular Quay’s 14-1 in advance wagering, but don’t look for that overlay to last.
– There’s a Derby day pick six carryover of $288,768 and the possibility of thunderstorms Saturday afternoon.
– Both my pool one future wagers are going into the gate, but I’m not expecting to cash on either Stormello or Liquidity. Instead, I’ll be playing Scat Daddy, Street Sense, and Circular Quay in exactas with a couple of yet-to-be determined longshots.
Not by a Longshot
My old home track of Suffolk Downs opens on Saturday with a new owner, 102 days of racing scheduled, and dime superfectas on the wagering menu (DRF). New England’s lone thoroughbred racing venue is also the subject of a new book this spring, “Not by a Longshot,” by T.D. Thornton, who writes about the highs, lows, and ho-hum days of the track’s 2000 season so well that I found myself wishing I was back in East Boston. “Not by a Longshot” is a wonderfully evocative book, making vivid the daily routine on the frontside and backside of a hard-luck track like Suffolk, the characters who populate it, and the horses who run for them. Plus, for those who know Suffolk, there are plenty of gossipy bits …
Addendum: It was a “spiffy” opening day for Suffolk Downs, with 16,437 people in attendance (Boston Globe).
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Also recently published: “Ruffian: A Racetrack Romance,” by William Nack. A superb retelling of the great filly’s brilliant career and catastrophic end, as remembered by one of her biggest fans.
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Jessica Chapel writes and edits in Massachusetts. Railbird is a Thoroughbred horse racing blog published from June 2004 to July 2019. More / Contact
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