JC / Railbird

Kentucky Derby

Sadness

Big Brown was ultra impressive, but tough to get too excited after what happened to Eight Belles.

Posted in Racing on May 3, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / 4 comments

The Tickets

With Jessica and I both bullish on the Arkansas Derby, it only makes sense that we would combine our efforts in the hopes of hitting the tri.

We’re playing Gayego w/ Colonel John and Z Fortune w/ ALL and Gayego w/ ALL w/ Colonel John and Z Fortune.

We’ll also back those tickets up by playing Colonel John and Z Fortune on top with Gayego keyed in the second and third spots. We’re betting $60 each on getting Gayego plus at least CJ or Z Fortune to hit the board, but when two people share an opinion on a 20-to-1 horse you gotta hammer it, right?

19 w/ 6, 10 w/ ALL ($36); 19 w/ ALL w/ 6, 10 ($36); 6, 10 w/ 19 w/ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18 ($24); 6, 10 w/ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18 w/ 19 ($24)

We’re tossing Big Brown.

Posted in Betting, Racing on May 3, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Comments Off on The Tickets

Blinkers Off – Saturday

Special Railbird correspondent Blinkers Off checks in from the backstretch. Today at Churchill …
Walk past the throng of hawkers every single step at Churchill Downs and, lo and behold, who do we happen on in the lobby on the Gate 1 entry? John Hennegan waving copies of “The First Saturday In May” like a guy selling programs at Shea Stadium. It made you wonder if Francis Ford Coppola ever stood in a lobby with a clutch of DVDs shouting, “Godfather! Get your Godfather!”
One of the highlights of the week in Louisville was lucking into Manny Ehrlich — “Manny the Magician” — at Ramsi’s Cafe on Bardstown Road late Friday night after the Oaks. Looking like a slimmed-down Colonel Sanders, Ehrlich, 82, came up behind us at the bar, opened his wallet and it burst into flames. At first, he just seemed to be a crackpot in town for the Derby, but if you brought him to your table, he’d perform some super sleight of hand tricks with cards and coins. He kept reminding us he could use a little token of appreciation for “my wife’s operation.” Turns out Manny is from the Bronx and performed as “Manfred the Magician” there in the 1930s.
No other news to report, as Blinkers Off put his blinkers on and slept in Saturday morning, but here are his Derby picks:
$1 exacta box: Cowboy Cal-Gayego-Colonel John-Denis of Cork.
Feel free to send me a token of your appreciation via the Railbird …

Posted in Blinkers Off, Racing on May 3, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Comments Off on Blinkers Off – Saturday

Derby Best Bets

Since a large number of people seem to be landing on Railbird this morning via a Google search for “Kentucky Derby best bets,” I offer a few for your consideration:
Most conventionally prepared: Z Fortune. The Steve Asmussen-trained colt comes into Derby with three prep races, a triple-digit speed figure, a second-place finish in the Arkansas Derby, and six career starts.
Most likely to win: Colonel John. Winner of the Sham and the Santa Anita Derby. Worked a bullet five furlongs over the Churchill dirt, has the pedigree, a solid foundation, and a level-headed trainer handling things.
If the track comes up sloppy: Play a Smooth Air–Pyro exacta box. Both have shown an affinity for the wet going, with Smooth Air winning the Hutcheson over such a surface and Pyro earning his highest speed figure in the slop.
Best value: Gayego. The Arkansas Derby winner looks to go to post at double-digit odds, despite speed and consistency. Must be the post position, although that isn’t dissuading supporters of likely favorite Big Brown …

Posted in Racing on May 3, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Comments Off on Derby Best Bets