JC / Railbird

Kentucky Derby

Weekend Odds & Ends

– Mr. Railbird and I joined the hipster hordes at Brooklyn Flea this afternoon, lured by the promise of Wafels & Dinges (delicious) and the possibility of sports memorabilia (non-existent), although I did find a postcard of Suburban Day at Sheepshead Bay (above) at the stand of a vintage postcard purveyor. The card was mailed by one Mae Sterling of Brooklyn to A. F. Rockwell of New Haven (with the request to “Please send one in return”) not long after the 1905 renewal of the Suburban Handicap, which was won by the great racemare Beldame, who conceded weight to all 10 rivals and finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of a horse named Proper as the 6-5 favorite. Beldame raced twice more, then was retired and bred to Meddle, a stallion selected in part by an essay contest and a committee of breeding experts. No mention of the Suburban in Mae’s note, unfortunately, so I can only guess that she was a fan of the enormously popular champion filly once called “super-colossal” and “a public idol” for her considerable achievements, for which she is honored annually by the G1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park.
– Trainer Todd Pletcher said Lexington Stakes winner Behindatthebar would probably skip the Derby, even though his $204,500 in graded earnings are enough for a post. “I’d say if he’s going to run in one of the classics, the Preakness would be more likely” (Courier-Journal). That must be welcome news to all connections with horses on the bubble. Behindatthebar was credited with a 99 Beyer speed figure for the race, which looked more like a route over dirt than Polytrack with the Bob Baffert-trained Samba Rooster blazing through opening fractions of :22.78 and :45.21.
– On the Sunday worktab: Colonel John breezed five furlongs in :59.40 at Santa Anita. At Churchill, Adriano worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 with jockey Edgar Prado aboard. At Keeneland, Eight Belles worked four furlongs in :46.40, the second-fastest of 39 at the distance.
– Trainer Rick Dutrow plans to go all in on Big Brown in the Derby, just as he did with Saint Liam in the 2005 Classic.
– Freshman sire Chapel Royal gets his first winner.

Posted in Racing on April 20, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / 5 comments

Big Brown Works

– Likely Derby favorite Big Brown breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.40 at Palm Meadows on Friday morning. Trainer Rick Dutrow called the move “beautiful,” clockers described it as “workmanlike.” Big Brown will work at Palm Meadows once more, then ship to Churchill on April 28. Paul Moran notes that the trainer is keeping his horse in Florida partly for consideration of Big Brown’s feet, which Dutrow reports are now problem-free.
– Sounds like War Pass is still tired from his second-place finish in the Wood. “I think anybody could see it was a gut-wrenching performance,” said trainer Nick Zito, “so I’ve kind of been taking it easy with him” (BRIS). Stablemate Anak Nakal, exiting a fifth-place finish in the same race, worked four furlongs in :49.40 at Churchill Downs. War Pass is expected to breeze in a few days. 4/19 Update: War Pass is out of the Derby with a sesamoid fracture.
– Interesting: Tomcito trains without a saddle.

Posted in Racing on April 18, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / 8 comments

Refining the Entry List

Steven Crist supports a points system for Kentucky Derby entries, writing in his DRF+ column:

Patrick’s a couple steps ahead: Here’s what a points-based list would look like for this year’s Derby.

Posted in Racing on April 18, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Comments Off on Refining the Entry List