Kentucky Derby
2019 Kentucky Derby
Prep schedule: Includes leaderboard, charts, replays, speed figures
Until Monday …
Tale of Ekati returning to the winner’s circle after the Wood.
Notes on all the weekend racing coming Monday Tuesday. I’ve been trying today to take a break from the Internet and all web-connected devices, and made it to 9:00 p.m., when I broke down to check email, RSS feeds, and post this quick note. Check out Dana’s fantastic wrap-up of all the Saturday action at Aqueduct. (It’s true, I was clambering over the third-floor balcony rail to get a better view of the paddock. I am the Railbird, after all.)
A few Beyer speed figures: Recapturetheglory gets the second best figure in a two-turn prep this season, earning 102 for the Illinois Derby; Colonel John scores 95 for the Santa Anita Derby; Tale of Ekati, 93, for the Wood; J Be K, 100, for the Bay Shore; Little Belle, 88, for upsetting the Ashland; Zenyatta, 104, for beating Ginger Punch in the Apple Blossom; and Tiago, 110, for the Oaklawn Handicap.
Prep race results and top 30 by earnings updated.
Aqueduct Cancels Friday
With rain continuing to fall in New York, NYRA has decided to cancel today’s racing at Aqueduct to keep the main track sealed and in condition for the Wood Memorial day card:
“The main track is tight, in good shape, but factoring in that it only opened for racing two days ago and that we have Aqueduct’s best day of racing tomorrow, we are doing everything we can to ensure optimum racing conditions for our big Wood Memorial Day card,” New York Racing Association Racing Secretary and Handicapper P.J. Campo said. “The track is sealed so moisture doesn’t soak in. We’re confident that our cautious approach today will result in excellent racing conditions tomorrow.”
Rain is forecast through Saturday morning in Ozone Park, with clouds lingering through the afternoon.
—
Owner Robert LaPenta has a new theory explaining War Pass’ performance in the Tampa Bay Derby, reports Paul Moran on ESPN:
“We all saw him at the top of the stretch, struggling,” LaPenta said. “That was not the horse we saw three weeks earlier that basically cruised to [a mile in] 1:36 and came into the winners’ circle without even breathing heavy. That was a horse that at the top of the stretch was in distress. I guess the most plausible explanation is that he flipped his palate. We scoped him after the race. There was no congestion. There were no issues. But for a horse to be in that much distress, I’d only have to say that that, to me, is the most probable explanation.”
War Pass is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the Wood.
A Case of Big Brown Mania
Has Mike Brunker in its feverish grip:
His scintillating victory in the $1 million Florida Derby on Saturday was not just the most brilliant performance in a Kentucky Derby prep this year, it was one of the best races by a 3-year-old I’ve seen in the 13 years that I’ve been covering the Triple Crown.
In fact, I’ll shinny out even farther out on the limb: This is a colt with the talent to end the 29-year Triple Crown drought as long as his troublesome hooves don’t act up and he can overcome his woeful lack of experience to win the Kentucky Derby after just three lifetime starts.
Two words: Bellamy Road. Two more: Sinister Minister.
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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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