Derby 139 Wrap-Up

Well, another Kentucky Derby has come and gone.  It's amazing how so much hype and time can go into a two minute event.  Hey, though...that's horse racing.  This probably was one of my favorite Derbies I've seen in my short life as a horse racing fan - maybe my favorite.  The sloppy track didn't dampen my excitement one bit.

The first time I ever heard of Orb was his debut, the race where Violence won.  He jumped up in the air at the start and made up a tremendous amount of ground to finish third.  It wasn't one of those freak, flash-in-the-pan, close into a fast pace sort of finishes, either.  He really showed true potential in what he did that day.  It took him a little while to get his first win, but when he did, it was promising.  (He even beat future competitor Revolutionary in the process!)

After the Fountain of Youth, I said to myself, "This is the horse I want to win the Kentucky Derby."  His Florida Derby win had me grinning with joy.  And the way he trained up to the race, especially Derby week, was nothing short of phenomenal.  He looked good.  Really good.

Race day came, and my nerves intensified.  I was busy all day and got home to watch Wise Dan make mincemeat of his rivals.  (I had no idea that Point of Entry had scratched and was upset that their match-up wouldn't come to fruition that day.)  After that, it was Derby time.  A copious amount of celebrities picked Orb, as did both Bob Neumeier and Mike Battaglia, my two favorite guys on NBC.  Orb looked great, as he had looked great all week.  Deep down, I knew the bay colt would bring his A game, but it was the Derby.  Anything can happen in the Derby.  A sloppy field, 19 horses, three year-old colts going ten furlongs...

My stomach was churning as they reached the starting gate.  As they broke, I inhaled sharply as I saw Java's War break last - at first I thought something had gone wrong.  After that, my eye strayed to the front of the pack and the green-blinkered head of Palace Malice, a horse I thought had a chance to win.  That is, before the son of Curlin started rattling off fractions a la Bodemeister. 

"What are you doing, Palace Malice?!" I exclaimed, gaping at the TV screen.  I hastily scanned the pack for my Derby pick, and found him racing 15th or 16th.

As they flashed to an overhead view going around the far turn, I saw the dark form of Orb powering past horses, and knew that it was his day to shine.  Whooping and hollering, I stood up from my chair as if my cries could urge the colt on to victory.  They straightened out; Normandy Invasion, another horse I had fancied throughout the week, had the lead. 

Orb reached Normandy Invasion.  Drew even with him.  And without hesitation, the burly son of Malibu Moon passed him by, head crooked and running sideways as Normandy Invasion bore out a little in his drive.  As Orb straightened out, he was all power coming to the wire.  He was all power as he swept across the finish, two and a half lengths in front, a solid winner of the Kentucky Derby.

I must admit, I was overcome with emotion at this stretch drive.  Here was a horse that I had followed for a while, a horse who had accomplished everything I thought he could accomplish in this race.  This colt, clad in the historically beloved red and white silks of the Janney family and trained by the legend Shug McGaughey, was coming down the stretch a winner.  And unlike other Kentucky Derbies, I didn't feel as though I was watching something in the present.  Orb's victory held shades of the past...of past champions.

The roses looked great on the horse.  Hell, even the mud looked great on the Kentucky Derby champion.  Triple Crown talk started right away, as it always did with Derby winners.  This time, though, there was a little more substance to the dreams of five weeks.

Can Orb win the Triple Crown?  I love this horse too much to say "yes" or "no."  I feel like he has the ability to sweep the series, but so many factors play into it.  Fresh horses at Pimlico and Belmont.  Injury or illness (knock on wood).  Training habits.  A horse hasn't won it in 35 years simply because it's a difficult task to accomplish.  So while Orb winning the Crown would be the most amazing thing that's happened to this sport in quite some time, it's not a foregone conclusion that he will.  I think he can, but anything can happen in five weeks.

For now, I will bask in the glow of his victory.  These are the moments that make the game awesome...the feeling you get after a favorite horse wins a race.  It doesn't matter whether it's a cheap claimer or an international superstar; a win is a win, and it feels so good to win.  Orb's victory is the sweetest of feelings, and I mean to savor it until I have to see this colt run again at Pimlico.

Well, that wraps up this blog.  This will probably be the blog I use for next year's Derby trail, and the year after that, and so on and so forth.  But for now, we move on to other things - not only the Preakness and Belmont, but other races as well.  The meets at Saratoga and Keeneland and Arlington and many more.  The prestigious summer stakes.  The Breeders' Cup.  The life of a racing fan doesn't end after the first Saturday in May...it merely begins.

So to keep up with all that fun stuff, I've started a new blog called Horse Sense.  Besides that blog, all my 140 character or less rants and musings are located on my Twitter feed.  Keep up with my thoughts by following me at @racehorsewriter!  I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you and hope that you have thoughts to share with me as well.

Thank you, to whoever kept up with this blog, for reading!  I didn't post as much as I wanted to, but I'm hoping that quality ended up beating out quantity.  Until next year...so long, Derby fans.

16 Going on 1st - Derby Favorite Orb

The field for the 2013 Kentucky Derby was finally set in stone yesterday when entries and post positions were drawn.  Most horses received good luck; some, like Vyjack, who drew post 20, and Black Onyx, who was saddled with the dreaded post 1, didn't end up so fortunate.

The Derby field in my picturesque purple Sharpie handwriting.

The favorites, though, drew pretty well.  Goldencents and Verrazano got beautiful gate spots, while Palace Malice, a live longshot, drew the most successful Derby post, #10.  McGaughey wanted the morning-line favorite Orb a little more to the inside, but he'll be fine with #16.

Actually, Orb is who I want to discuss.  The big race is tomorrow and he's the current favorite.  I've been high on this horse for a long time now and am a little miffed that he's gotten so popular, but c'est la vie.  Never too late to jump on the bandwagon of a good horse!

Breaking Down the Derby - Part Two

I was just thinking to myself...it would be so much easier to pick between these horses if I was actually there!  I have to rely on choppy internet connection and YouTube videos - not the most ideal tools to use for Derbycapping!  The atmosphere at Churchill must be electric.  Gives me the chills just thinking about it.  Anyway, as promised, here's the second installment of who's who in the Derby field (so far).  We'll start with the #11 point earner, Black Onyx.

(By the way, the defections of Govenor Charlie and Code West leave the Derby Baffert-less.  Baffert without a Derby starter...I feel weird just typing it!)

It's Almost Derby Week!

Tonight, at 12 midnight in Kentucky (1 am, my time), it will be Derby week!  There's absolutely nothing better than Derby week.  The morning workouts, the draw on Wednesday, the pageantry leading up to it all...the excitement is catching!  The horses have already started to make preparations on the track.  Some look good, some not so good.  As a younger racing fan, I am trying to expand my knowledge by watching these horses live and making my own judgements of their fitness with my own eyes.

We've lost a lot of good horses on this trail, including two of my expected heavy hitters, Flashback and Uncaptured.  Still, this field is looking pretty good, especially in morning works and gallops.  I'm having a hard time deciding which horse to back in a week!  (Granted, a lot can happen in a week.)

I want to take the time to give a short analysis of each horse in the field, complete with videos of their latest works and gallops.  I'll start with the top ten today and look at the bottom ten point earners tomorrow.  That means we will start with Orb right after this break.

(All of these workout videos are courtesy of the kentuckyderby channel on YouTube, a source that is a lifesaver in catching up with all that I've missed.)

Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes entries

Happy Thursday, everyone!  Tomorrow is Friday (thankfully) and then we're off to what looks to be a great weekend, as far as horse racing goes!  There was just one worker on Tuesday and seemingly none on Wednesday; Texas Bling worked three furlongs in 36 flat at Oaklawn in preparation for his start in the Arkansas Derby.

Let's meet the fields, shall we?

Let's Talk About Oxbow

Well,  I find myself playing catch-up again.  Losing track of things is one of my least favorite traits about me.  I apologize for the wait, for those of you who read this daily.  Anyway, let's get up to date on workouts:

SUNDAY WORKOUTS:

At Palm Meadows, Abraham went four furlongs in 50.08 and Overanalyze worked five furlongs in 1:01.30.

At Gulfstream Park, Frac Daddy and Java's War each traveled five furlongs in 1:00.56.

My Name is Michael worked a half mile in 49 flat at Keeneland.

Manando worked four furlongs in 50.40 at Santa Anita Park.

At Churchill Downs, Mylute worked a half mile in 50.20 and Falling Sky worked five furlongs in a sharp 59.60.

MONDAY WORKOUTS:

At Santa Anita, Den's Legacy went four furlongs in 47.80.

Giant Finish worked a half mile in 48.20 at Fair Hill Training Center.

West Hills Giant, at Belmont, worked five furlongs in 1:00.47.

The big news of this week so far is the defection of Flashback due to a knee chip.  You can imagine my reaction in hearing that news; I won't put it in print.

But there is still hope for me on the Derby Trail.  There's a horse running in the Arkansas Derby this weekend that I am very keen on, and I want to talk about him right after the page break.

Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby Recaps

Well, it feels like forever since I've written something on here!  I've been overwhelmed with other things - in fact, I just got around to watching the replays from yesterday's stakes races just a few minutes ago.  I'm back, though, and I'm excited to break down what I just saw.  First, we have to play catch-up with workouts and such.

FRIDAY WORKOUTS:

At Pegasus Thoroughbred Training Center (which I've never heard of, but it's evidently in Seattle), Carving worked four furlongs in 52.10.

At Santa Anita Park, Sunland Park Derby winner Govenor Charlie traveled a half mile in 49.00.

Will Take Charge and Oxbow both worked at Oaklawn Park.  Oxbow went six furlongs in 1:14.60 in preparation for the Arkansas Derby.  Will Take Charge did five furlongs in 1:01 flat.  It's still unclear whether he'll train up to the Derby or start in the Blue Grass Stakes; the former option seems more likely.

SATURDAY WORKOUTS:

Oh, and there are a lot of them on Saturday, and all of them are five furlongs.  Amerigo Vespucci went in 1:00.60 at Laurel Park.

At Oaklawn, Heaven's Runway worked in 1:02.60.

At Churchill, Fear the Kitten clocked 1:02.20 on the training track, while Dynamic Sky went in 1:01.40 on the main oval.

A trio of workers at Keeneland; Dewey Square, Taken by the Storm and Uncaptured all went five furlongs, clocking 1:03 flat, 1:04.80 and 1:01.40, respectively.

Now, on to the races: