FIELD OF SEAMS; WHICH OF THE 19 WILL BREAK THROUGH?Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer If the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. horses are hard to separate on paper, just wait until they break from the starting gate starting gate n. Sports 1. A series of stalls with interconnected doors that open simultaneously at the beginning of a race. 2. this afternoon. The evenly matched race probably will be won by the horse and jockey Horse and Jockey (An Marcach) is a village in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, on the N8 National Primary Route from Dublin to Cork. It is situated km ( mi) south of Thurles, at the junction of the N8 and the N62. who survive the stirrup-to-stirrup scramble for running position as the field of 19 rushes to the first turn - and find daylight in the stretch. ``With a large field, you need a lot of luck,'' said trainer Bob Baffert Bob Baffert (born January 13, 1953 in Nogales, Arizona) is an American horse owner and trainer. He graduated from the University of Arizona's Racetrack Management Program with a Bachelor of Science degree. , who has the most at stake, sending three horses in quest of his third straight Derby victory, which would be a record for the 125-year-old event. When Baffert decided to put the filly Excellent Meeting in the race along with stablemates General Challenge and Prime Timber, he filled out a field matching the largest in 15 years. Also, perhaps the deepest. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the most popular brand of speed ratings See CD-ROM drives and DVD drives. , the Beyer figures printed in the Daily Racing Form The Daily Racing Form, LLC (DRF) is a broadsheet newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race horses as a statistical service for bettors on horse racing in the United States. , nine Derby horses are separated by only three lengths based on their latest races. A relatively injury-free prep season sent a raft of major-race winners into the Derby. The arrival of two fillies, two Dubai-based colts, several lightly raced horses and a horse whose only victory is under investigation left handicappers with a confusion of X factors. One Dubai colt, the overmatched Aljabr, was scratched Friday, two days after the maximum 20 horses were entered. Pruning the list of contenders by eliminating those with unproven trainers is of little use. The race features four trainers with previous Derby victories - Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. , Nick Zito Nicholas Philip "Nick" Zito (born February 6, 1948 in New York City, New York) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. Zito began his career as a hot walker and worked his way way up to a groom, to an assistant trainer, and to a trainer. and Carl Nafzger Carl A. Nafzger (born August 29, 1941 in Plainview, Texas) is an American horse trainer. Nafzger trained Unbridled who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. In 1990 he was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer and the Big Sport of Turfdom Award. - only the second time that's happened in 75 years. Those four trainers control eight horses - Baffert's three, plus Lukas' Cat Thief and Charismatic, Zito's Stephen Got Even and Adonis, and Nafzger's Vicar. Baffert won in 1996 with Silver Charm Silver Charm (born February 22 1994) is an American Champion Thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before falling short of the Triple Crown by placing second in the Belmont and jockey Gary Stevens
Not since the filly Winning Colors
Winning Colors is the third novel in the space opera, military science fiction Familias Regnant fictional universe written by Elizabeth Moon; it continues the plot centered on the adventures of and Stevens in '88 have the Derby champions led from gate to wire. Who'll lead today is anybody's guess. Vicar (marooned in post position 17) and fillies Excellent Meeting (comfortable in post 5) and Three Ring (stuck inside in post 2) have scored front-running victories as 3-year-olds - but none is one-dimensional. Five other horses raced within two lengths of the lead early in their biggest wins. ``I see five or six horses close to the lead,'' said Gary Stevens, who'll seek his fourth Kentucky Derby victory aboard General Challenge. General Challenge, the Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. winner, starts from post 14. Prime Timber goes from post 13, and his jockey David Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the , aiming for a career-making victory, must angle toward the rail to take up striking position in mid-pack. The first run through the homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. could be as exciting as the last. ``Every jockey in that race, in the first 22 seconds, is going to have to make about 15 to 20 decisions,'' Nafzger said of the first quarter-mile. ``And they'd better get it right. ``I think the crucial place is going to be the clubhouse turn. That's where you win a lot of races. If any horse gets behind a wall of horses, he's history.'' ``There's (19) horses,'' Lukas said, ``and some (jockeys) will get in situations they're really not prepared for. Some of them will handle it and some of them won't. It could be a war out there.'' KENTUCKY DERBY Today, 2:35 p.m. Channel 7 KEVIN MODESTI'S KENTUCKY DERBY PICK Prime Timber has never run a bad race. Of course he has never run a brilliant race either. But Bob Baffert seems to have prepared the colt to fire his best shot when it counts in the Kentucky Derby. Baffert admits Prime Timber was underconditioned for the Santa Anita Derby. That, plus a pre-race injury and an inconveniently slow pace, left him with room to improve on that second-place finish to Baffert-trained General Challenge. I've ranked Prime Timber No. 1 among Derby contenders since the start of the season and I'm sticking with him today. I'm also figuring General Challenge to finish off the board, reasoning the six-figure crowd might unnerve the high-spirited gelding gelding castrated male horse. and the tight racing conditions might cramp his long-striding style. If I had $100 to bet on the Derby, I'd distribute it this way: $40 to win on Prime Timber; $2 trifectas with Prime Timber on top of Vicar, Cat Thief, Stephen Got Even, Desert Hero and First American (for a total of $40); and $1 trifectas with Prime Timber finishing second in combination with those five horses (for a total of $20). A VIEWER'S GUIDE TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY HORSES Staff Writer Kevin Modesti looks at the field, in post-position order from the rail out, for today's 1-1/4-mile race. Before each horse's name is the saddle-cloth number. 3 ADONIS (30-1) Jockey: Jorge Chavez. Trainer: Nick Zito. Owner: Paraneck Stable (Ernie Paragallo). We know . . . Like five others in the race, he ran like a new horse when blinkers blinkers 1. rigid pieces of leather fitted to a head harness at a point where they will obstruct the horse's lateral vision. 2. a more sophisticated piece of harness worn by expensive horses consisting of a canvas head-covering with holes for the ears to protrude and two were put on. We'll find out . . . If winning the Wood Memorial means anything anymore. 4 THREE RING (20-1) Jockey: John Velasquez. Trainer: Eddie Plesa. Owners: Barry Schwartz. We know . . . She dominated other fillies in Florida. We'll find out . . . If her early speed and fair size will save her from a roughing up by the colts. 14f ECTON PARK (12-1, field) Jockey: Robbie Davis. Trainer: Elliott Walden. Owner: Mark Stanley. We know . . . Walden, trainer of '98 Belmont spoiler spoiler: see airplane. 1. spoiler - A remark which reveals important plot elements from books or movies, thus denying the reader (of the article) the proper suspense when reading the book or watching the movie. 2. Victory Gallop, is a rising star. We'll find out . . . If his Arkansas Derby clunker clunk·er n. Informal 1. A decrepit machine, especially an old car; a rattletrap. 2. A failure; a flop. precedes a needed jump forward. 5 STEPHEN GOT EVEN (12-1) Jockey: Chris McCarron. Trainer: Nick Zito. Owner: Stephen Hilbert. We know . . . Unwavering improvement has produced a three-race win streak, longest among the Derby colts, and he has trained well. We'll find out . . . If racing just once at age 2 cost him the necessary seasoning. 2 EXCELLENT MEETING (3-1, entry) Jockey: Kent Desormeaux. Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Golden Eagle Farm (John and Betty Mabee). We know . . . Baffert prevailed upon the owners, who didn't want to enter the filly. We'll find out . . . If the fillies really are as good as the colts this season. 6 DESERT HERO (15-1) Jockey: Corey Nakatani. Trainer: Richard Mandella. Owner: The Thoroughbred Corp. (Ahmed Salman). We know . . . His zig-zagging San Rafael was the most visually impressive win of the prep season. We'll find out . . . If inexperience (only three races) and a March trainer switch are too much for the son of '93 Derby winner Sea Hero to overcome. 7 ANSWER LIVELY (50-1) Jockey: Craig Perret. Trainer: Bobby Barnett. Owner: John Franks. We know . . . No 2-year-old champion has won the Derby since Spectacular Bid in '79. We'll find out . . . If he'll be the first 2-year-old champion to go off at 50-1 in the Derby. 15f VALHOL (12-1, field) Jockey: Willie Martinez. Trainer: Dallas Keen. Owner: James Jackson. We know . . . His 30-1 win in the Arkansas Derby was the shocker shock·er n. One that startles, shocks, or horrifies, as a sensational story or novel. Noun 1. shocker - a shockingly bad person bad person - a person who does harm to others 2. of the prep season. We'll find out . . . If he needs a jolt from a buzzer, as his ex-jockey is accused of giving him, to run that well. 16f K ONE KING (12-1, field) Jockey: Alex Solis. Trainer: Akiko Gothard. Owner: Allen and Madeleine Paulson. We know . . . Gothard, a 68-year-old Tokyo native, is in her first Derby but has a solid win percentage in Kentucky. We'll find out . . . If the colt is good enough even if Solis takes advantage of his tactical speed. 8 CAT THIEF (8-1) Jockey: Mike Smith. Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas. Owner: Overbrook Farm (William T. Young William T. Young (February 15, 1918 - January 12, 2004) was an American businessman and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses. William T. Young attended the University of Kentucky where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. ). We know . . . Lukas' stronger entrant always contends, but usually comes up just short. We'll find out . . . If he can summon a killer instinct for Smith, a frequent Derby disappointment. 1a WORLDLY MANNER (12-1, entry) Jockey: Jerry Bailey. Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor Saeed bin Suroor (born October 10, 1967, Dubai), is a horse racing trainer. Formerly a policeman, he took out his training license in 1994 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation. . Owner: Godolphin Racing (Maktoum al Mactoum). We know . . . The Del Mar Futurity The Del Mar Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Beginning in the racing season of 2007, this race has been upgraded by the American Graded Stakes Committee from a Grade II event to a Grade I. winner was '98's most precocious 2-year-old. We'll find out . . . If those Dubai ``trial races'' are any substitute for the traditional U.S. preps. 17f KIMBERLITE kimberlite: see diamond. kimberlite or blue ground Dark, heavy, often fragmented igneous rock that may contain diamonds in the rock matrix. PIPE (12-1, field) Jockey: Robby Albarado. Trainer: Dallas Stewart. Owner: John Gunther, Prairie Star stable. We know . . . Stewart is one of two proteges of new Hall of Famer Lukas with horses in the Derby (the other is Barnett). We'll find out . . . What the heck a Kimberlite Pipe is. 9 PRIME TIMBER (7-2) Jockey: David Flores. Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Aaron and Marie Jones. We know . . . He's been handed with confidence by two-time Derby winner Baffert before and after the colt's excusable second in the Santa Anita Derby. We'll find out . . . If he's not just well-prepared but also talented enough to beat the best of his generation. 2b GENERAL CHALLENGE (3-1) Jockey: Gary Stevens. Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Golden Eagle Farm (John and Betty Mabee). We know . . . Despite California-breds' second-class reputation, the Santa Anita Derby-winning gelding is the most awesome-looking specimen in the race. We'll find out . . . If his long legs are a blessing or a curse in a crowded field on Churchill Downs' sharp turns. 10 FIRST AMERICAN (50-1) Jockey: Eddie Delahoussaye. Trainer: Eduardo Caramori. Owner: TNT TNT: see trinitrotoluene. TNT in full trinitrotoluene Pale yellow, solid organic compound made by adding nitrate (−NO2) groups to toluene. Stud (Gonzalo Torrealba). We know . . . His jockey has won two Derbies, and his sire, Quiet American, produced '98 winner Real Quiet. We'll find out . . . If training a Brazilian Derby winner, as Caramori did in '91, qualifies him to train a Kentucky Derby winner. 11 CHARISMATIC (20-1) Jockey: Chris Antley. Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas. Owner: Bob and Beverly Lewis. We know . . . He's the most experienced here, with 14 races, including three wins. We'll find out . . . If he's as good against top-quality horses at 1-1/4 miles as he was winning the 1 1/16-mile Lexington. 12 VICAR (6-1) Jockey: Shane Sellers. Trainer: Carl Nafzger. Owner: James Tafel. We know . . . If he's close - and he usually is - the Florida Derby winner has the will to win. We'll find out . . . How the Florida 3-year-olds, his winter runningmates, compare to the Californians. 13 MENIFEE (5-1) Jockey: Pat Day. Trainer: Elliott Walden. Owner: Arthur Hancock, James Stone. We know . . . He improved fast after a 2-year-old injury, and defeated Cat Thief and Vicar in the Blue Grass. We'll find out . . . If the road to the Derby winner's circle goes through Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs is a horse track in Tampa, Florida. History The track opened in 1926. The track has operated under many names the most famous being Florida Downs. In 1943, the Army used the track as a training facility. . 18f LEMON DROP KID Lemon Drop Kid (foaled 1996) is a Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is among many stakes-winning Thoroughbreds to be descended from Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. Seattle Slew is the sire of his dam, Charming Lassie. (12-1, field) Jockey: Jose Santos. Trainer: Scotty Schulhofer. Owner: Jeanne Vance. We know . . . No Derby winner has come out of post 19. We'll find out . . . If he'll end a seven-month stakes drought in the Derby. CAPTION(S): 6 Photos, 2 Boxes Photo: (1--Color) Answer Lively (2--Color) Worldly Manner (3--Color) Prime Timber (4--Color) Menifee (5--Color) Vicar (6) Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, right, leads one of his two Kentucky Derby entrants, Charismatic, off the track after a recent morning exercise. Ed Reinke/Associated Press Box: (1) KEVIN MODESTI'S KENTUCKY DERBY PICK (See text) (2) A VIEWER'S GUIDE TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY HORSES (See text) |
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