Kentucky Derby Top 5 List
March 29, 2010 by Ryan · 10 Comments
The Kentucky Derby is almost here.  The First Saturday in May is one month from Thursday. Several key preps have yet to be conducted and a lot will shake out between now and then. Let’s take a look at my top 5 contenders at this point. Feel free to share your thoughts and input by leaving a comment.
#1 Lookin at Lucky- The Juvenile Champ has done very little wrong in his career. He has only lost once and that was due to a poor trip. He got up to take the Rebel Stakes in his last start despite having to overcome a horrid trip. I love the son of Smart Strike’s breeding, and he is in excellent hands with Bob Baffert and Garrett Gomez. Look for him in the Santa Anita Derby.
#2 Odysseus- I absolutely love the Tampa Bay Derby victory. He looked like he was dead in the water turning for home, but somehow came on again to win the race. Before that he crushed an allowance field by 15 lengths. I’m not very sure how well he is suited for the distance. He is a sons of Malibu Moon. I expect to see him compete in the Bluegrass Stakes before heading to Churchill Downs.
#3 Awesome Act- He looked great skipping over the track in his Gotham victory. It appears that the son of Awesome Again is getting good at the right time. His Gotham win was his first start of the year. Prior to that he was 4th in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf. Julien Leparoux rides for trainer Jeremy Noseda. Look for him in the Wood Memorial.
#4 Eskendereya- Most people will disagree with me having this colt at 4th and that is fine. I want to see him reproduce his freakish effort in the Fountain of Youth before I get on board. If he wins the Wood Memorial like that I’ll hop on the band wagon. Of course I’ll also fear he is a Bellamy Road 2.0 (Bellamy Road crushed the Wood Memorial field before finishing 7th in the Run for the Roses). John Velazquez rides for Todd Pletcher. He will be in the Wood Memorial.
#5 Sidney’s Candy- It’s hard to say how good this colt really is. I love his easy win over Grade 2 company two races back. After that he easily won the Grade 2 San Felipe, but did so after setting fractions that were slow. How will he respond under pressure? We will find out in the Santa Anita Derby. Joe Talamo pilots this son of Candy Ride for John Sadler.
Who are your picks for the Kentucky Derby right now? I’d love to know. Leave a comment below.

Recently I’ve been wrapped up in a web of negative thoughts regarding horse racing, especially toward the end of this year. Whenever the end of the year rolls by, it seems that all I see are retirement announcements left and right. It really isn’t fair to focus on the negative when this year became one of the greatest, record breaking seasons in history. So I’ve decided it’s time I grow up and stop whining about everything that doesn’t go my way. This doesn’t mean that I’m happy about groups of good horses being retired, I’ve just come to accept that this is the way it is, so I’d better make the best of it for now. This year started with a very dynamic group of young three year olds all stomping down the Triple Crown trail. Then came a certain three year old filly sensation that tore down all previously set boundaries and waltzed into the history books and hearts of people all across the nation. Next came one of the most intriguing Triple Crown runs fans have witnessed in many years resulting in three separate and unique winners garnering one jewel each. Lastly the 2008 undefeated Champion Older Female returned to produce a stunning finale to her career in a history-defying Breeders’ Cup. I’m going to go over as many performances from earlier in the year as I can possibly remember and hopefully spark some life into the corners of our musings. Let’s revive the best moments of this year and relive the glory from some of the most incredible performances racing fans have had the honor to witness in decades.
January represents the chance for all things to start anew with fresh beginnings. It’s also the month that lights the fuse that leads to the explosion known as; the Triple Crown and namely the Kentucky Derby. On January 10 Larry Jones sent out Friesan Fire to an impressive victory in the Lecomte Stakes in Louisiana.  This was the first step in a journey that culminated in a clean sweep of the Louisiana 3-year-old series and favoritism in the most illustrious race in

Zenyatta
It’s taken me much longer to compile a list of the moments and races I enjoyed the most this year so I’m going to have to make this a two-parter. I even discovered some stories I’d forgotten from earlier this year and “reconnected” with some of my favorite horses like Old Fashioned who completely left the limelight along with The Pamlemousse, Quality Road and I Want Revenge due to injuries.
What were your favorite memories, races, horses or stories from January thru May this year? Please share any and all you may have, and they don’t have to be from this year.

Mine That Bird
older male. The Kentucky Derby lived up to its billing as the greatest horse race in the world when the longest shot in the field, and the second longest shot in history won at odds 50-1 from dead last. Mine That Bird, the forgotten little gelding flew up the rail, splashing through the mud to win going away by more than 6 lengths, the largest margin in over 60 years of Kentucky Derby history. Two weeks later Rachel Alexandra cranked up the excitement in a dramatic renewal of the Preakness Stakes. Under the new ownership of Jess Jackson and Harold T. McCormick, Rachel Alexandra became the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness Stakes and the first horse ever to win from the 13 hole. A speeding Mine That Bird came from far back to finish second by 1 length. Exactly one week later Zenyatta made her triumphant return to the races with a repeat win in the Milady Hadicap.

Rachel Alexandra
Justwhistledixe had to be scratched from the Kentucky Oaks the morning of the race, leaving Rachel Alexandra the overwhelming favorite. Never has a favorite justified the support of their fans and bettors so adamantly and with such overwhelming confidence as Rachel Alexandra did that day. She ran away from the best fillies in the country while being stoutly restrained the entire length of the stretch, passing under the wire 20 lengths ahead of the pack. Earlier in the day the expected return of Zenyatta was cut short when her connections decided to withdraw the great mare from the Louisville Distaff due to wet conditions. Informed Decision started things out on Derby day by winning the Humana Distaff for her fourth consecutive win. Einstein followed that up by becoming the first horse in history to win two running’s of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic and also stamped himself as the front-runner for the Eclipse award as champion

Quality Road
part of a Kentucky Derby favorite. The same day American dual-champion Indian Blessing took on the boys in the Dubai Golden Shaheen and finished a fast closing 2nd to Big City Man.
On April 4th the ball was back in the court of I Want Revenge, he scored a slam dunk and then some. In the most difficult trip of the entire Triple Crown trail of 2009, I Want Revenge overcame all adversity and streaked to an impressive victory in the Wood Memorial. Say hello to another strongly supported Kentucky Derby favorite. On the 9th older filly Informed Decision faced off against Ventura in the Vinery Madison and prevailed by a head. On the 15th Rachel Alexandra once again showed an unearthly dominance while running away to a more than 8 length victory in the Fantasy Stakes, the largest margin of victory in history.
May is the month we all wait for. The “First Saturday In May”, it heralds one of the biggest days of the year in sports. This year I was anticipating the Kentucky Oaks almost as much as the Kentucky Derby itself. Rachel Alexandra and Justwhistledixe were the two heavy favorites, with Rachel Alexandra getting the most support. Unfortunately

Stardom Bound
on March 7. Whoever named Stardom Bound should win an award for the most prophetic naming of an athlete. She stormed to victory that day in the Santa Anita Oaks
I Want Revenge
and posted her 5th consecutive grade 1 score. Astonishing for such a young filly. Later that same day another new star emerged in the form of I Want Revenge winning the Gotham Stakes. He had previously finished behind Pioneerof The Nile on two occasions but emerged as a force to be reckoned with after his first victory on traditional dirt. Gio Ponti won the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap over 2008 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint champion Ventura also on the same day, and began one of the most impressive grade 1 winning streaks in recent history. On March 9, Einstein proved to be one of the most versatile older horses in thoroughbred horse racing history by winning the Santa Anita Handicap on Santa Anita’s Pro Ride synthetic track. With the win, he became only the second horse in history to win graded stakes on dirt, turf and synthetic tracks. Pioneerof The Nile returned on the 14th to capture the San Felipe Stakes while Freisan Fire burned up the track by winning his third graded stakes score in a row, the Louisiana Derby. Rachel Alexandra captured the Fair Ground Oaks the same day and cemented her role as leading 3 year old filly. Life is Sweet also extended her repertoire that day by making it two graded stakes in a row in winning the Santa Margarita Intitational, capturing her first grade 1 race in the process. On the 27 Justwhistledixie stormed onto
Justwhistledixie
the three year old filly scene by trumping the field in the Bonnie Miss Stakes, bringing her winning streak to five consecutive. The next day Quality Road out-fought undefeated and favored Dunkirk in the Florida Derby and flew to victory, looking very much the

Derby

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