I WANT REVENGE SCRATCHED FROM DERBY
FROM THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS…
Trainer Jeff Mullins reported yesterday morning during a hastily called press conference that heat was detected in the left front ankle of morning-line favorite I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even) Saturday morning, necessitating his scratch from the Kentucky Derby.
“Dr. Foster flexed his ankle and held it for a few seconds, and then jogged him off, and you could tell he was not 100 percent,” Mullins said. “Knowing the weather, and how well they seal the racetrack, and how hard the track might be if it keeps raining, we decided that it was in the best interest of the horse not to run.”
NOTE: FRIESAN FIRE (A.P. Indy) was the 9 to 2 favourite after betting closed yesterday.
From the TORONTO STAR NEWSPAPER…
135th KENTUCKY DERBY ANALYSIS
FOR SATURDAY MAY 2 2009
ANALYSIS BY JENNIFER MORRISON
KENTUCKY DERBY-G1; Purse $2 000 000-guaranteed; Churchill Downs Louisville Kentucky; 3-year-olds; 1st jewel of Visa Triple Crown; 1 1/4 miles; Post time: 6:24 p.m..
THE FIELD
Post Horse Trainer Jockey Odds
1 WEST SIDE BERNIE Kelly Breen Stewart Elliott 30-1
2 MUSKET MAN Derek Ryan Eibar Coa 20-1
3 MR. HOT STUFF Eoin Harty John Velazquez 30-1
4 ADVICE Todd Pletcher Rene Douglas 30-1
5 HOLD ME BACK Bill Mott Kent Desormeaux 15-1
6 FRIESAN FIRE Larry Jones Gabriel Saez 5-1
7 PAPA CLEM Gary Stute Rafael Bejarano 20-1
8 MINE THAT BIRD Bennie Woolley Calvin Borel 50-1
9 JOIN IN THE DANCE Todd Pletcher Chris DeCarlo 50-1
10 REGAL RANSOM Saeed bin Suroor Alan Garcia 30-1
11 CHOCOLATE CANDY Jerry Hollendorfer Mike Smith 20-1
12 GENERAL QUARTERS Tom McCarthy Julien Leparoux 20-1
13 I WANT REVENGE Jeff Mullins Joe Talamo SCRATCHED
14 ATOMIC RAIN Kelly Breen Joe Bravo 50-1
15 DUNKIRK Todd Pletcher Edgar Prado 4-1
16 PIONEEROF THE NILE Bob Baffert Garrett Gomez 4-1
17 SUMMER BIRD Tim Ice Chris Rosier 50-1
18 NOWHERE TO HIDE Nick Zito Shaun Bridgmohan 50-1
19 DESERT PARTY Saeed bin Suroor Ramon Dominguez 15-1
20 FLYING PRIVATE D. Wayne Lukas Robby Albarado 50-1
JENNIFER’S PICKS
1- HOLD ME BACK
2- DESERT PARTY
3- GENERAL QUARTERS
OTHERS FOR THE SUPERFECTA AND TRI – SUMMER BIRD, DUNKIRK
CAN’T BE STOPPED – The big question for the impressive stretch runner HOLD ME BACK is his ability to race on a traditional dirt surface – the jet black colt’s best races have come on synthetic dirt. But the Bill Mott-trainee is sitting on a big race and at 15 to 1, why not take a chance he will run to his sparkling Churchill Downs track prepping?
DOLPHIN PARTY – This is the 7th year the Godolphin team from Dubai will attempt the Derby and if you saw this colt’s races in Dubai this winter, you know he has class, talent and a super stretch kick. The stable also has front runner REGAL RANSOM in the field.
IN CHARGE – GENERAL QUARTERS, owned and trained by a retired school teacher – Tom McCarthy – marched past some of these including Hold Me Back in the Blue Grass Stakes. A strong colt sitting on another good race.
MONEY TALKS – At $3.7 million, DUNKIRK is the most expensive horse – and the least experienced. It has been more than 100 years since a horse that did not race as a 2-year-old has won the Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher has won almost every big race except the Kentucky Derby.
TAKE A STAB – A longshot with a good stretch run is MUSKET MAN, who loves a Guiness beer every morning for breakfast.
RIVER CARD – Trainer Bob Baffert is a Kentucky Derby expert and has PIONEER OF THE NILE in this year’s race. Problem is, the attractive colt is often hard to handle and the Churchill crowd may get the colt rattled.
MUD LOVER – The best race that the regally bred A.P. Indy colt FRIESAN FIRE ran was in the slop. If the rains come to Kentucky, boost this one’s chances.
FLYIN’ – A lightly raced colt to consider as a super longshot for superfecta and triactor bets is the fast improving SUMMER BIRD who could be 75 to 1.
THE REST – Certainly with I WANT REVENGE out of the race, the event becomes even more of a crapshoot. But MINE THAT BIRD is way out of his league, FLYING PRIVATE looks like he’s too green still to be considered. ATOMIC RAIN is a rank outsider but his stable WEST SIDE BERNIE is okay.
MR. HOT STUFF is a possible fringe player as is ADVICE and PAPA CLEM.
RACHEL IS BREATHTAKING
• Okay, she didn’t beat much with the scratching of JUSTWHISTLEDIXIE but RACHEL ALEXANDRA pulled away from the Kentucky Oaks field in her usual gallop, a workout-type of gallop.
With I WANT REVENGE out of the Derby, it would have been fun to see this gal in the big one.
Let’s just hope we get to see her for the rest of the year anyway.
From www.horse-races.net, jockey Calvin Borel said:
“To tell you the truth I’m happy they didn’t run her (in the Derby). I think they did the right thing by running her today, but I do think she would have won it. She’s probably the greatest horse I’ve ever been on in my life. There are other things down the road for her and she’ll prove it, I promise it. This filly she breaks out of the gate and she’s like ‘Bring it on, let’s go!'”
QUEEN’S PLATE FELLOWS IN ACTION TODAY
Queenston Stakes, Rapid Release in allowance
• EL BRUJO will try to double up stakes wins as he goes to the post as the to 6 to 5 favourite in today’s 7 furlong QUEENSTON STAKES, the first major prep for the Plate for the locals.
The race this year is wide open with SQUARE EDDIE the early favourite for the 150th Plate uncertain to run. EL BRUJO, BUCEPHALUS and ACTIVE DUTY are among the top ones in today’s event.
The Roger Attfield trainee RAPID RELEASE is on a crash course to get to the Plate and he’s in an allowance race today, one week after finishing 3rd in an allowance race.
7th (4:03)
Queenston S.
7 Furlongs (All Weather Track) | Open | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $150,000
Post # Horse, Jockey, Weight, Med.
1 Parabola, Stein J, 119, L
2 Me the Sea and G T, Ramsammy E, 117, L
3 Keino West, Olguin G L, 115, L
4 Active Duty, Fraser C, 119, L
5 Shut It Down, McAleney J S, 119, L
6 Bucephalus, Pizarro T, 119, L
7 El Brujo, Husbands P, 119, L
