The connections of the winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1) journalism Relief after the expected favorite of Kentucky Derby (G1) Drew Post 8 for the 5 million dollar classic on May 3 Churchill Downs.
Let a postal position in the middle of the 20-hp field and neither to far inside or outside-a half, to leave jockey Umberto Rispoli with options on board the Michael McCarthy trained Curlin Colt, who has enough speed to secure the position, the greatest strengths of which are stamina and behind schedule. It is perfect in four routes in a sprint after a debut.
“The fact that it was well drawn is encouraging. It is positive,” said Aron Wellman, President and founder of Eclipse Thoroughred Partners, one of the units that the three -time winner of the Graded Stake belongs.
“The horse is doing well,” added Rispoli shortly after the reprint. “I'm just elated, peaceful, relaxed.”
Post 8 has achieved an above -average profit rate of 9.6% in the derby, including magician 'S victory in 2023.
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In such a huge field in the race – most of the operations are covered with 14 starters – there is often a scramble by position when the field is compressed in the inside of the race track, which can lead to horses that are not in the leading cluster. So horses are often asked to show speed and to establish positions. A tardy start can prove to be high-priced for such guys.
Reigning 2-year-old champion Citizen Bull drew the inner post, a sometimes intimidating position on the rail. At an early speed, it can demonstrate fewer disadvantages than for a horse without its speed. All of his route victories, which were taken over by a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile from 2024 (G1), came when he went into the early lead.
“I don't have to give instructions about what to do,” said Hall of Fame coach Bob Baffert. “He will let it run there. And the horse wants to do that anyway.”
Not since Ferdinand in 1986, a horse has won from the interior post position.
Citizen Bull, who is set on the morning line with 20: 1 in the morning star, is one of two starters for Baffert, a six-time derby winner who returns to the race for the first time in 2021 when his horse Medina Spirit first crossed the wire, but was ultimately disqualified because of a medication violation. Baffert served a three -year suspension when she took part in the tracks in Churchill Downs Inc. before CDI rose the suspension last summer.
Bob Baffert
Baffert, who can be the only seven -time winner of the race with a win in the derby Rodriguez A 12: 1 shot in Post 4. Like Citizen Bull, he was best to take the top. The two-time Kentucky Derby winner Mike Smith rides Rodriguez and Martin Garcia on Citizen Bull.
“I think Citizen Bull is faster of the two,” said Baffert, but thought about race tactics. “I will only leave it to the jockeys.”
The Brendan Walsh-trained East Avenue (Post 12, 20-1) It is also expected that she will be able to keep up under Manny Franco, since he was most effective when it came to catching enemies.
Other horses also expect that they will be among the first runners in the derby NeoEquos (Post 2), American promise (Post 5), Grande (Post 10) and Owen Almighty (Post 20).
The field for the 151st Kentucky Derby in Churchill Downs
Together with robust sovereignty, the East Avenue is one of two horses in the field that belongs to the Godolphin global racing power plant. Godolphin victorious in countless races of grades/group 1 all over the world and has not yet won a Kentucky Derby.
Sovereignty (Post 18), winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), is trained by the Hall of Famer Bill Mott. The In mischief Colt, the 5-1 election in the morning line, has been demonstrated on the Churchill Downs interface. Last autumn he won the street sensel (G3) with five lengths under the Twin spines and defeated the competitor of Kentucky Derby with Kentucky Derby Sandman And Tizast – This year are G -Läger of the Arkansas derby (G1) and the Louisiana Derby (G2).
“We weren't particularly picky; I said I didn't want to (post) 1 or 2,” said Mott about his hopes of the random draw.
Mott noted that his Kentucky Derby winner in 2019, Country house began how the sovereignty be. Country House, secondly crossed the wire, but after the disqualification of first increased Maximum security For interference, from 18th after 18.
The sovereignty with Junior Alvarado is only outside of the Sandmanns trained by Mark Casse (Post 17, 6-1), who has Jose Ortiz in the saddle. No horse has won in 45 attempts by Post 17, which appears a statistical aberration. Posts 16 and 18 have four victories or two victories.
The majority of these statistics reflect a time before Churchill Downs, which introduced a continuous 20-horsepower gate in 2020. Not so wide compared to the two previously used churchill-downs a standard goal and a smaller aid, the continuous gate is positioned on the race track so as not to leave it in such an extreme position on the inside or outside. There are more than a quarter mile to the first round.
Post positions can change with scratches, which usually leads to the fact that exterior horses move closer to the inside.
Last year Kentucky Derby winner, Mystic and Started by Post 3, with Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. Sierra Leone And Forever teenage .
Hernandez drives the winner of the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) Burnham Square A deceased runner and 12-1 shots.
“Brian knows where to be on this route and 9 is a good place,” said coach Ian Wilkes. “You are not far inside. You are not far out. Brian can save something in the first round and find out from there.”
Coach Ian Wilkes (right) was satisfied with post 9 for Burnham Square
As Hall of Fame coach Steve Asmussen after his first Derby victory, he will be uncomplicated to discover the beginning of his two runners as Maiden in class 1 editor and Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Tizast Starts side by side in post 13 and 14.
“My two horses are deep conclusions,” said Asmussen. “The faster you go early, the better and you have the opportunity to read it. If you put together 20 horses from this caliber, there are many variables that can prevent the fastest horse from winning it.”
There is a derby that is also responsible, Santa Anita Derby second Baeza Who is forecast that he starts with 12-1 chances of winning when he competes. He could win a starting place if a scratch appears before 9 a.m. and on May 2. In this case, with last year's Eclipse award winner from Jockey Flavien Prat on board he would move to the field. Prat is supposed to drive 30-1 long shot NeoEquos When Baeza ends up in the body of the field.
There are two starters trained by Japanese in this year's Kentucky Derby: Admire daytona (Post 6), who qualified by capturing the VAE derby (G2) in Dubai and Dubai and Luxor Cafe (Post 7) via Japanese road to the Kentucky Derby. The latter, a son of the Triple Crown winner 2015 American Pharoah is a winner of four in Japan.
Post time for the 151st Kentucky Derby, race 11 in a blockbuster program on Saturday in Churchill Downs, 6:57 p.m. The derby and a huge part of the map are broadcast nationwide on NBC.
Last year a lot of more than 156,000 visited the derby, and the television viewers reached during the race and shortly afterwards a climax of more than 20 million.
