Photo by Thomas McAdam, Louisvulle Examiner
The 135th running of the Kentucky Derby will commence at approximately 6:24 p.m. EDT today, and will last just about 2 minutes. John Steinbeck once wrote that during Derby week, Louisville is the capital of the world, and folks here today at Churchill Downs truly believe it. For a horse, winning the Kentucky Derby is a pretty big longshot. Nearly 40,000 thoroughbreds are born in the United States each year, of which approximately one-half will become racehorses, and of those only about 20 will make it to the Kentucky Derby.
At this point, we can tell our readers several things for sure. The winner of this year’s Derby will be a 3-year-old colt. That’s a boy horse; girl horses are called fillies. These animals only become horses and mares after their 4th birthday. There are no fillies entered in this year. The winner will be the fastest colt to run counter-clockwise around a 1and 1/4-mile dirt track, which is composed of 75 percent sand, 20 percent silt, and 5 percent clay. The race begins at the top of the stretch, which gives jockeys time to move their mounts in to save ground before the first turn. But with a full field of starters, horses that start outside still risk giving up valuable ground around the turns, and horses on the inside are in danger of getting squeezed as the pack tightens up. The early fractions of the Derby are usually quick and the stretch is long -- 1,234 feet – both of which tend to favor runners that come from off the pace. The winner will not be named I Want Revenge.
The winning colt will earn $2,177,200 for 2 minutes’ work (a little over $25 million per hour), but will be allowed to spend little, if any of the money. But don’t feel too bad for the colt, because successful horses are allowed to retire in a few short years, to a life of pampering, rest, good food, and sundry activities, the description of which is unfit for a family publication.
More detailed information concerning this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, such as the colt’s time, pari-mutuel return, nearest competitors, and his actual name, will be provided to our readers shortly.
PIONEEROF THE NILE WINS SANTA ANITA DERBY=
GENERAL QUARTERS BEATS HOLD ME BACK IN THE BLUEGRASS STAKES=
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Comments
Funny I didn't see a single person give Mind that Bird an ounce of affection or credit for winning. The jockey did a fabulous job but still uh..the horse won. The guy on the crutches had major attitude and so did the owners IT WAS THE HORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Suzanne, the trainer and the jockey repeatedly commented that the horse won the race. If you would have listened to the interview, you could hear them saying that the horse did the work to win the race. I do agree that the two owners were asses.
Great predictions--they all came true.
Hey... Your prediction was all wrong... The horse that won is not a colt, but a gelding... :)
Before we slam the owners/trainers, I would say NBC was not properly prepared if like myself you watched the race of NBC. When in the past have you ever seen a horse win a race and then no camera on the owners, etc., in the grandstands. Oops, NBC, better have 19 cameras in position if 19 horses are running. NBC thinks they are the past; they royally screwed this one up.
This particular jockey is very good about giving the horse credit. As for the attitude of the trainer and owners. Don't forget, they received no press coverage on their horse ahead of the race. I think they were in total shock more than having an attitude. They have been on talk shows this morning, Monday, and do not seem to have an "attitude" at all. We are awfully eager to criticize.
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