OT- Kentucky Derby

[jfuchs91]

The Kentucky Derby is always one of the more exciting short events of the year. I'm not really into horse racing all that much, but it's quite fun to watch when you have some sort of rooting interest.

The conditions are supposed to be sloppy, so it'd be wise to choose a mudder. I'm tempted to choose Pitino's horse, Goldencents, because we all know Slick Rick finishes quick.

But my pick is Verrazano.

Who ya got? Odds Here.

 

[imno1]

I'll go
Orb
Overanalyze
And Oxbow as a sentimental choice since G Stevens is the jockey

 

[sledog]

Pitino's horse (5/1) finished in the cheap seats.

 

[Bryan Lord]

The winner is Orb

 

[B1GEast]

Have to wonder how Orb will do at the Preakness, I think the wet track gave him the advantage, let's see how he does on a dry track. He did look impressive today. Normandy peeked too soon.

 

[storrsroars]

I'll go
Orb
Overanalyze
And Oxbow as a sentimental choice since G Stevens is the jockey

Hope you had some money on that.

 

[Gurleyman]

First time I ever watched the Kentucky Derby I was maybe 10. I watched the start, saw the horses maybe go halfway around the track, and then left the room, figuring I'd check in again in a half hour or so.

My only familiarity with racing at that point in my life was watching a couple Indy 500s, and I just figured it would be two hours of left turns on horseback. And to think I tested well for intelligence as a child.

 

[imno1]

Hard to believe that only 2 horses have broken the 2 min mark in that races history

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Hard to believe that only 2 horses have broken the 2 min mark in that races history

Is it true that Secretariat still holds the all-time best times for each of the Triple Crown races?

 

[Fishy]

Yes. (There was a timer malfunction at the time Secretariat won the Preakness, so he wasn't officially awarded the race record until last June.)

Sham, who finished second to Secretariat in the Derby, is actually a third horse who broke 2:00.

 

[imno1]

Yes. (There was a timer malfunction at the time Secretariat won the Preakness, so he wasn't officially awarded the race record until last June.)

Sham, who finished second to Secretariat in the Derby, is actually a third horse who broke 2:00.

Yes I forgot about him. He was a great horse. Unfortunately he had to go up against probably the greatest horse of all time

 

[tentoes4rings]

When you watch The Belmont Stakes replay from 73 it's always felt kind of eerie to me when Secretariat starting pulling away from Sham and opened that incredible lead. He was a machine that really shined in a race as long as Belmont.

Does anyone know why the field was so small for both the Preakness and Belmont? Was it customary then to have small fields (6 for Preakness, only 5 for Belmont) or did trainers feel after Kentucky that Secretariat and Sham were too good and didn't want to risk injury to their horses?

Imno1, I don't think there's any question he was the greatest horse who ever lived.

 

[Fishy]

The fields tended to be smaller back then - that's part of the difficulty with winning a triple crown these days.

Affirmed beat 10 horses in the Derby, six horses in the Preakness and four horses in the Belmont. He beat 20 horses over three races - Secretariat beat 21 horses. Last year, I'll Have Another beat 19 in the Derby, ten in the Preakness and would have had to have beaten another ten in the Belmont. He would have had to have gotten past 39 horses to win the Triple Crown.

Sham was certainly born in the wrong year - he knocked some of his teeth out in the Derby and still ran either the second or third fastest Derby ever. Losing the Belmont the way he did likely wrecked him as a race horse and he was retired a month or so later.

There were a couple of other unlucky ones - horses like Our Native and My Gallant who had to chase Secretariat and, later, Forego around the racetrack. Forego, who finished fourth in Secretariat's Derby, won eight Eclipse Awards before he was through.

 

[B1GEast]

watch the 2004 belmont race where birdstone robs smarty jones of the triple crown, it's devistating how close jones got. I though Barbaro and Fusaichi pegasis where two horeses that could win the crown, both were great in the derby. really dont know how the preakness will play out, very curious to see orb run again.