today is the Kentucky Derby! | Golden Skate

today is the Kentucky Derby!

Johar

Medalist
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
I've been pretty sick the past week and a half, so I barely had time to get this in. I am hoping to see Bandini, High Fly and Sun King finish well.

I am tossing Sort It Out, Going Wild, Giacomo, Spanish Chestnut and Andromeda's Hero .

Could hit the board: Afleet Alex, Wilko, Bellamy Road, Noble Causeway.




Churchill Downs - May 7th, 2005 - Race 10
Kentucky Derby - Grade: 1
Estimated Local Post Time: 6:04 PM
Purse: $2,000,000
Distance:One And One Fourth Miles


1 Sort It Out (NY)
Brice Blanc-jockey
Stonerside Stable LLC and Preferred Pals Stable-owner
Bob Baffert-trainer
Thomas/Lakin-breeder
50/1

2 Andromeda's Hero (KY)
Rafael Bejarano-jockey
Robert V. LaPenta-owner
Nicholas P. Zito-trainer
Barnett Enterprises-breeder
50/1

3 Sun King (KY)
Edgar S. Prado--jockey
Tracy Farmer-owner
Nicholas P. Zito-trainer
Cambridge Farm & James Daniel Conway-breeder
15/1

4 Noble Causeway (KY)
Gary L. Stevens-jockey
My Meadowview Farm (Leonard Riggio)-owner
Nicholas P. Zito-trainer
Reiko Baum & Michael Baum--breeder
12/1

5 Coin Silver (KY)
Patrick A. Valenzuela--jockey
Peachtree Stable (John Fort)--owner
Todd A. Pletcher--trainer
Biggs Farm Inc.--breeder
20/1

6 High Limit (KY)
Ramon A. Dominguez--jockey
Gary L. and Mary E. West--owner
Robert J. Frankel-trainer
Brookfield Farm--breeder
12/1

7 Flower Alley (KY)
Jorge F. Chavez--jockey
Melnyk Racing Stables, Inc. (Eugene Melnyk)-owner
Todd A. Pletcher-trainer
George Brunacini & Bona Terra Farms--breeder
20/1

8 Greater Good (KY)
John McKee-jockey
Lewis G. Lakin-owner
Robert E. Holthus-trainer
A. Lakin & Sons, Inc.-breeder
20/1

9 Greeley's Galaxy (KY)
Kent J. Desormeaux-jockey
B. Wayne Hughes-owner
Warren Stute-trainer
Runnymede Farm, Inc., Catesby W. Clay, and Joseph C. and Wendy Clay-breeder
15/1

10 Giacomo (KY)
Mike E. Smith-jockey
Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss-owner
John A. Shirreffs-trainer
Mr. & Mrs. J. S. Moss-breeder
50/1

11 High Fly (KY)
Jerry D. Bailey-jockey
Live Oak Plantation (Mrs. Charlotte C. Weber)-owner
Nicholas P. Zito-trainer
Live Oak Stud-breeder
8/1

12 Afleet Alex (FL)
Jeremy Rose-jockey
Cash is King, LLC (Charles J. Zacney, et al.)-owner
Timothy F. Ritchey-trainer
John Martin Silvertand-breeder
9/2

13 Spanish Chestnut (FL)
Joe Bravo--jockey
Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor--owner
Patrick L. Biancone--trainer
Don Graham & Ocala Oaks--breeder
50/1

14 Wilko (KY)
Corey S. Nakatani-jockey
J. Paul Reddam and Susan Roy-owner
Craig Dollase-trainer
Ro Parra-breeder
20/1

15 Bandini (KY)
John R. Velazquez--jockey
Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith --owner
Todd A. Pletcher-trainer
Marvin Little Jr., James Iselin &Ron McKee-breeder
6/1

16 Bellamy Road (FL)
Javier Castellano--jockey
Kinsman Stable (George M. Steinbrenner) -owner
Nicholas P. Zito--trainer
Dianne D. Cotter-breeder
5/2

17 Don't Get Mad (KY)
Tyler Baze-jockey
B. Wayne Hughes-owner
Ronald W. Ellis-trainer
Milton Hendry & Beth Hendry-breeder
30/1

18 Closing Argument (FL)
Cornelio H. Velasquez---jockey
Philip and Marcia Cohen-owner
Kiaran P. McLaughlin--trainer
France Weiner & Irwin J. Weiner-breeder
30/1

19 Going Wild (KY)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.--jockey
Robert B. and Beverly J. Lewis-owner
D. Wayne Lukas--trainer
John O'Meara, Charlie Goldberg &Richard Rosee-breeder
50/1

20 Buzzards Bay (FL)
Mark Guidry---jockey
Fog City Stable (William Bianco and David J. Shimmon) -owner
Jeff Mullins--trainer
Jay Shaw--breeder
20/1
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Well, if you were at the track and you didn't put $2 on Giacomo, then you did not win $102 bucks!

Giacomo was so far behind everyone even at the half mark, I am still wondering how he came out of no where and won. Question: Will we be rooting for him in the Preakness?

Apparently George Steinbrenner is not having the best of seasons. The Yankees are in the cellar and Belamy Road out of the money. :clap:

Joe
 

guinevere

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Wow, what an exciting race. I was rooting for Bellamy Road as the favorite, but I always love an upset - and what an upset it was! Sheesh - was it the trifecta that paid out over a million dollars? Gotta wonder if ANYONE picked these 3 horses for win/place/show.

Don't know if we'll even get a 2-race run at the Triple Crown (Derby/Preakness), but I always root for the Kentucky Derby winner to take all 3. plus, it's the last year that VISA is sponsoring the triple crown, so it's the last chance for someone to win the $5 mil bonus!
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
By the way, the Preakness and I believe the Belmont Stakes have been pushed over to ESPN. Skating is not the only sport getting the shove. It's understandable; there has to be more room for NASCAR on the major networks. You figure.

Joe
 

Johar

Medalist
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
The Breeders' Cup is also moving to ESPN. :frown2:

Giacomo's sire is Holy Bull, who finished up the field a very heavy favorite in the 1994 Kentucky Derby. Mike Smith also rode the Bull. Talk about sweet vindication! :rock:
 

Johar

Medalist
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
Complete order of finish:

1 - Giacomo
2 - Closing Argument
3 - Afleet Alex
4 - Don't Get Mad
5 - Buzzard's Bay
6 - Wilko
7 - Bellamy Road
8 - Andromeda's Hero
9 - Flower Alley
10 - High Fly
11 - Greeley's Galaxy
12 - Coin Silver
13 - Greater Good
14 - Noble Causeway
15 - Sun King
16 - Spanish Chestnut
17 - Sort It Out
18 - Going Wild
19 - Bandini
20 - High Limit
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
I too love a good come from behind / out of nowhere victory. It was a fun race to watch!!

I was also amazed that Nicholas Zito had FIVE horses in the race from five different owners. That certainly suggests he's got it goin' on as a trainer, but that's he's also an excellent politician dealing with all the owners, and all the big money on the line.

He should run for President in '08.

DG
 

Johar

Medalist
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
I'd vote for him! :love:

He said it was disappointing, but that "worse things in life can happen." What a cool attitide! :agree:
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
I had always intended to bet Giacomo, because Holy Bull was my all-time favorite recent racehorse, and I was so excited when he roared down the stretch, past Closing Argument, to win it all.

But for those who never heard of Holy Bull, there were still good reasons to bet Giacomo, not the least of which was those tempting odds. Last fall in the Hollywood Futurity, Giacomo finished just a length behind the 2YO Eclipse champion Declan's Moon. He didn't win any races as a 3YO, but was off the board only once, in the Santa Anita Derby, 4th, only 2 lengths behind winner Buzzard's Bay. All the handicappers were dismissing the California horses, not considering that maybe the bad weather out there had severely disrupted training time so that none of the SA Derby horses had peaked as 3YOs. As it turned out, all four SA Derby horses (Giacomo [1st], Don't Get Mad [4th], Buzzard's Bay [5th] and Wilko [6th]) finished ahead of the favorite Bellamy Road.

Then there's Closing Argument. An hour before the Derby went off, I went back to my Daily Racing Form and took a look at the horses (besides Giacomo) with the longest odds. I looked at Closing Argument, and was astounded to see that this reasonably experienced horse (7 races) was the longest shot on the board at 71-1. He broke his maiden in his first try at Saratoga (I must have seen that race, I was there that day). As a 2YO, he hit the board every time in a series of minor stakes races, at distances up to 8.5 furlongs. He won his first 3YO race, the 9 furlong Grade 3 Holy Bull. After a 10-week layoff, he finished 3rd behind Bandini and High Limit in the Blue Grass. I thought "this horse is sitting on a big one"---at huge odds.

I put $2 across the board on both horses, and collected big bucks.

Today, I'm reading all these ranting and raving columnists calling Giacomo a fluke, and pointing to the "slow" time of 2.02 and change. But of course all these sore losers don't take into consideration that Giacomo was at times as much as 8 wide, and probably ran the longest mile and a quarter of all the horses in the race.

The talking heads are blaming the hot pace, without realizing that Closing Argument, who finished 2nd, was right on the pace the whole way, just behind Bellamy Road until the stretch, where he took over before being passed by Giacomo. The reality is that the favorites Bellamy Road and Bandini had already peaked, and were too inexperienced to handle the traffic, the jostling, and getting dirt kicked in their faces. Only Afleet Alex, with 9 races on his resume, was able to hang in and hit the board. AA didn't win because he, too, may have peaked in the Arkansas Derby, and perhaps because 10 furlongs is a bit beyond his scope.

Giacomo's win recalls Charismatic, who had a far worse resume than Giacomo when he won the Kentucky Derby. Many (including myself) thought Charismatic's Derby win was a fluke--until he also won the Preakness and came thisclose to winning the Triple Crown.
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Congrats on your winnings Chuck!!

Obviously you are a knowledgeable race fan - you actually KNOW how to read the forms!! You're making me want to go spend an afternoon at Arlington.

Hopefully you will share some of your wisdom for the rest of the triple crown??? Before the races??? ;)

DG
 

bronxgirl

Medalist
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
I wonder how many had the correct pick 4 at the track- if you picked the correct 4 finishers, you won over a million dollars. Hope somebody played the correct birthdays to win :)
 

guinevere

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Joesitz said:
By the way, the Preakness and I believe the Belmont Stakes have been pushed over to ESPN. Joe
WHAT?!?!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

Hrmph! The only sports I watch always seem to get short shrift!
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Bellamy Road has an injury and will be out of the remaining Triple Crown races. Nick Zito hopes he will be back for the Travers and the fall races. Andromeda's Hero will not go on to the Preakness, but Zito said at least one of his other Derby horses (High Fly, Sun King, Noble Causeway) will go. Other non-starters: Todd Pletcher's Derby trio (Bandini, Flower Alley, Coin Silver).

Afleet Alex will be in the Preakness and will probably be the favorite. Closing Argument and Greeley's Galaxy are Preakness-bound too. Also possible: Wilko.

The maximum number of horses for the Preakness is 14.
 
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