Trained by Brad Cox, Fulsome ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.88 and paid $5.40 to win as the 8-5 favorite in his third consecutive victory. Second betting choice at 9-5, O Besos, coming off a fifth-place finish in the G1 Kentucky Derby, was second, with the Derby's eighth-place finisher, Helium, third at 5-2 odds.

Southern Passage, Ready to Pounce, Game Day Play and Sittin On Go completed the order of finish. Hello Hot Rod was scratched.

Helium, winner of the G2 Tampa Bay Derby in March, set the fractions, going :23.75, :48.69 and 1:13.26 for the first six furlongs under Julien Leparoux. Longshot Game Day Play applied pressure under David Cohen, with O Besos making a move on the leaders on the turn for home.

Fulsome began moving up approaching the far turn, rallied wide into the stretch and won geared down at the end after passing the mile marker in 1:36.78.

“I was pretty confident he could take some dirt in his face and got him to relax early,” said Geroux. “I was just hoping they were going fast up front after the slow break. He was able to go past those horses easily to win.”

This was the third consecutive victory for Fulsome, who made his first four starts on turf, winning just once in a maiden race at Fair Grounds on Jan. 16, 2021. He made his dirt debut at Keeneland on April 10 in a race that was taken off the turf because of rain. He drew off that day to win by  3 1/2 lengths in the slop and and came three weeks later to win the $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths at Oaklawn Park.

“He had two solid works here at Churchill after winning the Oaklawn Stakes,” said Cox. “We were very confident in him by the way he was training. He got off a step slow but he really finished up fast today and was impressive doing so.”

The post Fulsome Edges O Besos, Helium In Matt Winn For Third Consecutive Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The late-running O Besos, just 5 1/2 lengths off the mark on the first Saturday in May, was previously a good third in the GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby Mar. 20.

“We love running at Churchill and this race gives us plenty of options going forward,” trainer Greg Foley said. “He worked an easy half-mile [in :49] Monday morning and is doing well from the Derby. We can lead him over for the race right from Barn 11.”

The GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner, meanwhile, suffered his first career defeat in the Derby, finishing 10 1/2 lengths adrift of Medina Spirit (Protonico).

The in-form Fulsome (Into Mischief) is perfect in two attempts since switching to dirt, headed by a win in the Oaklawn S. May 1.

The post Derby Runners Return in Matt Winn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“I think all four of our horses are very live in those races,” Casse's assistant trainer David Carroll said. “Each one of them fit very well in their respective fields and I think we are setting up for a solid day of racing.”

D J Stable's Kentucky Derby (GI) 10th-place finisher Helium was installed as the co-second choice at 5-2 in the $150,000 Matt Winn (G3). Juddmonte's $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes winner Fulsome also is 5-2. The 2-1 morning line favorite is Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Terry Stephens' Kentucky Derby fifth-place finisher O Besos.

“He ran a solid effort in the Derby,” Carroll said of Helium. “I think he will be able to sit a better trip in the Matt Winn from just off the pace and I think he matches up with this field better.”

The 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn, carded as Race 9 at 4:55 p.m. (all times Eastern), shares the Saturday spotlight with the $150,000 Audubon (Race 5), $150,000 Blame (Race 6), $150,000 Shawnee (Race 7), $150,000 Regret (G3) (Race 8), $150,000 Aristides (Listed) (Race 10), and $110,000 Douglas Park Overnight Stakes (Race 11). The stellar program gets underway at 12:45 p.m.

The complete field for the Matt Winn (from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Ready to Pounce (Brian Hernandez Jr., Neil Pessin, 15-1); Helium (Julien Leparoux, Casse, 5-2); O Besos (Marcelino Pedroza, Greg Foley, 2-1); Southern Passage (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 20-1); Fulsome (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 5-2); Hello Hot Rod (Francisco Arrieta, Caio Caramori, 20-1); Sittin On Go (Joe Talamo, Romans, 8-1); and Game Day Play (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro, 8-1).

One race after the Matt Winn, Live Oak Plantation's four-time winner Tap It to Win will hope to avenge his 11th-place finish in the $500,000 Churchill Downs (G1) as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the six-furlong Aristides.

“We've been working mentally with him a lot following that race,” Carroll said. “I think we've got him to a good place after the Churchill Downs. He got stuck in a speed duel that day and it wasn't the best of trips. I think drawing to the outside of this field should help him sit a better trip.”

The complete field for the Aristides from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Haunt (Gerardo Corrales, Reeve McGaughey, 10-1); Tough Love (Corey Lanerie, Brian Williamson, 10-1); Bango (Marcelino Pedroza, Greg Foley, 4-1); Edgemont Road (Ricardo Santana Jr., Eddie Kenneally, 12-1); Empire of Gold (David Cabrera, Terry Eoff, 7-2); Long Range Toddy (Jon Court, Dallas Stewart, 15-1); Royal Daaher (Drayden Van Dyke, Jimmy DiVito, 10-1); Mojo Man (Francisco Arrieta, DiVito, 10-1); Sir Alfred James (Colby Hernandez, Al Stall Jr., 8-1); and Tap It to Win (Tyler Gaffalione, Casse, 3-1).

Earlier in the card, John Oxley's two-time winner Palazzi will have to overcome the rail draw in the 1 1/8-mile Audubon Stakes run over the Matt Winn Turf Course.

“We are supposed to get some rain Friday so we'll have to wait and see what the turf condition is like,” Carroll said. “He likes to be to the outside of horses and got into a tough trip in the American Turf (G2). He'll have to find a trip breaking from the rail but I think can bounce back from that race fairly well. He's been a very consistent horse since running on the grass.”

The only start Palazzi missed the board on the turf was in the $500,000 American Turf (G2). Arguably his best effort came at the end of January when he got up to win the $200,000 Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston by a nose under Carroll's son Declan.

The full field for the Audubon from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Palazzi (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse, 7-2); Like the King (Chris Landeros, Wesley Ward, 7-2); Cave Hill (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh, 10-1); Hidden Enemy (IRE) (Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen, 4-1); Haddassah (Mitchell Murrill, Kevin Attard, 15-1); Cellist (Julien Leparoux, Rusty Arnold II, 8-1); Holy Vow (David Cabrera, John Ortiz, 10-1); and Royal Prince (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 3-1).

Michael Hernon, Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Spanish Loveaffair will be in search of her first graded stakes glory in the Regret (G3). Run at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, Spanish Loveaffair was made the 5-2 morning line favorite.

“She took a little longer to come out of the (April 3) Appalachian (G2) but we got her back to Churchill and she's picked things up nicely the last few weeks,” Carroll said. “She's really flourished the last couple of weeks and I think will be ready for a top effort in this spot.”

The complete field for the Regret from the inside out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Oyster Box (Chris Landeros, Graham Motion, 6-1); Munnyfor Ro (Drayden Van Dyke, Brian Lynch, 12-1); Line Dancing (Julien Leparoux, Michael Matz, 12-1); Spanish Loveaffair (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse, 5-1); Barista (James Graham, Jimmy Baker, 5-1); Postnup (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cherie DeVaux, 12-1); Gam's Mission (Adam Beschizza, Cherie DeVaux, 5-1); Flown (Ricardo Santana Jr., Brendan Walsh, 9-2); and Saranya (Forent Geroux, Brad Cox, 5-1).

The post Casse-Trained Helium Should ‘Sit A Better Trip’ In Saturday’s Matt Winn Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn shares the Saturday spotlight with the $150,000 Regret (G3), $150,000 Aristides (Listed), $150,000 Blame, $150,000 Shawnee, $150,000 Audubon and $110,000 Douglas Park Overnight Stakes. The action-packed program gets underway at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Matt Winn is carded as Race 9 at 4:55 p.m.

O Besos, a 3-year-old son of Orb, closed into the early Kentucky Derby pace but flattened in the final furlong to cross the wire fifth. Trained by Greg Foley, O Besos had several options on the table following the Derby but opted to stay at Churchill Downs for the Matt Winn.

“We love running at Churchill and this race gives us plenty of options going forward,” Foley said. “He worked an easy half-mile (in :49) Monday morning and is doing well from the Derby. We can lead him over for the race right from Barn 11.”

Jockey Marcelino Pedroza, who rode O Besos to a third-place finish in the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and in the Kentucky Derby, has the call in the Matt Winn from post No. 3.

Chief among O Besos' rivals in the Matt Winn is D J Stable's $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Helium. The Mark Casse trainee finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby. He'll be ridden in Saturday's race by Julien Leparoux from post 2.

Also entered in the Matt Winn field is Juddmonte's $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes winner Fulsome. Trained by Brad Cox, Fulsome broke his maiden on turf but was transitioned to dirt in April at Keeneland when a first-level allowance event changed surfaces due to inclement weather. Fulsome defeated six rivals by 3 ½ lengths that day, which catapulted him to a 1 ¼-length win in the Oaklawn Stakes on May 1.

Florent Geroux has the mount from post 5.

The complete field for the Matt Winn (from the rail out with jockey and trainer): Ready to Pounce (Brian Hernandez Jr., Neil Pessin); Helium (Leparoux, Casse); O Besos (Pedroza, Foley); Southern Passage (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans); Fulsome (Geroux, Cox); Hello Hot Rod (Francisco Arrieta, Caio Caramori); Sittin On Go (Joe Talamo, Romans); and Game Day Play (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro).

Churchill Downs' admission gates will open Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and tickets, starting at $5, are available on www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets. For those outside the Louisville area, all 11 races are scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports 2 from 12:30-6 p.m. Fans can also watch the live simulcast feed and wager on www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

The post Derby Fifth-Place Finisher O Besos Headlines Saturday’s Matt Winn Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Brad Cox was not represented in this year's Preakness Stakes (G1) but his Derby duo of Godolphin's Essential Quality and Juddmonte Farms'' Mandaloun both recorded easy half-mile moves early Saturday morning. Essential Quality worked in :50.80 while Mandaloun breezed in :48.20.

Cox and Godolphin reported following the Derby that Essential Quality would be considered for the third jewel of racing's Triple Crown, the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 5. A next race option for Mandaloun is still to be announced.

Another Derby runner that recorded a Saturday work was D J Stable's $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Helium, who cruised an easy half-mile in :48.80. Trainer Mark Casse's local assistant David Carroll reported the colt could target the $150,000 Matt Winn (G3) on May 29 at Churchill Downs.

One of the few horses to close significant ground into the pace of the Kentucky Derby was Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbredsand Terry Stephens' O Besos. The Orb colt worked a half-mile in :49.20 Saturday with jockey Marcelino Pedroza in the saddle. Trainer Greg Foley reported several options are being considered for the 3-year-old but a decision has not been made final.

On Sunday, M Racing Group's $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) winner Like the King returned to the turf to work five furlongs in 1:02.40 under jockey Tyler Gaffalione with trainer Wesley Ward watching from the grandstand. Ward reported the son of Palace Malice could be considered for the $150,000 Audubon, run at 1 1/8 miles over the turf.

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I let those words pass through me after watching our horse Helium run his eyeballs out for over nine of the 10 furlongs, in arguably the most important races of his (and my) career.

A few minutes prior I felt like I was living in an alternate universe. I was so excited when Julien Leparoux guided Helium out of the starting gate to sit a mere 2-3 lengths off the eventual winner, Medina Spirit, cruising the first four furlongs in about 47 seconds. Helium sat chilly for another three furlongs until Two-Year-Old Champion Essential Quality loomed outside of him, when Julien had to ask for more from our colt. To my amazement, Helium initially surged forwardly with that rival and heading into the top of the stretch, it looked as if our boy was in real striking distance of the leaders. At that point I was so laser focused on our maroon and white silks that it seemed as if time was slowing down, even if I could feel the adrenaline in my veins surging. For a few more moments, I honestly thought that Helium was going to hit the board in the Kentucky Derby.

And just like that, all the weeks of planning, strategizing, organizing, corresponding, talking, interviewing, packing, traveling, and handicapping washed away as Helium faded to an eighth-place finish.

Of course, there are many silver linings to this story–first and foremost is that we actually ran a horse in the Kentucky Derby. Helium improved as a racehorse and showed that he can compete with some of the most talented three-year-olds in the country.

So, despite not hitting the board in Saturday's race, I am pleased to report that I did manage to cross some bucket-list Items off my list.

• Successfully managed a horse into the Kentucky Derby.
• Spent quality time with my family and friends.
• Received countless emails, texts and direct messages from well-wishers. I cannot thank you all enough for that.
• Inspected and evaluated our 2020 and 2021 foal crops.
• Made the fabled pre-Derby pilgrimage from the barn area to the paddock with my father and best friend.

On the flight home from the Kentucky Derby, I couldn't help thinking that emotional hangovers are worse than physical ones. When you consume a bit too much alcohol, you can drink tons of water, throw down a few Advil and even make yourself regurgitate in order to rid yourself of any toxins. But it will take a longer period of time to purge myself of the internal questions about how we could have given Helium a better chance to place in the Derby. This certainly was a great learning experience, and one that I will never forget.

Final thought: I realize how special it is to have one of this year's Kentucky Derby entrants and really tried to embrace every moment of it. I want to thank Sue Finley and everyone at the TDN for providing me with the opportunity to share my inner thoughts with you. And as the Churchill Downs usher so eloquently put it: “That's it, time to go home.”

The post Derby Diary: It’s a Wrap appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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To read previous editions of The Haiku Handicapper, click here.

#1 – Known Agenda
A nightmare post draw
Torpedoes a true win threat
Still play underneath

#2 – Like the King
His road to Churchill
Traversed over Tapeta
Hard to envision

#3 – Brooklyn Strong
A last-minute call
When does that idea work?
Won't be on tickets

#4 – Keepmeinmind
Soph slump in effect
Likes the track, but that feels like
A lifetime ago

#5 – Sainthood
Recovered nicely
After Turfway donnybrook
He'll pass a few late

#6 – O Besos
Won't be knocked around
He'll earn his graded stakes due
In the months to come

#7 – Mandaloun
Early momentum
Was doused by a Fair Grounds dud
Rebounds don't win here

#8 – Medina Spirit
Couldn't seal the deal
Once he got the starting gig
On Baffert's depth chart

#9 – Hot Rod Charlie
The parts appear there
Just not sure how much I trust
The Fair Grounds prep route

#10 – Midnight Bourbon
Last two running lines
Have the same end: Outfinished
Leave him on the shelf

#11 – Dynamic One
Rapid improvement
Might not take home the roses
But wait for the Spa

#12 – Helium
Has seen Thanksgiving
As much as he's seen a race
Since mid-October

#13 – Hidden Stash
A late-stage grinder
Can't hang with mid-tier hopefuls
Not a potent blend

#14 – Essential Quality
The unbeaten champ
Does little else but ace tests
Why would he stop now?

#15 – Rock Your World
Turf-to-dirt success
We'll know all we need to know
After the first turn

#17 – Highly Motivated
Nearly nipped the champ
A breakout win's imminent
Worth a small “win” share

#18 – Super Stock
Surprised at Oaklawn
Breaking his “check-getter” cred
Can't get too enthused

#19 – Soup and Sandwich
An uncommon sight
An Into Mischief that's gray
Might grab a mouthful

#20 – Bourbonic
Long-priced Wood winner
Needs the home stretch seas to part
Tough “win” strategy

Prediction
Champion retains
“Quality” resume grows
Then nine, seventeen

The post The Haiku Handicapper Presented By Form2Win: 2021 Kentucky Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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But, in reality, the journey to this time and place began almost 40 years ago when my dad tore his Achilles while playing tennis. Back then, the best way to treat a ruptured tendon was to be placed in a cast from your ankle to your upper hip and keep your body as immobile as possible. Well, anyone who knows my dad understands that this directive was going to be short-lived. As someone once said to me decades ago, “Your father's mind is as active as a long-tailed cat at a rocking chair convention.”

So, after a few days of restlessness, my mother instructed me (at the age of nine) to take my dad out of the house. Anywhere out of the house was fine as far as she was concerned. So, I pushed my father in his wheelchair around the block a few times until a neighbor mercifully stopped us to talk about the weather, sports, the new house being built at the end of the street, etc. When those topics were exhausted, our neighbor asked if we wanted to join him at Monmouth Park – he had a $5,000 claimer who was the favorite.

The short story is that the horse won, we got our pictures taken in the winner's circle, cashed a few tickets and killed a hot summer day. On our ride home, I could see the wheels of my father's brain spinning. For the remainder of the summer, he pored over the IRS tax code seeking feverishly for horse-related depreciation schedules, hobby-loss rules, and passive vs. active definitions–yes, it's as exciting as it sounds.

That summer begat the beginning of two successful businesses-D.J. Stable and the Green Group. The former is our family-owned racing and breeding operation. The latter is my father's tax and accounting firm which specializes in the horse industry.

Technically the two businesses are mutually exclusive. But there is so much cross-over due to both groups being actively involved in our boutique industry. There are countless times when we attend sales seeking our next potential Grade I contender and end up consulting with a Green Group client about their taxes or reviewing a business opportunity. The bottom line is that we basically eat, drink, and sleep the horse business. We have found that it is the ultimate challenge trying to (as we call it) sweep the ocean back with a broom.

So now I sit here in a hotel room in Louisville, Kentucky on the last Thursday in April (not the same sexy ring as the first Saturday in May) and reflect on all the twists and turns through which our Thoroughbred career has taken us. What if my dad had not torn his Achilles tendon? What if our neighbor's claimer failed to hit the board? What if my father's interest that summer had turned to baseball instead of horse racing? What if we had not met Aron Yagoda, Mark Casse, Bo Hunt, Dr. Pugh and Susie Hart, Jeff Hayslett, the Taylor brothers from Taylor Made Sales, Bill Betz, Kim Valerio, and countless other people who have had such a positive impact on our success? What if last year's two-year-old sales were not delayed and someone else bought Helium? And finally, what if we ran out of luck, money and/or patience before we bought or bred Graded winners like Do It With Style, November Snow, Songandaprayer, Jaywalk, etc.?

The above life moments all lined up this way for a reason. So far it launched two successful businesses, provided my family with a remarkable shared interest, and presented countless opportunities for excitement (and heartbreak). Hopefully there will be more flights to Breeders' Cups, Oaks, Derbies and other Graded Stakes that I can share with my family. But for right now, I'm going to enjoy this one.

The post Derby Diary: Destination Louisville appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Just under a week before the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby, Casse, who'll be represented by the talented duo of Helium, and Soup and Sandwich, was his typical busy self, but not too busy to take a few minutes out of his hectic schedule to talk about a pair of skilled 3-year-olds, one of whom could deliver him a cherished first.

Having already won two-thirds of the U.S. Triple Crown, the 2019 Preakness with War of Will, and the 2019 Belmont with Sir Winston, the conditioner with over 3,050 career victories, a record 13 Sovereign Awards (as Canada's champion trainer), and dual Hall of Fame credentials, will look to add a Kentucky Derby triumph to his vast list of accomplishments.

“I guess the one thing that comes to mind first is that they like to win,” said Casse of his Derby twosome. “Combined, they've started six times and have five wins and a second. I look at them both and shake my head in amazement in what they've been able to accomplish in such short racing careers. I'm very, very happy with them.”

The Indianapolis native has plenty of reason to be.

Helium, a bay son of Ironicus, is a perfect three-for-three in his career. The Kentucky-bred, owned by D.J. Stable LLC, made his first two starts over the Woodbine Tapeta, including a win second time out in the Display Stakes last October.

“He kind of surprised me when he ran first time and won,” recalled Casse of the maiden special weight score on September 27 at the Toronto oval. “He ran better than expected. I thought his next race was very good at Woodbine too. We were looking forward to running him in the Grey Stakes, but obviously because of weather and then COVID, that wasn't possible.”

The original 2021 plan for Helium, a $55,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, called for him to make his sophomore debut in the Grade 3 Lecomte on January 16 at Fair Grounds, but a wrenched ankle sidelined the colt temporarily. He was brought to Ocala and given about 10 days off before resuming training.

“He had a few hiccups along the way, but he trained well leading up to his first race of this year.”

That first race was the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 6.

Casse considers the performance one of the most impressive he's seen over his 40-plus years in racing.

“I would say in all my time training, I've never seen a horse overcome so many different variables that said he shouldn't have won. From not running in four-and-a-half months, to first time on dirt, to first time around two turns, and his wide trip… I just never thought in a million years he could win running so wide.”

Those are just some of the reasons why he's confident of his charge's chances in the Derby.

While Helium isn't being billed as a top contender, Casse is happy to float above the radar leading up to the big race.

“A lot of people are underestimating him because they look at his Beyer from the Tampa Bay Derby. If you look at his Thoro-Graph numbers, which to me is my bible, what I go by, his number is extremely good. It's a 3. It usually takes a 1 or a ½ to win the Derby, so it's definitely within his range, especially if he improves off his last race. He's come back and trained well. He has this habit and it's that he likes to win.”

Soup and Sandwich has been as equally impressive in the lead-up to the biggest race of his career to-date.

Bred and owned by Live Oak Plantation, the Florida-bred son of Into Mischief didn't race as a 2-year-old but turned plenty of heads with a stellar runner-up showing in the Florida Derby on March 27.

The second-place performance was the third start for Soup and Sandwich, who won his debut at Gulfstream Park on January 28, and followed it up with another winner's circle trip, this time at Tampa Bay Downs on February 24.

“He was a horse that we thought a lot of as a 2-year-old,” offered Casse. “He still hasn't grown up completely. He's kind of a teenage kid. He doesn't always pay attention and has a short attention span. But he's gotten better. His first race was good, I thought his second race was excellent, and I thought his Florida Derby race was very good. In keeping with Thoro-Graph numbers, he ran a 1 ¾, which is huge. Looking at that, I think he has 65 per cent chance to run as good a race or better. It's big. It's really big. Both of these horses just have to move up a little bit to be right there in the Derby. I couldn't be happier really.”

Casse isn't the only one.

His jockeys for the big race seem to like their Derby chances as well.

“It's a funny little story. Tyler [jockey, Gaffalione], the first time he was on Soup and Sandwich – he worked him the other day – it happened that Julien [jockey, Leparoux] was helping us out, working another horse, not Helium. Pulling up, Tyler said, 'We're going to win the Kentucky Derby.' He was so excited after working the horse. Julien told him, 'Wait a second… you can be a good second.' So there's already a little smack talk going on. I think both riders are extremely excited and happy with their horses, just as I am.”

What would it mean for Casse to notch his first Derby victory?

“I may retire,” he said with a grin.

For now, it's all smiles with Casse.

It won't be long, however, until he's dialed-in on Derby day, game face and all.

The post ‘They Like To Win’: Casse Quietly Confident In Pair Of Lightly-Raced Kentucky Derby Starters appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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When the Kentucky Derby entries were announced, it was no surprise mathematically that those horses represented such a small amount of the overall foal crop. The 20 horses who line up in this Saturday's starting gate represent approximately 1/10 1% of the registered foals born in 2018 (20 of 19,925).

Basically, the odds of winning the Kentucky Derby is equivalent to:

– Finding a four-leaf clover on a hike – 1 in 10,000

– Being struck by lightning – 1 in 11,000

– Dating a Celebrity – 1 in 11,000

– Dying in a canoeing accident – 1 in 12,000

– Having a household income of less than $200,000, and subsequently being audited by the IRS – 1 in 18,000. (As the son of an accountant, I had to include this statistic)!

Knowing the odds are EXTREMELY stacked against us to even have a Derby starter, why do I feel so emotional heading into this weekend's race? Part of the reason for the uneasy feelings are the odds themselves–the sheer unlikeness of having an undefeated starter in the Kentucky Derby is overwhelming. Add into the equation the fact that my family has been in the business for about 40 years, started in over 14,000 races, won roughly 2,300 times, and competed at about 25 different racetracks nationwide makes this pending opportunity a long time coming.

We have raced horses in various weather conditions such as snowstorms, cloud bursts, fog, wind sheers, headwinds, tail winds, heat, humidity and occasionally hail.

We have lost races because the jockey went too fast or too slow, didn't listen to the pre-race instructions, should have ignored those instructions because the race fell apart, got boxed in or “just wasn't feeling it.” Our horses have not liked the surface or the distance, engaged in a speed duel, broke through the gate, got left at the gate, washed out in the paddock, lost a shoe, didn't like dirt in its face, didn't like being pinned to the rail, went too wide, got bothered or intimidated by another horse, needed to be gelded, was “horsing,” was in too tough, didn't ship well, needed blinkers, needed to have the blinkers cut back or removed, needed the race, speed wasn't holding (if you had a front runner), couldn't run down the speed (if you had a closer), didn't see the winner passing him until it was too late, got to the front and stopped, bled, had a temperature, was popping an abscess, didn't like running at night, and my favorite-bolted away from its own shadow. I am confident that I am forgetting some excuses, but you get my point.

The good news is that all of the above horses galloped out well after the wire.

So, when you have a horse who has overcome all of those possible conditions, and still remains undefeated, you get a little excited. Because despite the odds (and racing gods) being against you, here we stand a few days away from fulfilling a dream that has been 40 years in the making.

I look forward to chronicling the events of this week with you and appreciate your support for our horse Helium (Ironicus).

Jon Green is the General Manager of DJ Stables and a co-host of the TDN Writers' Room podcast. He is writing a daily diary about his first Kentucky Derby experience as an owner.

The post Derby Diary: A Lifetime of a Chance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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