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Larry Collmus Talks Derby Shocker On Writers’ Room

Larry Collmus has been calling races at the highest level for a long time, but even his vast experience and expertise could hardly prepare him for what happened in Saturday's stunning GI Kentucky Derby, as 80-1 bomb Rich Strike (Keen Ice) came seemingly from nowhere to surge past the short-priced pair of Epicenter (Not This Time) and Zandon (Upstart) and score the second-largest upset in the 148-year history of the Run for the Roses. Tuesday, Collmus joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to recall his shock as he saw Rich Strike rallying up the inside, discuss whether or not he misses being a full-time racecaller, impart his advice for future generations of racecallers and more.

“I wouldn't say a little bit of surprise, I'd say a lot of surprise,” Collmus said of his reaction during Saturday's stretch run. “I honestly wish I had picked him up earlier, but it's tough in the Kentucky Derby trying to follow all of these horses and the moves are usually coming up on the outside, so that's where you're looking for the late moves. And while that's going on, here comes the last possible horse you'd be looking for in Rich Strike. He wasn't even in the race as of 9:00 on Friday. Luckily, as racecallers do, we go by the silks, the jockey's colors, and he was the only red-and-white silked horse in the race, thank goodness. So here he comes on the inside and you're like, that's got to be Rich Strike, and boom, you catch him just in time. I'm glad I caught him at all to be honest.”

The 20-horse Derby is a uniquely difficult challenge as the biggest flat racing field in North America, and Collmus was asked what he does to prepare for such a daunting task compared to a more standard race.

“My preparation varies, but the Kentucky Derby is its own thing,” he said. “So in other words, I'll start like everybody else watching the prep races from January and start to familiarize myself with those horses. Then when we get to crunch time, within 10 days of the race, Churchill Downs will send me a PDF of all the jockey silks, and I will make flashcards to start memorizing the names five, six times a day. That's this horse, that's this horse, and thank goodness I did the also eligibles. Then, of course, you've got [silks] colors that may be similar in the Derby, so you want to know running styles, you want to know what color the horse is, any facial markings, do they have a white blaze, do they not, do they wear blinkers. Anything to separate all those horses. On a day-to-day basis, you don't have to do that because you've got 12 horses max and there's a lot less pressure.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, the KTOB, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers broke down all the star-studded action from Derby/Oaks weekend and reacted to the announcement of a trial date for indicted trainer Jason Servis. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Larry Collmus Talks Derby Shocker On Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Mike Repole Talks Derby, Oaks, Uncle Mo, Kobe Bryant On Writers’ Room

In arguably the most entertaining interview of the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland's 130-plus episode history, billionaire and high-profile owner/breeder Mike Repole sat down with Joe Bianca and Jon Green Tuesday as the Green Group Guest of the Week for a lively discussion that covered Repole's GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks chances this weekend, his shared legacy with super-stallion Uncle Mo, his eight-figure donation to a nonprofit that honors his late friend Kobe Bryant and much more.

Looking for his first Derby win Saturday with Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), who he bought into last Friday, Repole's weekend could start with a bang Friday as his Nest (Curlin), owned in partnership with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, was given a 5-2 morning-line nod in one of the strongest Oaks fields in recent memory.

“For a Curlin to be so precocious, win the Demoiselle and come back and win two stakes this year in incredible fashion, especially in the Ashland; we all know Curlins want to be 4-year-olds, so when they're this talented at three, you've got to feel really, really good,” Repole said. “And every week that goes by, she gets older and looks better. I'm really, really excited by her, and we all know the distance is not going to be an issue. In fact, if they can move this race to a mile and a half, we'll sign up for that too.”

Asked if that means, with a win Friday, Nest could be pointed for a run against males in the GI Belmont S., Repole said, “If you're interviewing me at the end of the race and I have a smile on my face, there's a chance. But if you're not interviewing me at the end and I'm just walking to my car, then I might have a different answer. So let's just leave it at that.”

A Derby win for Repole with Mo Donegal would be sweet for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the colt's sire, who launched Repole into racing stardom on the racetrack and has since proven himself as one of the top sires at the world at Coolmore's Ashford Stud.

“It's everything,” Repole said about Uncle Mo's impact on his racing life. “Obviously I'm playing the game at a very, very high level now and [thanks to] Uncle Mo, I went from claimers you used to lose money on, to Grade I horses you lose money on, so the consistent part is you're losing money. But when he won, he gave me that taste of, 'This is why I'm in the game.' I've said before I'm probably never going to own a horse more talented or brilliant than Uncle Mo. I've had Grade I wins, I won a Classic, I won a Travers, but as far as pure brilliance, only Uncle Mo is Uncle Mo. I remember going into the paddock for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, seeing all these horses then panning over to Uncle Mo and you say, 'Who put the 3-year-old in to play with the 2-year-olds?' It was almost like a high school kid playing against third-graders. I was so nervous for like three weeks, then once I went in the paddock, I started to get nervous for the other horses. It was amazing. He was just ahead of his time. People ask if he could've gotten a mile and a quarter. He could've gotten a mile and a half. He would've been American Pharoah before American Pharoah. And you know what? He proved it in the stallion barn.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers talked about what they're watching for on a monster Oaks/Derby weekend and what the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's new drug enforcement partnership could mean for racing. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Bettor Things: Handicapping the Derby With Joe Bianca & Bill Finley

Generally the hardest race to handicap every year, the 2022 renewal of the GI Kentucky Derby appears even more complicated than most, with a handful of major contenders but no standout favorite, and a seemingly small gap back to the rest of the field. Monday, shortly after the 20-horse field was drawn for Saturday's Run for the Roses, TDN writers and podcast hosts Joe Bianca and Bill Finley broke down the race from a variety of angles to try to provide clarity and insight for Derby bettors. Bianca, who hosts handicapping conversation podcast Bettor Things with Joe Bianca, and Finley, who co-hosts the TDN Writers' Room with Bianca and Jon Green, discussed how the pill pull affected their opinions, the race's major players that they like, as well as short prices they think are vulnerable, sneaky longshots that can spice up exotic bets, how they expect the pace scenario to play out and recent historical trends that can help narrow down win candidates. Then, shortly before wrapping, they touched on what looks like a GI Kentucky Oaks for the ages and whether or not any longshots can threaten the race's 'big four'. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Bettor Things: Handicapping the Derby With Joe Bianca & Bill Finley appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Star Politics, Racing TV Analyst Steve Kornacki Joins Writers’ Room

A mainstay political analyst on television for going on a decade now, Steve Kornacki has gained superstardom for his election coverage, particularly during the interminable night of and week following the 2020 presidential election. But Kornacki is also a passionate horse racing fan and handicapper, and last year became part of NBC's industry-leading national racing coverage. Tuesday, he sat down with Joe Bianca and Bill Finley on the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss his racing roots, how he survived Election Week of 2020, who he's eyeing for this year's GI Kentucky Derby and more.

“How do I play [the horses]? Probably unwisely and too aggressively,” Kornacki said. “But I just enjoy the challenge. I liken it to trying to put together a puzzle with a thousand pieces. If you can ever get the combination just right, there's this feeling of satisfaction, a real rush that comes with that. So I'm always chasing that kind of rush. We did three of the final [Derby] prep races, the Wood, the Blue Grass and the Santa Anita Derby, on NBC a couple of weeks ago and they asked me–I think they were trying to spare me the embarrassment–if I wanted to pick them on the air. I said, 'Sure, I'll go ahead and take some shots,' and I went 0-for-3, but I knew that was a distinct possibility. And there was a part of me, when I went for some prices, that said maybe I should go with a safer pick like Mo Donegal in the Wood. But that's how I approach it. I'm always more interested in 8-1 than 2-1.”

Asked about his approach to his acclaimed election coverage and how it compares to his new gig analyzing racing, Kornacki said, “The comparison would be in the run-up to the election and the run-up to whatever race we're covering, you're looking for potential angles that can provide some insight and context. For instance, in 2020, we were very mindful that the polls systematically failed in 2016. They had undercounted [Donald] Trump support. They had overestimated Democratic support. So in the month leading up to the election, we were always trying to adjust the polling averages and say, 'If the same error applies in 2020 that applied in 2016, here's what the numbers look like now.' Suddenly you went from [Joe] Biden blowouts to these razor-thin Biden margins, and it turns out that is pretty much exactly what happened on Election Night. That's why it stretched into Election Week. That's the kind of context we're trying to provide. Now I'm looking at this Kentucky Derby field and asking myself what I can contribute on race day and in the run-up to it? Which prep races have had the best track record [with Derby runners], which horses have the best final furlong times, Beyer Speed Figures? I think a big one in the Derby is in this [qualifying] points era, being at or near the front of the pack at every point of call has been huge and a total departure from what it was before. So I look for those kinds of angles, whether it's politics or horse racing.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, Bianca and Finley discussed what the closure of harness track Pompano Park could portend for racing, the exciting and growing new technology being used to detect potential breakdowns before they happen and a big upcoming weekend for older fillies and mares. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Star Politics, Racing TV Analyst Steve Kornacki Joins Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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