My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Justify, the impressive Bob Baffert trained colt, remains undefeated AND beat Apollo’s curse. He is the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby in 135 years without having raced as a 2-year old. The big chestnut colt delivered a definitive win 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Good Magic. Particularly noticeable is how clean Justify’s face […]
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Speculation over who will win this year’s Kentucky Derby is hitting a new high as betters try to figure out whether one of the two favorites, Justify and Magnum Moon might break the so-called “Curse of Apollo,” and win the Kentucky Derby without racing as two year-olds. Both colts are undefeated, with wins at some […]
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Every day the news reports different ways to pick your Derby winner. To a large degree past performance predicts future performance. According to an article by Neil Greenberg in the Washington Post, the past seven winners of the Kentucky Derby won their prep race, and 41 of the past 42 winners were either in the […]
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Along with other Derby lore, such as the benefits of different post positions, is the Curse of Apollo. Although it sounds rather deadly, it refers to the fact that Apollo, who won the 1882 Kentucky Derby, is the only horse to have won the Derby without racing as a 2 year old. The Derby has […]
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Every year the Derby trainers wait with bated breath to find out what post position their horse has drawn for the most important race in their three-year old lives. Post position may impact betting odds but does it actually impact race results? Conventional wisdom is that post position 1 (which for many years yielded the […]
Read MoreThe first thing you notice about Always Dreaming and Johnny Valezquez is how clean they are. It’s an amazing accomplishment considering how sloppy the track was and how all the other horses and jockeys looked coming under the wire. That’s the benefit of a clean break and a skillful ride that kept them sitting pretty […]
Read MoreWith a 20-horse field, muddy conditions and no real “stand out” horses this year, the 2017 Derby is a bit of a toss up. The baby pictures are adorable, although there a few I wouldn’t have pegged for the kind of speed necessary to qualify for the Derby. Here are a few interesting things about […]
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