Posted on
4/7/2008 6:12:59 PM
Horse Betting - Blue Grass, Arkansas Derby = Exciting
By Greg Melikov
BetUS Sportsbook is excited! The Blue Grass Stakes has produced two-dozen Kentucky Derby champions since Judge Himes finished third in 1903 before capturing the 29th Run for the Roses.
However, sports betting faithful be warned, only two runners that captured the key prep in the past three decades visited the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs: Strike the Gold, ’91, and Spectacular Bid, ’79.
There have been 10 horses that took both races starting with Shut Out in ’42.
Last year’s Blue Grass was the most exciting in memory when a nose and two heads separated the top four finishers. However, it was the 57th slowest of 83 races: 1:51 1/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.
Dominican edged Street Sense, Zanjero ran third and Teuflesberg was fourth. But Street Sense got sweet revenge on the first Saturday in May when he roared to victory. His time for the 1 ¼ miles was 2:02, about the seventh fastest in the last 20 years.
Dominican, undefeated in three starts on synthetic surfaces, finished a disappointing 11th on the dirt. Zanjero was 13th while Teuflesberg ran 17th in the 20-horse field.
None of the three main contenders in Saturday’s $750,000 headliner at Keeneland have run on synthetic surfaces, but all captured their last stakes races. That should make for an exciting contest.
The likely favorite is Pyro. The son of Pulpit seeks his third straight this year after impressive victories in the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.
He looked cool, calm and collected during schooling on April 5 at Keeneland where he galloped 1 ½ miles over the Polytrack. On Monday, he breezed four furlongs in 50 3/5.
Visionaire is coming off a nose victory in the Gotham on a foggy March 8 at Aqueduct over a sealed sloppy surface. The son of Grand Slam finished third to Pyro in the Risen Star.
Cool Coal Man also is going for three consecutive triumphs in ’08. The son of Mineshaft, ’03 Horse of the Year as a 4-year-old, defeated Elysium Fields and Court Vision in a strong Fountain of Youth (FOY) 12-horse field at Gulfstream Park. He breezed four furlongs in 47 2/5 at Churchill Downs on April 3.
Miner’s Claim, another son of Mineshaft, came up a neck short to Big Glen in the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park in his only start of the year. He won two times on Woodbine’s synthetic surface in ’07. On April 5, he breezed five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 at Kenneland.
Cowboy Cal, coming off four straight outings on the turf, won the Tropical Park Derby at Calder and most recently finished second in Gulfstream’s Hallandale Beach. He worked a half-mile in 47 2/5 on Sunday at Keeneland.
Other likely starters are Halo Najib, runner-up to Adriano in the Lane’s End at Turfway on March 22; and Medjool, the third-place finisher; and Monba, the FOY trailer.
Winning Saturday’s $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park could be a good omen down the Triple Crown trail. In ’04, Smarty Jones followed with victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Although Afleet Alex ran third in ’05 at Churchill Downs, he scored in the Preakness and Belmont. Last year, Curlin hit the board in all three
Triple Crown races, winning the
Preakness Stakes, and capturing the
Breeders’ Cup Classic en route to Horse of the Year honors.
The 1 1/8 mile contest this year is truly wide open and that should make for an exciting contest, too. Only four horses have won a stakes race this year, mostly minor ones.
Contenders include Z Fortune, the Lecomte victor at Fair Grounds who ran a disappointing fifth in the Rebel at Oaklawn; Gayego, runner-up in the San Felipe after winning the San Pedro at Santa Anita; and Liberty Bull, victorious in the Win Star Derby at Sunland two races after taking Oaklawn’s Smarty Jones.
Z Fortune worked five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 over a good Oaklawn surface March 31. Gayego breezed six furlongs in an eye-catching 1:12 4/5 at Hollywood Park on April 5. Liberty Bull breeze four furlongs in the mud in 48 2/5 at Churchill Downs on April 5.
Two horses that broke their maiden this year and followed with victorious allowance efforts are Jazz in the Park and My Pal Charlie, who was second in the Louisiana Derby.
Isabull and Blackberry Road each are winless in three outings this year, but could surprise. Isabull hit the board in two trips at Oaklawn, finishing third in the Smarty Jones. Blackberry Road was runner-up in the Lecomte, fifth in the Risen Star and fourth in the Louisiana Derby.
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