Posted on 12/10/2007 4:37:40 PM

Bet on Horses - Sometimes It Pays to Look Ahead to Kentucky Derby

By Greg Melikov

I usually don’t consider horses for the Kentucky Derby until the early spring stakes for 3-year-olds. However, I have made exceptions.

Back on Jan. 18, 2003, I saw Funny Cide finish fifth in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He broke from post 13, encountered trouble along the way and traveled wide the entire 1 1/16 miles run in a respectable 1:43.

There was something about the gelding that caught my eye. In early March, the son of Distorted Humor stayed close to the pace in the Louisiana Derby, rallied in the stretch, dropped back and then came again along the rail to finish third to Peace Rules. He was placed second when Kafwain was disqualified.

So in mid-March I placed a Derby futures wager on the 3-year-old at a whopping 59-1 and hoped for the best.

On Derby Day, I viewed the simulcast from Retama Park in Greater San Antonio where I was having a good Saturday afternoon, hitting several exactas at Churchill Downs.

I played a $1 trifecta for $23 keying Funny Cide, Empire Maker and Ten Most Wanted on top with all three and Offlee Wild in the middle, leaving Empire Maker out underneath, but including Funny Cide, Offlee Wild, Ten Most Wanted and Peace Rules. I also bet $2 to win on Funny Cide.

Bingo! Fuuny Cide returned $27.60 on the front end. The trifecta paid $332.40. And the futures bet rewarded me with $120.80.

This year on Sept. 7, a 2-year-old son of Gulch attracted my attention when he came from way off the pace in his six-furlong debut at Turfway Park.

Court Vision broke sluggishly, moved from last to sixth more than 5 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, made up more than five lengths in the stretch and finished second beaten only a half-length. He ran the final quarter in 24 2/5.

I kept tabs on the colt the remainder of 2007. He was nothing short of fabulous. He has raced at three different tracks and three distances. He has run on conventional dirt, Polytrack, during the day and at night.

On Oct. 6 at Keeneland, Court Vision was three lengths back in fourth after a half-mile, advanced to third in the stretch and drew clear by 1 ¾ lengths at 1 1/16 miles.

Three weeks later at Churchill Downs, he fanned more than six wide in eighth for the drive, closed determinedly in the stretch to make up 4 ½ lengths and won the $150,000 Iroquois Stakes at a mile by a half-length.

On Nov. 24 at Aqueduct in the $200,000 Remsen Stakes, the dark bay raced 2 ½ lengths behind in third after a half-mile, dropped to fourth in tight after six furlongs, came out for room in the stretch, bumped with two rivals down the lane and scored by a neck at 1 1/8 miles.

The last Remsen winner to take the Kentucky Derby was Thunder Gulch in ’94 – also sired by Gulch. Hall of Famer Bill Mott, looking for his first victory on the first Saturday in May, trains Court Vision.

Mott’s best showing came in ’98 when Favorite Trick, winner of the ’97 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Horse of the Year, finished eighth to Real Quiet.

Another Mott hopeful, Majestic Warrior, missed this year’s BC Juvenile because of a hoof injury suffered running sixth in the $400,000 Champagne Stakes.

Belmont’s Champagne at a mile went to undefeated War Pass, trained by Nick Zito, who later captured the Juvenile leading at every call like he has in all five victories. The last Champagne winner to smell the roses was Sea Hero in ’92.

Zito, who won the Champagne five times, saddled two Derby winners: Strike the Gold in ’91 and Go for Gin in ’94.

Future 3-year-olds worth watching are:

Pyro, trained by Steve Asmussen, runner-up to War Pass in the Champagne and the BC Juvenile; Mott’s Z Humor, third in the Champagne and fifth in the Juvenile before dead-heating for first in the Delta Jackpot on Dec. 7; Steve Asmussen’s Kodiak Cowboy, second in Belmont Futurity and third in the Juvenile; and Barclay Tagg’s Tale of Ekati, winner of the Futurity and fourth in the Juvenile.

Horse racing with BetUS Racebook Online Racebook. We've got up to date lines and odds on 85+ racetracks. Join BetUS today to get in on the action.