posted March 13, 2008 at 19:22 EST in Triple Crown Betting Trends

Pryomania, according to Wikipedia, is distinct from arson and pyromaniacs are distinct from those who start fires because of psychosis.

Before horse bettors hop on the Steve Asmussen bandwagon with this sophomore Pyro, closer inspection of the Louisiana Derby is in order.

First off, who was he beating the other day? Well, 3 rivals only had a maiden win under their belts, 2 others had just passed the entry level allowance condition, and the runners that were Graded winners, Tale of Ekati and Majestic Warrior, were both making their first appearance since October and obviously needed the race.

That left the eventual third place finisher, the unbeaten Yankee Bravo in the cast.

Not exactly a field loaded with firepower for with pyro power for that matter.

As far as history is concerned, Grindstone is the last runner to take the Kentucky Derby after winning this fixture and before that, the prior winner came in 1924 when Black Gold succeeded long before the start of the television show, The Beverly Hillbillies.

To be fair and to evaluate time, horse bettors can look to the Beyer pars to compare what happened this day and a case could be made that the track played a tad on the sluggish side.

In the second race, Cush posted a number 8 points higher than the par while the winner of the third; Louisiana Lightnin was 20 points under the Beyer par.

In 11th race, Coragil Cat posted a Beyer 8 digits lower than par. In the 12th, the winner was almost right on the Beyer par when only 2 higher than the projected 82.

Pyro was clocked in 1:44.44, while Proud Spell in the race directly before the Pyro score, was timed in 1:44.01.

Pyro’s Beyer of 95, was just 7 ticks slower than a stakes Beyer par at the level.

Style wise, horse bettors had to be impressed as Pyro was closer to the pace than usual and still had the same kick. He sat and relaxed behind a wall of horses at the top of the lane before getting out and winning under a drive.

One thing that horse bettors can point to however is that the runner that bore out and allowed Pyro to get the winning lane to rally into, was no other than his stablemate J Be K.

It’s only a question, but it has to be asked. If the runner that had Pyro in a box was from a rival barn, would he still have gotten out so easily or would a rival from another barn do a little race riding and keep him in tight?

Take nothing away from this guy as far as how he looks on the track however. Horse bettors can see that he tries hard, he fires every time, can pass horses, has won at Churchill Downs and has the ability to overcome adversity and still run big.

The next stop for Pyro may also leave novice and experienced horse bettors shaking their heads as it will likely be on the Polytrack at Keeneland in the Blue Grass Stakes.

And for those with a short memory, the Blue Grass last year was conducted under pedestrian splits, but the horse who was beaten a nose, Street Sense, got the money at Louisville.

About 50 days left before the May puzzle unravels, so now is the time all astute horse bettors look for every detail on every avenue.

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.