2017 Kentucky Derby May 6

The 143rd Derby is right around the corner...Keeneland opens this week. The smell of manure is in the air! (It always is around my house.)

Here is a link for the top point earners so far:

2017 Kentucky Derby Point Standings | AndHereTheyCome

The top ten are:

Horse/Sire/Trainer/Owner

Girvin/Tale of Ekati/Joe Sharp

Always Dreaming/Bodemeister/Todd Pletcher

Thunder Snow/Helmet (Aus)/Saeed bin Suroor

Gunnevera/Dialed In/Antonio Sano

State of Honor/To Honor and Serve/Mark Casse

Tapwrit/Tapit/Todd Pletcher

J Boys Echo/Mineshart/Dale Romans

Fast and Accurate/Hansen/Michael Maker

Hence/Street Boss/Steve Asmussen

Malagacy/Shackleford/Todd Pletcher

I can't cut and paste on this PC from the link, but there are a lot of good horse down the list at present that I expect to move up dramatically in the next few weeks.

Upcoming races:

4/8 Wood Memorial Aqueduct

4/8 Blue Grass Stakes Keeneland

4/8 Santa Anita Derby Santa Anita

4/15 Arkansas Derby Oaklawn Park

4/15 Lexington Keeneland

Always Dreaming with a great run in the FL Derby on Saturday. Will probably be one of the favorites on May 6.

The standings after this past weekend:

Rank/Horse/Trainer/Points/Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. Girvin Joe Sharp 150 $849,800

2. Gormley John Shirreffs 125 $884,000

3. Irap Doug O'Neill 113 $744,000

4. Irish War Cry Graham Motion 110 $672,660

5. $ Thunder Snow (IRE) Saeed bin Suroor 100 $1,621,063

6. Always Dreaming Todd Pletcher 100 $589,000

7. Gunnevera Antonio Sano 84 $1,137,800

8. Practical Joke Chad Brown 74 $966,000

9. J Boys Echo Dale Romans 63 $305,000

10. State of Honor Mark Casse 62 $309,564

11. Tapwrit Todd Pletcher 54 $295,570

12. Malagacy Todd Pletcher 50 $540,000

13. Hence Steve Asmussen 50 $481,129

14. $$ Fast and Accurate Mike Maker 50 $320,712

15. McCraken Ian Wilkes 40 $385,048

16. Battle of Midway Jerry Hollendorfer 40 $224,000

17. Patch Todd Pletcher 40 $200,000

18. Battalion Runner Todd Pletcher 40 $140,000

19. Cloud Computing Chad Brown 40 $115,000

20. Untrapped Steve Asmussen 34 $210,000

21. Classic Empire Mark Casse 32 $1,493,820

I went 21 deep, presuming they could go a 20-horse field, and Classic Empire (21) runs this week in the Arkansas Derby. An impressive win there could put him as a/the favorite for the Derby given his Beyer's figures are the best.

I played Classic Empire in the Futures. Hoping he will just qualify at this point....

Anyone else attending the Derby? @TAC you going to the Oaks? We'll be in our same spot this year.

I played Classic Empire in the Futures. Hoping he will just qualify at this point....

 

Anyone else attending the Derby? @TAC you going to the Oaks? We'll be in our same spot this year.

Just got the call this AM. Tickets are in. $202.00 each this year!!!

Just got the call this AM. Tickets are in. $202.00 each this year!!!

FYI, that's a $51.00 increase over last year. @jahearme did yours go up?

FYI, that's a $51.00 increase over last year. @jahearme did yours go up?

I honestly have no idea. That's my wife's department. I'm just along for the ride.

This Derby is wide open. What would be the post time odds on the favorite, whoever that might be................5 to 2.....3 to 1.....4 to 1....??? Maybe Vegas will have an over/under bet on the odds.

Classic Empire with a big win in Arkansas Derby.

Classic Empire with a big win in Arkansas Derby.

I would think he would be one of the favorites. Good record, good breeding and the best Beyer's figures.

I would think he would be one of the favorites. Good record, good breeding and the best Beyer's figures.

He is my pick right now. Trainer mentioned he is still not quite 100% so will need to watch it close.

Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia says he will install him as the favorite.

Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia says he will install him as the favorite.

Post time favorite could be as high as 4-1, maybe even 9-2. Ark Derby winner Classic Empire might not be the Post Time favorite even if he is the Morning Line favorite. I would expect Always Dreaming (best prep race in FLA Derby) and Wood winner Irish War Cry to take a lot of action. Add in the SA Derby winner who will be bet and a couple of "trending" horses that look to improve.......add in the Sunland Derby winner and the LA Derby winner and a couple of runner-ups in preps (McCracken) and it should be a good betting race.

Always Dreaming with a great run in the FL Derby on Saturday. Will probably be one of the favorites on May 6.

One of my wife's good friends (Cov Cath grad) is married to one of the owners of Always Dreaming. Her company, West Point Thoroughbreds, also owns Commanding Curve who finished second in the Derby behind California Chrome three years ago.

Gotta admit, it feels really cool having a friend's horse to bet on in the Derby.

One of my wife's good friends (Cov Cath grad) is married to one of the owners of Always Dreaming. Her company, West Point Thoroughbreds, also owns Commanding Curve who finished second in the Derby behind California Chrome three years ago.

 

Gotta admit, it feels really cool having a friend's horse to bet on in the Derby.

My daughter rides one of Dr. Hansen's horses for him at her barn. The horse is a retired racehorse "Machobull." Strangely, we didn't get the invite to the owner's suite for the Derby.

And I just came across this article while looking at the derby. Bode Miller bought into Fast and Accurate.

Hansen sells stake in Derby hopeful, Fast and Accurate, to Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller | NKyTribune

Bode Miller, 2010 Olympic gold medalist, multiple World Cup alpine skiing champion and horseman, has bought a stake in Northern Kentucky physician Kendall Hansen’s Kentucky Derby hopeful Fast and Accurate.

Trained by Mike Maker and bred in Pennsylvania by John Penn, Fast and Accurate won the JACK Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes (G3) at Turfway Park March 25 to earn a start in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The colt is among the only U.S. crop sired by Hansen’s homebred namesake, 2011 Eclipse champion 2-year-old male Hansen.

“Bode is a very intelligent man and a good horseman,” said Hansen, a Northern Kentucky physician. “He learned a lot about physiology from his work on the U.S. Olympic Team, and he’s relaying that knowledge to horse racing as well. He sees what we see up close [in Fast and Accurate], and he realizes we do actually have an outside chance to win, even though on paper it doesn’t exactly look that way. I remember crossing out [2009 Kentucky Derby winner] Mine That Bird, who had no chance.”

Fast and Accurate has won his last three races, stepping up in class each time. His record stands at three wins and one second in six starts.

“Three-year-olds can improve by leaps and bounds, so I’m hoping we’re one of the ‘leaps and bounds’ and others ones are tailing off,” Hansen said.

“A couple of mutual friends got us together, because we’ve both been known to be somewhat eccentric and fun-loving,” said Hansen of his partnership with Miller. “It’s fun to be paired up with him. I’m looking forward to hanging out with him on Kentucky Derby day.”

Immediately after the Spiral Stakes win, Skychai Racing also purchased a stake in Fast and Accurate and has since sold a portion to frequent partner Sand Dollar Stable. The nom de course of Harvey Diamond and partners, Skychai Racing had bought a stake in Hansen after the colt’s 13-1/4 length score in the 2011 Kentucky Cup Juvenile at Turfway, his third start and third win.

Miller also owns a share of Hansen’s homebred colt En Hanse, another son from Hansen the sire’s U.S. crop. That colt is 3-1-1 in nine starts, including a win in the WEBN Stakes at Turfway Park in February.

Kendall Hansen retains majority ownership of both colts.