Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Kentucky Derby has first Black owners in 13 years
Will Harbut Racing LLC, is one of the three owners of Kentucky Derby entrant Necker Island. Will Harbut’s name is familiar to students of racing history – he cared for the legendary Man o’ War in his stallion career in Kentucky for more than 16 years. The man behind Will Harbut Racing is the groom’s great-grandson Greg Harbut, a bloodstock agent who named the operation for his family’s deep ties to racing, which are especially poignant in this year of racial unrest.
Necker Island came onto Harbut’s radar as a juvenile, when he won 2 of 3 starts for Sagamore Farm and trainer Stanley Hough. This year, Necker Island was off the board in four stakes to start the season before running for a $100,000 tag at Churchill Downs. The partnership of Wayne Scherr, Raymond Daniels, and Harbut claimed him and placed him with Chris Hartman.
“He’s a horse that has a very good pedigree and conformation,” said Harbut, who was a trainee in the Darley Flying Start program and launched his Harbut Bloodstock agency about 10 years ago. “As a 3-yearold, he sort of tailed off, but was still running in graded stakes races and was sort of finishing middle of the pack. We were thinking get a new set of eyes on the horse, maybe change some things around.”
Harbut and Daniels represent the first time in 13 years a Derby entrant has had AfricanAmerican ownership. The last Derby starter in the category was Curlin, who finished third in 2007 before going on to earn two Horse of the Year titles. One of his owners was Shirley Cunningham Jr. through his interest in Midnight Cry Stables.
The timing is particularly relevant, as the nation is facing a watershed on racism.
Louisville has been a center of national attention on the issue due to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor by police as the 26-year-old Black woman slept in her home in March. While the shooting is being investigated by both state authorities and the FBI, demonstrations calling for charges against the officers involved have been held in the Louisville area for months and are expected on Derby Day.
The past and current history of race relations in Louisville is not lost on Greg Harbut. He was particularly close to his grandfather, the late Tom Harbut, who followed Will Harbut into the Thoroughbred business. Tom Harbut rose up the ranks to become a stallion manager for Harry Guggenheim. He also co-bred and co-owned Touch Bar, who finished 11th in the 1962 Kentucky Derby. However, Tom Harbut’s name was not listed in the program, and he was not permitted to watch the race from the grandstand, which was for whites only.
“It’s a mix of emotions,” Greg Harbut said looking back at his family history with the Derby. “My grandfather – I don’t know how many African-American ownership groups have been multigenerational, but it’s certainly something very special.” – Nicole Russo
Zenyatta visit has to wait
John Shirreffs trained Zenyatta throughout her Hall of Fame career and can’t wait to see her soon, but the demands of the Kentucky Derby will mean the next visit will come later this month, when he returns for the yearling sales. This week, he’s sticking to Churchill Downs like Calvin Borel sticks to the rail.
“It’s hard to leave. You never know when something unforeseen could develop,” said Shirreffs, who trains Honor A. P.
This isn’t idle musing. In 2005, when Shirreffs won the Derby with Giacomo, he took the colt to the paddock two days before the race for a schooling session. While there, he sprung a shoe.
“He had very shelly feet,”
Shirreffs said. “We had to bandage that foot before we walked him back, because I didn’t want any of the pea gravel he’d encounter heading back to the barn to get in there and bruise the foot or anything.”
Shirreffs said he’ll stay in Louisville through the Derby, fly back to California, but return to Kentucky soon for the yearling sales in Lexington, much closer to where Zenyatta resides.
“She’s such a good mother,” Shirreffs said. “I was sent a photo of her the other day and she had five foals surrounding her. The other foals like hanging around with her. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
Zenyatta was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016 following a career that saw her win 19 of 20 starts, including the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic. She won four Eclipse Awards, including Horse of the Year in 2010. She suffered her only loss in her final start, in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. – Jay Privman
Tiz the Law 11-1 in Pool 1
Bettors with the foresight to back Tiz the Law months ago for the Kentucky Derby are among those who will be hoping to cash in on an overlay Saturday.
Tiz the Law was available at 11-1, 8-1, 7-1, and 5-1 in the first four of seven pools conducted by Churchill Downs in its annual Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The colt ultimately was bet down to 2-1, 5-2, and 11-10 in the last three pools, with his odds for Pool 7 (held Aug. 7-9) being easily the lowest ever for a separately listed interest in 22 years of the Future Wager. He is the 3-5 morning-line favorite Saturday.
The mutuel field, the “all others” option, closed as the favorite in each of the first four pools; most of the 18 Derby runners were in the field at various times. Besides Tiz the Law, only three other Derby starters were separate interests in all seven pools, those being Authentic, Honor A. P., and Thousand Words.
Among the many horses who were among the futures favorites at some point but failed to make the race were Art Collector, Cafe Pharoah, Charlatan, Dennis’ Moment, Ete Indien, Independence Hall, Maxfield, Nadal, and Uncle Chuck.
Interestingly, the highest $2 win payoff in futures history was $188 on Funny Cide in the first pool of 2003. Funny Cide was trained by Barclay Tagg, the trainer of Tiz the Law.
As for Kentucky Oaks futures, the few players who bet on Swiss Skydiver in the first of two pools held in early March stand to make quite a hit – she was a whopping 167-1. Gamine was still unraced when the first pool opened and therefore was part of the field (3-1). In the second Oaks pool in midJuly, Gamine was 2-1 and Swiss Skydiver was 9-2.
Aggregate handle for all 2020 futures pools was nearly $2.6 million, easily a futures record and one achieved because of the additional pools added during the postponement of both races. That figure comprises the seven Derby pools; two Oaks pools; the Derby Sires pool from November; and two Oaks-Derby double pools.
Hernandez cleared to ride
Not only did Brian Hernandez Jr. lose a prime Kentucky Derby mount when Art Collector was declared out Tuesday with a minor injury, but the 34-year-old jockey tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day.
Fortunately for Hernandez, he was cleared to ride starting Thursday after being taken off all his Churchill mounts Tuesday and Wednesday. In a 2020esque situation, he had subsequently tested positive Tuesday for the virus antibodies, and after lengthy consultation with health officials and Churchill officials Wednesday, the decision was made to allow him to resume riding on the basis that he is not an infectious danger to others.
Hernandez is named to ride in seven stakes here Thursday through Saturday.
Talamo wins Ellis title
Joe Talamo, in his first year of riding the Kentucky circuit after more than 13 years in Southern California, was the leading jockey at the 25-day Runhappy summer meet, which ended Sunday at Ellis Park in western Kentucky. Talamo rode 20 winners, two more than Rafael Bejarano, who missed the last nine days of the meet. Talamo led in mount earnings with $746,716.
Brad Cox and Kenny McPeek tied for leading trainer with 10 wins, while the PTK of the Haughey family of Virginia was the leading owner with six wins.
As of Wednesday, handle figures had not been released by Laguna Development, the New Mexico-based corporation that bought the track last year from former owner Ron Geary.