Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Churchill charge
5 Oaklawn-raced colts set to run in 20-horse Louisville free-for-all
It seems as if each of the 20 horses entered in today’s 143rd Kentucky Derby has a legitimate shot, if you listen to what the owners, trainers, jockeys and exercise riders have had to say this week at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
That optimism spills over and includes those associated with the five horses that spent time training or racing at Oaklawn Park in Hot
Springs this season.
Oaklawn’s contingent is led by Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire, who was last season’s 2-year-old champion and was made the 4-1 morning-line favorite
on Wednesday to win the world’s most famous horse race.
Steve Asmussen, Oaklawn’s leading trainer the past 2 seasons and 8 of the last 11, trains 3 horses in the Derby Field — Lookin at Lee and Untrapped, third and sixth respectively in the Arkansas Derby, and Hence, who broke his maiden at Oaklawn before a lackluster seventh-place finish in the Grade III Southwest Stakes.
Hence locked up a spot in the Derby with his victory as a 10-1 shot in the Sunland Park Derby at Sunland Park in New Mexico.
Sonneteer, trained by Keith Desormeaux, is winless in 10 career starts but qualified as a long shot for the Derby with a second-place finish in Oaklawn’s Rebel Stakes at 112-1 and a fourth in the Arkansas Derby at 12-1.
By early Friday evening, favoritism among early Derby bettors had gone to Always Dreaming (4-1), Gulfstream Park’s Florida Derby winner trained by Todd Fletcher, followed by Classic Empire (71) and Irish War Hero (5-1). Those three, along with McCraken (6-1) and 9-1 Gunnevera, who won the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream and finished third in the Florida Derby, were the only entrants with odds under 10-1.
They were followed by a second 20-1 and under tier, of Patch (13-1), second in the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans and trained by Pletcher, Hence (17-1), and Thunder Snow (171), the Irish-bred winner of the UAE Derby at Mayden Race Course in Dubai.
Untrapped, owned by Mike Langford of Jonesboro, was the longest shot in the field at 60-1, but Asmussen has sounded confident about the chances of each of his three trainees leading up to the race.
“Untrapped looks beautiful on the racetrack,” he said throughout the week. “I love the way they’re all traveling.”
Ricardo Santana Jr., Oaklawn’s leading rider the past five seasons, rode regularly for Asmussen this season through March 26, after which he was taken off Asmussen’s trainees.
He rode Untrapped to second-place finishes in Louisiana Down’s Grade III LeCompte and Grade II Risen Star Stakes, but Asmussen used jockey Irad Ortiz for Untrapped in the Rebel and Hall of Famer Mike Smith in the Arkansas Derby.
Santana is back on Untrapped for the Derby. It’s unclear whether he will again routinely ride for Asmussen, but he is listed to ride an Asmussen trainee in a maiden special weight race at Indiana Grand on Tuesday.
Ruben Munoz, Santana’s agent, said he thought Untrapped was among those with a legitimate chance to win despite being the longest shot to bettors in the early wagering.
“Ricardo knows him well, and if he gets a good break, Ricardo gets him into his stride, you never know,” he said. “One thing is that no one ever expects to win the Kentucky Derby, even the people who have the super favorite. Just being a part of it is a big thing. On this track, he’ll have just as good a chance of any of them, so we’ll see. He’ll have to step it up, absolutely, but they all have to step up to win.”
Most horsemen agree that drawing post No. 1 for the Derby is a detriment, because the rest of the field tends to collapse on the inside horse, who also must deal with an inner rail that jets out a bit as the horses enter the main track.
Lookin at Lee, who typically races from far off the pace, on Wednesday drew post No. 1, which has produced one winner since 1964, the late-running Ferdinand in 1986.
“I didn’t want the 1 hole, but if any horse can handle the 1 hole in the Kentucky Derby, it’s Lookin at Lee,” Asmussen said.
“I know he’ll be coming late, which is really great for the mile and a quarter,” Lookin at Lee jockey Corey Lanerie said. “Especially after watching the Arkansas Derby, the mile and a quarter is going to be perfect for him. I’m excited to ride him. We just need a good, good trip.
Untrapped will start from No. 4, just inside Always Dreaming, who figures to be among the pace-setters.
“With Untrapped, the 4 is a bit of a concern,” Asmussen said.
Asmussen was pleased when his third entrant, Hence, was assigned No. 8. Horses starting from the eighth gate have won five Derbies since 1990. Regardless of the starting position, Asmussen said he loves the way Hence has taken to Churchill’s track.
“Hence is on fire,” Asmussen said after Hence, who has not raced since March 26, jogged and briefly galloped Wednesday morning. “He’s sharp, very sharp. He can get hot, which is why we did a little more with him off the work, that and the fact that he’s had a little more time since his last race. He walked out of the barn and was a little excited, but came back and cooled out beautifully. He is warm, but he just has a very high energy level right now.”
How readiness plays out for the field won’t become obvious until about two minutes after the gates open. Post time for the Derby is scheduled for 5:46 p.m. and the possibility of continuing rain leaves the chance for a sloppy track, or at least one that would be drying out from two days of rain.
The race will be broadcast on NBC, with the early portions of the under card on the NBC Sports Network from 11 a.m. Central until 1:30 p.m. Central. NBC picks up the broadcast at 1:30 and will continue its coverage throughout the day.
Chad Brown, trainer of Practical Joke, who finished second in the Blue Grass Stakes and will start from the 19th gate, said best-laid plans commonly go astray in the Derby.
“I usually come up with a Plan A and a Plan B, and if those don’t work, Plan C is always in the jockey’s hands,” Brown said. “One of my favorite sports quotes I now live by came from Mike Tyson, of all people: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’”