By KEVIN HARRIS
Kevin.Harris@newsandtribune.com
May 01, 2008 12:36 am
—
LOUISVILLE — On March 29, Big Brown started from the farthest post from the rail and won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.
If the 3-year-old plans on winning Saturday’s 134th Kentucky Derby, he will have to duplicate his Florida Derby heroics.
The Big Brown camp picked the 20th post at the Derby post-position draw Wednesday at Fourth Street Live, which set the 20-horse field. The only horse to ever win the Derby from the 20th starting spot was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.
Despite the outside post, Big Brown was named the morning-line favorite at 3-1 odds. He is the lone undefeated horse in the field.
“If he wins from 20, I salute him,” Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia said. “He started from the outside in the Florida Derby. So if he can do it once, he can do it again.”
The Big Brown camp did not have many ideal posts to choose from with the 16th selection. The posts available at the time were the first and second slots and posts 18-20. Out of those five vacancies, the 20th post was the most enticing.
“We would’ve rather had that than the one or two or the 18 or 19,” Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said. “Actually, I would rather have this post than a lot of the other ones. It might be too far out there, but we were willing to accept that challenge.”
Despite being unbeaten, Big Brown is the most inexperienced Derby horse with three career starts. But Dutrow thinks that will not be a factor on Saturday.
“It doesn’t enter my mind about being a factor, especially from his post position,” Dutrow said. “It’s supposed to come just naturally to him. I don’t see that he’s got to really know a whole lot and learn a whole lot. He’s just got to break good and put himself right into the game like he always does, so I’m not really concerned about an experience factor.”
Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John is the second betting choice at 4-1, as he will start from the 10th post. Ten Derby champions have won from the 10th post with the last being Giacomo in 2005.
“I was lucky enough to choose early on,” said Colonel John trainer Eoin Harty, who had the third selection. “I wanted a spot somewhere in the middle and a lot of winners have come from the 10 hole.”
Steve Asmussen-trained Pyro will come out of the ninth hole, as he is the third choice at 6-1. Pyro will try to redeem himself after finishing a disappointing 10th in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on April 12.
“I feel like it’s an excellent draw,” Asmussen said. “I don’t want him to stand in the gates any more time than he has to. I feel that he’s also fairly handy for the horses that are around him. It should allow (jockey Shaun Bridgmohan) to secure a decent position.”
Eight Belles will try to become the fourth filly to win the Derby, starting from the fifth post. Larry Jones, the trainer of the 20-1 favorite, decided to put Eight Belles in the Derby instead of Friday’s Kentucky Oaks after drawing the fifth selection on Wednesday morning.
“I didn’t want to be one of the very last ones to load (in the gate),” Jones said. “This filly, she’s hopped twice when she hasn’t had time to get in the gate and sit for a little while. So we felt like drawing the five hole was going to give her plenty of time to get settled and everybody around her would already be still by then.”
Two-time Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito has two horses in the field in Cool Coal Man and Anak Nakal. Cool Coal Man (20-1) will come from the first post, while Anak Nakal (30-1) occupies the third hole.
Barclay Tagg, who trained 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide, also has two horses in Wood Memorial winner Tale of Ekati (15-1) and Big Truck (50-1). Tale of Ekati and Big Truck will start from the second and seventh posts, respectively.
Another former Derby-winning trainer, Michael Matz, also has a horse entered in Visionaire (20-1), who will come out of the eighth post. Matz trained the late Barbaro to the 2006 Derby crown.
Todd Pletcher, the nation’s top trainer the past four years, will field two horses in Blue Grass winner Monba (15-1) from post No. 14 and Cowboy Cal (20-1) from the 17th post. Pletcher is going for his first Derby victory.
The rest of the post positions are as follows with odds: Court Vision, fourth post (20-1); Z Fortune, sixth post (15-1); Z Humor, 11th post (30-1); Smooth Air, 12th post (20-1); Bob Black Jack, 13th post (20-1); Adriano, 15th post (30-1); Denis of Cork, 16th post (20-1); Recapturetheglory, 18th post (20-1); Gayego, 19th post (15-1).
DERBY 134 POST-POSITION DRAW
Field for Saturday’s 134th Kentucky Derby, with post position, horse’s name, names of the jockey and trainer and odds:
PP HORSE JOCKEY/TRAINER ODDS
1. Cool Coal Man Leparoux/Zito 20-1
2. Tale of Ekati Coa/Tagg 15-1
3. Anak Nakal Bejarano/Zito 30-1
4. Court Vision Gomez/Mott 20-1
5. Eight Belles Saez/Jones 20-1
6. Z Fortune Albarado/Asmussen 15-1
7. Big Truck Castellano/Tagg 50-1
8. Visionaire Lezcano/Matz 20-1
9. Pyro Bridgmohan/Asmussen 6-1
10. Colonel John Nakatani/Harty 4-1
11. Z Humor Douglas/Mott 30-1
12. Smooth Air Cruz/Stutts Jr. 20-1
13. Bob Black Jack Migliore/Kasparoff 20-1
14. Monba Dominguez/Pletcher 15-1
15. Adriano Prado/Motion 30-1
16. Denis of Cork Borel/Carroll 20-1
17. Cowboy Cal Velazquez/Pletcher 20-1
18. Recapturetheglory Baird/Roussel 20-1
19. Gayego Smith/Lobo 15-1
20. Big Brown Desormeaux/Dutrow Jr. 3-1
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.