Post-Derby Fever: Rail won’t open up like Red Sea for Borel at Pimlico

Calvin “Bo-rail” did it again.

Mine That Bird won the 135th Kentucky Derby, but not on the merit that he was the best horse in the field, rather, the better horses didn’t show up.

‘That Bird’ would have never won that Derby had injuries not occurred to nearly every contender.

That, and the fact his rider owns the rail at Churchill Downs.

Visually speaking, Mine That Bird’s win was indeed impressive.

His winning time of 2:02.66, however, was not.

And his victory of margin is telling of how weak the field indeed was.

There’s absolutely no reason not to believe that the colts that got injured (see below) along the Derby trail couldn’t have ran a better race.

Even Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Kentucky Oaks on the first Friday of May by a romping 20-lengths, seemingly could have out run Mine That Bird.

But Borel’s winning-ride was reminiscent to that of Street Sense’s two year’s ago.

It’s almost as if the rail opens up like the Red Sea when Borel rides.

When are the other jocks going to learn to rail-block Borel?

Hopefully at Pimlico they will. But it shouldn’t matter anyway.

Even though another weak field is likely to be drawn for the Preakness, Mine That Bird will not win the second leg of the Triple Crown.

But in the mean time, let’s look at why Mine That Bird won the Roses.

First, the only major contender who did not get hurt in the Derby or on the way to Louisville was Pioneerof the Nile.

While the Bob Baffert-trainee did indeed come in second place, he once again failed to run straight in the lane, one of the major reasons why I refused to support him on Derby day. And he lost by 6 ¾-lengths to a horse sent off at boxcar odds.

Second, the list of contenders who got injured made a better “field” than the actual horses who made the field.

I Want Revenge: Scratched on Derby day.
Quality Road: Taken out of consideration on Derby week.
Midshipman: Injured after winning Breeders Cup Juvenile.
Friesan Fire: Derby favorite got jumped on out the gate, bleed throughout race.
Dunkirk: Came out of the Derby with a quarter injury.
Old Fashioned … Win Willy … and so on.

Don’t be surprised to see a horse other than Mine That Bird go off as the favorite for the Preakness. Mine That Bird and Borel won’t do it again.

-Matthew Kimel, sports editor

Derby Fever: Looks like Gomez, Pletcher won’t win the Derby, again

Jockey Garrett Gomez and trainer Todd Pletcher teamed up Saturday to take the $300,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. III) at odds of 15/1 as Advice was the first to cross the wire.

Those connections, however, will not be a winning pair come Derby Day, despite being arguably the best in their resective fields.

In fact, neither has ever even won the Derby. And that’s something most likely to stay true after this year.

Gomez, the nations leading jockey in terms of earnings, has made a commitment to ride Pioneer of the Nile in favor of Dunkirk and Advice.

Anyway, I’m going to change leads here since the first Saturday of May is quickly approaching, and I have already concluded that no 3-year-old will beat I Want Revenge. So let’s take a look at the other contenders and how they could(n’t) win. Horses are ranked based on highest graded stakes earnings.

Derby Fever: Mullins-trained I Want Revenge overcomes bad trip, takes Wood

There’s not more a trainer can ask for in a Derby prep than what Jeff Mullins got out of I Want Revenge in the $750,000 Wood Memorial (gr. I) Saturday at Aqueduct.

With young Joe Talamo in the irons, the son of Stephen Got Even broke poorly out of the starting gate, which cost him nearly eight lengths from the get go.

Derby Fever: Quality Road to the Derby, Dunkirk is done?

The favorite didn’t win, but it’s quite likely that the winner of the Florida Derby (gr. I) will go on to take the Roses for the third time in four years.

Quality Road’s game victory over the heralded allowance winner Dunkirk not only broke the 1 1/8 mile track record for the South Florida track, but it assured Quality Road one of 20 spots in the starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday of May.

Piloted by John Velazquez, the 3-year-old Quality Road put away Dunkirk in the stretch run to register a 1 3/4-length victory in 1:47.72 on a lightning fast track on which two previous record times were also cracked.

Derby Fever: Hold Me Back lets loose in Lane’s End

While there was just one major 3-year-old prep race this weekend, ESPN’s (somewhat) weekly Saturday horse racing coverage began, as the trail to the first Saturday in May is quickly coming to an end.

Longshot Hold Me Back ($20.20) will no longer be held back from the Derby scene after he roared from 11th to first in Saturday’s $500,000 (gr. II) Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park to register a 1 ¾-length victory.

With Kent Desormeaux in the irons, the 3-year-old won his first start of the year and for the third time overall in four career starts.

Derby Fever: The Road to the Roses continues

Two new contenders and two leading contenders solidified their path towards a Run for the Roses Saturday in four key Derby preps.

While it is quiet possible the public has already seen the winner of the first jewel of the Triple Crown race in a graded stake, it’s never safe to say the next Curlin or Big Brown won’t emerge on to the scene as a latecomer.

Before we start to talk about the chalk winners over the weekend, let’s take a look at the long shots that entered the winner’s circle Saturday.