Horse Racing Random

[JazzNU]

And @ponchi in case you didn't get to watch - the horse Mage, the trainer Gustavo Delgado, and the jockey Javier Castellano are all Venezuelan!

[dryrunguy]

Here's the race. All went well. And indeed... Venezuelans have had most or a piece of the Kentucky Derby winner 2 years in a row.

[dryrunguy]

Yay! Fun race. My picks were Mage and Reincarnate, Mage the more likely and Reincarnate the long shot. We've been over this before, but those were my picks because of Javier Castellano and John Velasquez being the jockeys. The betting on jockeys approach is even more important at the Kentucky Derby with the field always being so large. Veteran skill for the win.

Javier was 0/15 in his Derby races going into today's race. But he's a Hall of Fame rider and has been the leading rider in the U.S. several times. It was just a matter of time. I just thought the horse was too inexperienced and green.

So good on you! Well done!

[ti-amie]

Good race.

[JazzNU]

Yay! Fun race. My picks were Mage and Reincarnate, Mage the more likely and Reincarnate the long shot. We've been over this before, but those were my picks because of Javier Castellano and John Velasquez being the jockeys. The betting on jockeys approach is even more important at the Kentucky Derby with the field always being so large. Veteran skill for the win.

Javier was 0/15 in his Derby races going into today's race. But he's a Hall of Fame rider and has been the leading rider in the U.S. several times. It was just a matter of time. I just thought the horse was too inexperienced and green.

So good on you! Well done!

That's always what I thought for Javier, just a matter of time before he wins it. For the horse being too green, ignorance is bliss. Not knowing their complete history, but knowing they have enough good finishes to be in the field, can be a benefit in picking at the Kentucky Derby to me. I tend to know who the Santa Anita and Florida Derby winners are, maybe watched a race or two in the season and read a few things. But mostly, I'm looking at the jockey, the trainer and the odds. And I never mind a longer shot at the Kentucky Derby.

[ponchi101]

And @ponchi in case you didn't get to watch - the horse Mage, the trainer Gustavo Delgado, and the jockey Javier Castellano are all Venezuelan!

We used to have a very strong racing-horse "industry". Sundays with the family used to involve BBQ and the races in the background.
People must be happy back home. Txs

[New England Nitemare]

Great Kentucky Derby yesterday with Mage winning, now the question becomes can he win the Triple Crown???....now on to Baltimore for the Preakness!!!

[dryrunguy]

Great Kentucky Derby yesterday with Mage winning, now the question becomes can he win the Triple Crown???....now on to Baltimore for the Preakness!!!

About Mage... He has only run four times, and he's run at four different distances--7 furlongs, 1 1/16 miles, 1 1/8 miles, and 1 1/4 miles. His Equibase speed figures have improved with each race: 88, 95, 102, and 104 in the Derby. Of the horses that ran in the Derby and are likely for the Preakness, he may be the only Derby horse going into the Preakness on an upward trajectory in terms of figures. That's a very good trajectory. Several horses regressed in the Derby and could be due for a bounce back in a positive direction. At the same time, one could probably argue that Mage is due a subpar effort--though he has shown zero signs of that. But I can tell you as a bettor, regression races tend to happen when you least expect them.

The wildcards are Forte, if his connections decide he's fit enough for the Preakness, and other contenders that skipped the Derby. There very well be another Mage or two sitting out there somewhere. And we can't count out the four other horses that scratched from the Derby.

[JazzNU]

The wildcards are Forte, if his connections decide he's fit enough for the Preakness, and other contenders that skipped the Derby. There very well be another Mage or two sitting out there somewhere. And we can't count out the four other horses that scratched from the Derby.

I read that Pletcher said Forte is on track for the Preakness if everything goes according to plan. But that if things don't go that way, he may be skipping both the Preakness and Belmont and targeting his next race much later in the season.

[dryrunguy]

FYI, something breaking on Twitter (NY Times source) about Forte failing a drug test last fall at Saratoga. This would have been well before he ran in and won the Breeder's Cup Juvenile. Unfortunately, I'm buried with work at the moment and won't be able to dig into this until tonight.

[dryrunguy]

Bloodhorse cites two unnamed sources.

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing ... 22-hopeful

[ti-amie]

TFG has set the standard for all crooks who can afford to do this.

From the article:

"In this case, this matter likely would have been adjudicated months ago but for the repeated procedural delays sought by the trainer's counsel," Maione wrote to BloodHorse.

Pletcher's counsel, Karen Murphy, and the Violence colt's connections did not respond to requests from the New York Times for comment, nor did Murphy reply with comment to BloodHorse.

The horse was obviously not well and the vet in Kentucky did the right thing. What happens now?

[JazzNU]

FYI, something breaking on Twitter (NY Times source) about Forte failing a drug test last fall at Saratoga. This would have been well before he ran in and won the Breeder's Cup Juvenile. Unfortunately, I'm buried with work at the moment and won't be able to dig into this until tonight.

The delayed test results reveal has happened before, probably most notably with Justify. I think the delay is a feature not a bug.

[dryrunguy]

Echo Lane (2-year-old) will make his racing debut at Gulfstream on Friday. 5 furlongs on dirt. I'm betting he will prefer turf based on his pedigree, but he's training exceptionally well on dirt. Luca Panici will ride. Echo Lane will not be for sale, of course, as Mary has an extremely high opinion of him. (I think I forgot to tell you that Mary elected to NOT enter him in the race from last week where the winner would have been eligible to compete in an Ascot race.

Courageous Copper is entered in a Gulfstream race on Sunday. 5 furlongs on the synthetic. He's dropping down to a claiming price of $12.5K. Leonel Reyes will ride.

[dryrunguy]

Echo Lane (2-year-old) will make his racing debut at Gulfstream on Friday. 5 furlongs on dirt. I'm betting he will prefer turf based on his pedigree, but he's training exceptionally well on dirt. Luca Panici will ride. Echo Lane will not be for sale, of course, as Mary has an extremely high opinion of him. (I think I forgot to tell you that Mary elected to NOT enter him in the race from last week where the winner would have been eligible to compete in an Ascot race.

Echo Lane wasn't ready. He needed more training works. He was competitive for half the race and then retreated. Finished last.