Is The Kentucky Derby and Horse Racing A Big Deal?

I have heard over the past few weeks how the Kentucky Derby is no longer the race it once was. That the race has lost some of its luster over the years, and that horsemen and women are more concern with the long term goal of their horses rather than winning the Kentucky Derby. The idea that the Kentucky Derby is no longer the marquee event that trainers and owners alike want to shoot for if they have a quality three year old is so ludicrous. The Kentucky Derby is what the Oscars are to movies. Every actor and actress wants that shiny gold dude on their mantle. It is a sign of acceptance. A big notch in the belt of well done. I remembered being in college and majoring in theatre directing. When I won that little award called the Tyrone Guthrie award for best directing I was on cloud ten and higher. Then one day has I watched the Tony Awards, and saw my fellow classmate walk away with a Tony for Rent, it validated all the hard work we all put in those four years. Horse racing is a sport that has been taken over by some many entities that the tracks nowadays can look like a battle field with only a few strong men and women standing. The racing industry needs anything it can hold onto to bring the sport to the masses. The Kentucky Derby is one of the few things in horse racing that the common man would know. He probably wouldn't know the difference between an exacta and trifecta, but the Kentucky Derby he would know, and if you ask just the right person they may even know who won the previous year derby.

At some tracks the purses are going out the roof because of the introduction of slot machines. This is one of those false positive for racing. The purses are rising not as a result of patrons loving the product but because they are digging the appetizer. Horse racing needs to find that meat that people are going to love to eat. On one day in May the sport gets to show that. The derby shouldn't be this thing that appears and then falls asleep until the following year. It should be an advertised event year round, just like potato chips or fast food commercial hits me over the head every few minutes. Where is the money being generated by the sport? start investing into the industry and draw the masses to the sport. Nascar is one of the biggest money makers in the world of sports. They are making money because they have built their fan base and treated them well over the years by allowing them access to the stars. Horse racing needs to showcase their athletes. Wise Dan needs to be showcased. He needs to have the wide appeal like a Zenyatta had. People should know when this equine superstar is going to hit the track. Publicity is the hunger of horse racing that is not being fed. Nascar never runs away from its accidents and misfortunes. Drivers dying on the track. Some of the most horrific crashes, yet they shine. Horse racing is afraid of the petas of the world. Horses go down. Jockeys go down. It is a part of the sport that we shouldn't runaway from but educate and invite closer scrutiny. Another aspect of the sport that needs attention are the jockeys. Why isn't the jockey guild telling its participants that in order for then to make more money and have a higher profile that they need to learn the language. I am sure this isn't the most political correct thing to say in our day of being political correct but lets deal with the elephant in the room. I have watched coverage on the biggest day of horse racing and the jockeys sometimes can't answer the questions. I am not talking about having everything sounding perfect because that isn't the real world. A few years ago a young jockey won a major race and when approached by the announcer he looked at her and everyone around him like what is this person saying. The announcer was professional. She said he was so choked up he couldn't answer. I have seen jockeys made remarkable growth in the language since their beginnings on the track. Javier Castellano is growing and have grown tremendously. That is effort and his workman like attitude is also shown in his riding skills. Rafael Bejarano and Joel Rosario are too other jockeys whose command of the language has grown leaps and bound, and one should never forget Johnny Velasquez whose first interview at Breeders' Cup Day is night and day from his command today of the language. Nowadays he could talk forever. Julien Leparoux is another beacon in this area. We need to market our stars, and to make them marketable we need to present them in the best light. The NBA tells it players to come to the arena in sports jacket and tie. They understand the rules. They understand product selling. Those are the rules of the world. It just is.

The Kentucky Derby will have celebrities walking the carpet and parties will flow during the week, but once they have packed up and leave town the sport will still go on. The other legs of the triple crown should then take up the torch and run with it. The Preakness should be the next step that occupies everyone thought process. We should make the Kentucky Derby winner the second coming of Christ. We need to build him up like the superstar that he is. We need to see him breezing and eating. We need to see commercial asking whether or not he is going to do it. Will he win the second crown of the jewel? Who is going to stop him? People needs to be excited about something for them to watch it. I watched this past Super Bowl with my team the New York Giants sitting at home. I was still excited about watching the game. I found a reason to root for someone in the game. I needed a villain for me to watch. I found one and enjoyed the game immensely. The Preakness, the second leg of the triple crown needs heroes and villains.

After the Preakness is over then the Belmont Stakes takes center stage. If we are lucky to have a horse win the first two legs of the triple crown then the marketing of the even for New York Racing Association should be easy. Use some of that slot money and splurge on the event. Buy spots on television and invite the audience to watch your sport. If we are without a triple chance, then market the event as such. Let the audience know that the grueling task of winning the second jewel took down the derby winner, but he is back in the Belmont Stakes trying to show he is the best horse. Have it be  an event based on the winner of the first two legs of the triple crown.

After the triple crown season is over we move into Saratoga and Del Mar. Sell sell. Have people understand the magnitude of Saratoga. Introduce people to the history, and while doing this make a case for the Arlington Million and Haskell. Sell! Have people excited about the sports until the Breeders' Cup rolls around. The Breeders' Cup and the build up should be one of the easiest sell for the industry. This is a worldwide event and it should be sold as such. Let people know that the world is showing up to take on America. That is a winning point. America versus the world, so when Tom Durkin say Tiznow wins it for America it should resonate deeply. This is us against them. Sell!!

Horse racing is alive and well and those who think the sport is dying are the ones who are still living in that dense fog that doesn't allow them to see beyond their own hands. The sport has turned a corner and headed in other avenues with HRTV and TVG becoming the Mutuel Teller of todays horse racing, but the sport still have plenty of room for growth. The various parts of this sport needs to align themselves together. Too many cooks in the kitchen. We need one commissioner to oversee the on goings of everything. We need commonality throughout the game. One set of rules for all. We need small tracks to have inviting purses like their siblings. Get rid of the step child mentality and function as one. When one dies the entire sport suffers.

The Kentucky Derby is that moment each year that I look forward to. I probably look forward to it more than the Super Bowl and definitely more than the NBA championship, especially when my Knicks are not in contention. I enjoy the prep races leading up to the big dance. Who will make it and who won't. Can a horse get the distance or not? All the jockey juggling. This sport is no longer just for kings and queens and deep pockets. The life blood of the sport are the small people who are just in love with the science. The life blood of the sport are the Kentucky Derby and its appeal and all the side dishes that are offered throughout the year.

In the movie Field Of Dreams, Kevin Costner character was told if you build it they will come. Horse racing has the components in place to be successful. It is a product worth selling but management and direction is a thorn that will let the sport bleed to death if common sense and knowledge doesn't rear its head.

Caymanas Park The Birth Place

Why horse racing? That is a common question  I get when someone finds out how much I love the sport. I grew up walking distance from the race track in St. Catherine, Jamaica. Caymanas Park was the place to be on Wednesdays and Saturdays. My father who owned a race horse named Keep Going was a horse player and I wanted to be just like him. I loved sitting around, listening to the Saturday night conversation about the various races that took place that day. Often the conversation would be about a certain jockey or a trainer who pulled off a shocker. My mother disliked how much I loved the horses. She did everything possible to discourage my love for the sport, but eventually she knew the battle was lost. I wanted to be a horse player.

One of the most dramatic moment happened when I was around ten years old. We all were having breakfast when my dads' groom came on the veranda of our home. The look on father's face told me something wasn't good. That was the first time I had ever heard the word colic. My dad's horse had colic and passed away. My mother said nothing. My siblings and I had no idea what was going on but my father excused himself from the table and went with the groom. Keep Going had won one race with jockey Emilio Rodriquez riding him. Emilio would eventually become my favorite jockey on the island. After the passing of Keep Going I would go in the closet that stored the silks of my father's stable and put it on. The smell. The thought that a jockey had put this on made me dream of riding a horse in a race.  I would crouch over like a jockey and using a long piece of stick, I would ride and pump, reciting a race that had stuck in my head earlier. The game had me in its clutches and wasn't about to let me go.

The jockeys were and still are one of the biggest draw to  Caymanas Park in Jamaica. The jockeys would get nicknames from the locals based on how they ride or because of something that sticks out about them.  Emilio Rodriguez nickname was "Bimbo", then you had Winston "Fanna Griffiths who was the people's champion. Jamaicans loved "Fanna" who got his nickname from how he would use his stick on a horse. He would show the horse the whip and like a fan he would wave it rapidly back and forth, usually getting an extra drive out of his horse. Jockeys like Charles Hussey and George HoSang were regular money players for the fans at the track. We had jockeys who lived in the neighborhood and that added to beauty of the races for me. Jockeys like the Andrades lived a short distance from my home. I remembered when the youngest of the Andrades, Boyd Andrade won his first race. The young apprentice stood up in the saddle when he hit the wire and raised his right hand to the crowd. It was big news on the television that night. His career never lasted long because he outgrew the saddle, and he never got the recognition his brother Alton got who was a skilled rider. Other jockeys who lit up the tote boards and made fans angry and happy all in one day were, Robert "Collie" Reid, Pernel Linton, Carl "Duece" Morgan, Neville Anderson, Fitzroy "Pumpkin" Glispie, David "Scorcher" Mckenzie, Hubert "Chinna" Bartley, and many more that gave me  lasting images  on many cool Saturday nights.  These jockeys and their horses would be a topic of conversation at my house on a Saturday evening after the races. Men would argue how badly a horse was ridden and how they could have done it better. This was all usually washed down with jerk chicken and some Red Stripe Beer.

The biggest moment at the track in Jamaica when I was a child was the running of the Derby. Everyone had their horse. Arguments would break out between  people over who the best horse was. Legal Light was the first dominating horse I ever knew. He won the Jamaican Derby in 1977. What a moment that was. Everyone had him it seemed after the race. His trainer, the legendary Billy Williams, nickname Masters, won the prestigious Jamaica Derby five times. Williams was the first Jamaican to saddle a winner in Puerto Rico during the running of Confraternity Classic in 2006, when his charge Miracle Man who had won the Jamaican Derby in 2005 pulled out the win. Williams passed away in 2009 at the age of 78. Another horse that had me excited as a youth was Harlequin. What a horse. I remembered when he journeyed down to Puerto Rico for the Caribbean classic. My dad and his friends circled around the radio to listen to the race. I was buried in the midst. The race caller had Harlequin in front. The excitement enveloped our three bedroom house. Sadly, Harlequin's stay in front would be short lived. He finished up the track, but the joy of hearing one of our own being called in a race, in a place that was foreign to us was thrilling.

Female trainers made their way around the mostly men dominated track. One woman that stood out when I was a child was the legendary Eileen Cliggott. I remembered her big horse truck vanning her horses on race day to the track. She never won the trainers title, but she was a constant force winning over nine hundred races. The British born trainer retired in 2001, and she died at the age of ninety in 2007.

Over the years Jamaican jockeys made the trip across the ocean and landed in places like Canada and The United States. On the backstretch you can find many working as exercise riders and many who have made a living riding in races. Jockeys like Andrew Ramgeet, who won the Jamaican Derby a few times continue to show off his skills along with Ramon Parish, and Barrington Harvey. Also young apprentice Andre Worrie just moved his skills to New York and Jermaine Bridgmohan is still trying to find a steady fit for his talent. The most notable of Jamaican jockeys are Shaun Bridgmohan and Rajiv Maragh. Both jockeys have competed in the prestigious Kentucky Derby, which is big on the island, and both are consistently on the top money winner list year round. Rajiv Maragh has his derby mount this year with Wicked Strong, and Shaun Bridgmohan is hoping to draw into the body of the race with Commanding Curve. Both horses should  make a good account of themselves if  all goes well. Other Jamaicans who have made a name for themselves are trainers Ralph Ziadie and Colin Maragh. Jockey agent Richard Depass was a former champion jockey in the seventies in Jamaica. He has represented Jorge "Chop Chop"Chavez and Rajiv Maragh.

Horse racing is a story line that lives in my blood stream. It came to me one day when the Jamaican sun baked on asphalt and country dirt. It wrote a story of love and joy in my blood. Horse racing became to me what basketball or football would be for any kid growing up in the United States. When I moved to the states it took a moment for me to find my way around the New York tracks. The loves fest began once again once I regained my footing. The story that birthed itself in Caymanas Park started a rewrite with my new journey. The joy came full circle on a chilly day at Aqueduct when my favorite jockey when I was a kid in Jamaica, Emilio "Bimbo" Rodriquez won. Memories flooded to the backdrop of my mind, bringing back that cool Saturday when going to Caymanas Park was the thing that filled a young Jamaican kid with excitement.

Kevin Krigger...It Was Only A Year Ago

It was only a year ago when Kevin Krigger took his confident personality and displayed masterful riding aboard Goldencents. Krigger a native of the US Virgin Islands came into the Santa Anita Derby confident that his charge would dismantle his rivals. The horse and Krigger did just that, and at the wire a confident but relieved Krigger  placed his head in the horses' mane as he pumped him past the wire. Back at the winners' circle, years of thinking that he belonged came rushing to the surface. He raised his hand in victory like a climber who just conquered the tallest mountain. Swarm of crowds descended in the winners' circle. Kevin hugged everyone in arms length. He was the conversation. He was sitting on the best horse in Southern California. Kevin dreamt of winning the Kentucky Derby when he was a child back home in the Virgin islands, He would sit on the armrest of his parents sofa and pretended he was riding in the derby. The moment was no longer a dream. He had his derby ride and possibly a ticket to being realized as a top jockey. He arrived  in Kentucky and the confidence soared even higher. The horse was doing great and training lovely over the Churchill surface. Doug O'Neil the trainer of the horse had won the previous derby with I''ll Have Another, so experience  in the big dance wouldn't be an issue. Krigger had the victory suit made. His family all came to his side. The sweet melody of his Caribbean accent embraced the microphone, giving the sometimes stuffy derby experience a new face. Social media fell in love with the jockey. Could he be the first black jockey in decades to win this prestigious race. People who had never watched a horse race before came to the sport. They all knew who Goldencents was and the history that awaited him and his jockey.

A downpour washed over the Churchill downs surface and everyone wondered how would Goldencents and others take to the sloppy surface. The plan for Goldencents was just like in the other races. Go to the lead, slow it down, and then let them come get you if they can. I sat and watched the parade of horses. Goldencents looked spectacular. Krigger's was still flashing that smile that had endeared him to so many. My Kentucky home, the final touch before the horses made history, sang beautifully throughout the grandstand. The  crowd was ready. they loaded in the gate. Mark Johnson and his British accent gave the moment a sense of beauty. The starter unleashed the horses and they were off running. Goldencents popped out of the gate with the quickness that all had become accustomed to. He was quickly joined on the front end by Palace Malice who was geared to go on with it. Krigger took back and quickly found himself in fourth and eating dirt. Palace Malice chewed up the front end. I knew it was done. Krigger knew he was done. Palace Malice wouldn't last either but he clearly took Goldencents out of his game. The horse and Krigger crossed the finish line a muddy seventeenth. History had to wait another year. The racing gods were not ready to change this just yet. After the race, both Krigger and trainer Doug O'Neil said the horse didn't care for the surface.  Onto the Preakness, the second jewel in the triple crown glory.

Kevin Krigger decided to travel with the horse to Pimlico. He wanted to be involve in the daily routines of the horse. Was it a bad decision? Well after the running of the Preakness where Goldencents did not fire and finished up the field, Krigger returned home to California to find out that business wasn't as usual. He had just won the Santa Anita Derby two months ago. He rode one of the favorites in the Kentucky Derby, and then to show his dedication to horse and sport, he traveled with the horse to Pimlico. Surely someone had to notice his seriousness for the game. Surely someone will remember how he was a talented rider. They didn't remember. Kevin Krigger wasn't getting booked. He was riding long shots that are usually tucked way for journeymen jockeys whose talents are yet to be recognized or bug boys trying to make a name for themselves. Kevin Krigger hadn't done drugs. He wasn't arrested for domestic abuse, he hadn't done anything detrimental to the game or himself, but the reception was cold. Then the kicker in the mouth was when he was removed from the horse and the ride was given to Rafael Bejarano, who won the Breeders' Cup mile on the horse. Kevin stood around the Southern California circuit until it was time to pack bags and move down to Golden Gate where he had made a name for himself. The commentary on Krigger was that he shouldn't have gone with the horse to Pimlico because he lost his business. I laughed. Everyone with common sense laughed. The horse racing game is a weird but enjoyable business.  The fact that a jockey who made a decision to be with his horse, a horse that he believed would take him to great heights would be shun by many is confounding. I have seen jockeys do some ridiculous things in the game and it was back to business the moment they climbed back in the saddle. The fact that some jockeys can be arrested and go missing for days yet are still rewarded for this behavior is mind blowing. The question every trainer and owner ask themselves is whether or not a jockey can get the job done. Can they make money if this jockey is riding their horse. If that is the fundamental question then Krigger shouldn't have lost his business, but he did, and the remaking of Kevin Krigger is underway.

Last weekend Kevin Krigger's name surfaced at Gulfstream Park. He won. Just like he has done in other places. He is trying to find the dream once again. Chasing the big horse that will propel him into star quality. Kevin Krigger star never dimmed in the Caribbean where jockeys toiled in the hot sun doing what other jockeys everywhere are doing. The first Saturday of May is only a couple of weeks away and the horses will once again shine on the track. Celebrities will pack the Churchill Downs stands. Parties will flow with champagne and dreams will sing happy endings in jockeys' minds. Krigger probably won't be there this year. He will probably be sitting in a jock's room on a equicizer horse  watching the race, and when the voice of Larry Colmus brings them home, Krigger will be on the winner pumping away past the wire like he did on Goldencents a year ago, like he did on his parents' sofa. The Kentucky Dream will never die in Kevin's heart, and when that train is once again ready to take him on the ride he will be better prepared for the journey.

Kentucky Derby Top Twenty...

The major preps are over for those trying to get into the starting gate for the first Saturday in May. There were some major setbacks and surprises last weekend.

1. Constitution: This year's derby field isn't that strong. Apollo's  ghost may die a quick two minute plus death on derby day...the time maybe right

2.Hoppertunity: Mike Smith is committed and I am all in with him. This horse is a beast that may bring back the Real Quiet posse to the winners' circle.

3. Cairo Prince: Yeah boyee..he is in..looking forward to see how he trains...if all goes well it maybe a matter of how far.

4.California Chrome: I am looking for some Dr. Dre tunes to lead him out to the track...He maybe the fastest horse in the field..

5.Intense Holiday: Johnny V replace Mike Smith..that is a wash...he will be charging and knocking them down

6.Wildcat Red: A race horse is a race horse and he is pure  race horse..Ante Up..the pace will be smoking and he may just not stop

7.Wicked Strong: The "Yardman" Maragh got his derby ride...ghosts from the past maybe in the stands witnessing history...get ready for the Marley Trenchtown Rock to flow at Churchill.

8.Social Inclusion: He is here because one can dream.. I want him to run...he is special and this is the occasion for special horses.

9.Medal Count: If he can run on dirt he will be nasty. He is a monster..one week turnaround and almost pulled off the double....Dale Romans will have him ready if he digs the dirt....See Animal Kingdom

10. Samraat: If only the derby was run on the inner track at Aqueduct with freezing weather and all is competitors ran as fast as Uncle Sigh...

11. Dance With Fate: This one made  Kurt Hoover happy...another California horse...you got to give it to the man..he is a die hard Cali fan..even when the ship is sinking..impressive win..fake dirt lover...Don't see  Animal Kingdom

12.Tapiture...Number one fell hard this past weekend..FYI Santana Jr won a bunch for Asmussen on Saturday...FYI Joel Rosario ride on Tapiture was terrible..wide the entire way...FYI he loves Churchill Downs

13.Commanding Curve....I hope he gets in..third off the layoff..will be dead fit...live long shot

14. Ride On Curlin...he proved me wrong...didn't think he would be around..is he better than Tapiture..I think not but he was consistent in his preps

15.General A Rod...He did everything Conquest Titan couldn't do...qualify..a horse that beat him stylishly on a cool Saturday at Churchill...he may get a piece which  is a lot better than those ranked under him

16.Danza...if the "Boss" is really boss then the derby is all about who is running for second money..stop the madness...that was just weird and I don't care what Bravo said...He almost wet his pants after that win..he looked around at the wire and wondered what the hell was that.

17.Vicars In Trouble...He will be in the mix early but will  "back da thing up"..see Juvenile

18.Ring Weekend..No chance...I know its horse racing and anything can happen..No chance..."Murder she Wrote"...see "Chaka Demus and Pliers"

19.Chitu..I got ninety nine problems and the derby is one.......I will wait for the Ohio Derby..are they still running that one?

20. We Miss Artie...Yellow Brick Road..the Eminem version..anything is possible..but this episode  will write an ending from the back of the field. One Love Mr. Ramsey..you love the game..one day.

Horse Racing..Wise Dan And The Breeding Shed

Today in the Arkansas Derby and the Bluegrass Stakes, three years old will try to put their names in the vernacular of horse lovers everywhere. They will attempt to become that horse whose name writes headlines and is synonymous with greatness. In the past few years we have had horses that flashed brilliance only to disappear like a whisper in the middle of the night. They go off to the breeding shed to reap millions and produce offsprings only becoming a footnote of what if. Zenyatta was that rare exception. A horse that stayed long enough in the story lines to produce a worldwide appeal. She took horse racing beyond the hardcore followers and introduced the sport to casual fans who were looking for something to grab on to. She even had Oprah taking notice which spoke to her draw beyond the race tracks of Southern California. Zenyatta would put breeding on hold after losing out horse of the year award to Rachel Alexandra. She came back and campaigned beautiful until her narrow defeat to Blame in the Breeders' Cup classic. In defeat, Zenyatta was even more beloved because of the fearless drive she displayed. Rachel Alexandra was suppose to be that horse that had fans beyond the apron of race tracks shouting, but her love letter to the sport was short lived. She won the oaks in stylish fashion and beat the boys in the Preakness stakes, the second jewel on the triple crown. She came back for her four year old campaign but was never the same horse. Quietly she left us without giving us a proper goodbye and ending to the love story.

Having a horse stay around in the game healthy and happy is an arduous journey for both horse, trainer, and owner. It requires a special animal who is both mentally and physically ready to become special. Wise Dan is that special. The two time horse of the year came to the Makers Mile yesterday at Keeneland and drew a mass of lovers looking to fall in love. He gave them an introduction to his new journey with a convincing win. He toyed with his competitors like they were a ball tossed in his stall for his enjoyment. He displayed power and strength that the really good ones are blessed with. I watched his muscles come alive and he glided over the lawn with such ease. The  lovers stood on the apron dressed in their Sunday best and marveled. He came back to the winners circle as if he went for a stroll in the park. Just an easy morning gallop. He bowed to the masses and let them know this is only beginning. John Velasquez is jockey was in love after the race. His lips dribbled with love producing these words, "he is the best horse I have ever ridden." John Velasquez was in love. He had falling in the story that many on that Friday afternoon had fallen in. Wise Dan is the story today in horse racing. The prospect of what could happen in a potential showdown with him and the  handicap boys on the dirt makes my mouth salivate. Will the story take such a turn? Will we see the muscles and power flexed up against the likes of Palace Malice, Will Take Charge, Mucho Macho Man, and Game  On Dude? Only if we could read ahead of this story and see the outcome. The first chapter to the story was a fitting beginning. One thing for certain is that we don't have to worry about Wise Dan running off to the breeding shed to make babies. He is a gelding and will be around with us for a very long time. Right now the tank is full and it has been been for the past few years. Let us hope the tank remain full and that the story will once again develop into that sweet sunshine that bless the morning shore line, giving lovers everywhere  an opportunity to fall in love. Maybe even Oprah will find his name amongst the headlines and horse racing will once again dance on the tongues of many.

Today's derby preps are filled with newbies trying to become shiny and marketable. They will attempt to make the first step towards becoming the horse that draws followers from everywhere to the sport to embrace their magnificence. Yesterday their big brother showed them how it is suppose to be done.  I hope they watched and put on a show today that will leave lovers gasping for more.

All About The Points In The Arkansas Derby

Who will win the Arkansas Derby? A close look at the field and you will find a competitive race waiting to break out. Bayern the flashy winner at Santa Anita brings his impressive running style to the race. In his last race he broke smoothly and quickly took a strangle hold. His competitors were all left wondering what happened. He glided over the Santa Anita surface like an elegant ice skater. That performance published his name on several derby watchers top ten list. Bayern will be up against it this Saturday. He needs those coveted points to get into the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Outcomes  I envision with Bayern this Saturday are: He will break like he did in his last race and display a California Chrome type behavior that will once again have tongues wax knowledge about how he will win the derby. Another scenario I see for this horse is that he breaks smoothly, but the time off and the competition will be too much, and he will be swallowed up by a tidal wave of seasoned horses. Bayern is a talented son of Offlee Wild with horses like Seattle Slew, Thunder Gulch and Alydar in the backdrop of his pedigree. Will he stay the distance? The pedigree suggest that he will relish the distance, but something about the way this horse moves and his body scope concerns me a bit.

Another horse with a big chance is Strong Mandate. I once was invited to listen to  a motivational speaker. I sat in the audience and the speaker laid out his credentials then proceeded to let his listeners know what they had to do to achieve his status. One thing he said that still stuck with me was that potential will remain potential if you never step up to the plate and make something happen. Strong Mandate is at a crossroad in his three year old journey. He flashed immense talent when he spat mud back at other horses in the Hopeful Stake at Saratoga. That day even Tom Durkin dug into his bag of hyperboles and crowned him something special. I am usually a believer when Durkin's call crowns a horse during the Saratoga meet. The son of Tiznow like Bayern needs derby qualifying points. Wayne Lukas knows what it requires to get a horse ready for the derby. He understands that his peak performance is not needed Saturday but Strong Mandate will have to drop his belly and run. He needs to stay focused. The time is now! Realize the potential and seize the moment or he could be on the outside wondering "What if...?"


Ride on Curlin brings his in the money running to the field. He is a tough, hard horse, that consistently tries, and one must love a horse that tries. Will he get to the wire first? He is good, but his class is not good enough to break these down especially, if the real Strong Mandate stands up, and Bayern shows up ready to run.

Conquest Titan exits a disappointing fourth in the Tampa Bay Derby. He came into the derby season off a strong win at Churchill Downs. His next race in the Holy Bull he chased Cairo Prince, finishing second to that charge. Calvin Borel hops aboard the son of Birdstone. He will settle him behind the pack and will come running at the end. Conquest Titan has the the talent to brind back a nice dividend  on Saturday. Thundergram also is entered from the Mark Casse stable. If he has matured mentally and  ready to fire, then he could potentially steal away a few points from those hoping to cash in.

Commissioner is the pretty boy of the field. He is that pop star that all the young girls are screaming over. His hits include his maiden win and an impressive win over Top Billing who everyone thought was the real deal. Since his allowance win, Commissioner finished off the board in the Fountain Of Youth and placed third behind  horses Chitu and Midnight Hawk who are not high on my derby list. That was a soft Sunland Park Derby field. He came running, and his trainer that boy band manager who knows how to get his boys ready for a big race, will have him ready to fire this Saturday. Commissioner may find his groove this Saturday and Mike Smith may once again flash his hired gun status by doing what I don't think will happen. If Commissioner brings the performance that took down Top Billing, then he may once again have fans lining up for his autograph.

Tapiture is the class of the Arkansas Derby Field. This is the horse with all the gifts and breeding that took an eternity to break his maiden.  He flashed his pearly whites with running a nice second to Strong Mandate at Saratoga. Then he began to become the horse that is overly bet, burning money. Then one day when the stars were aligned and the heavenly host stood on the precipice of greatness, he woke up from his slumber and did it. He won! The Kentucky Jockey Club announced what everyone had thought. The horse is very good. He came back in the Southwest to dominate with a lengthening stride that made one think of possibilities. Tapiture is blessed with a strong combination of power and stamina. He is a brute that will take you down in a horse fight. Will Asmussen have him cranked up for this race? It is a grade one with grade one status and money on the line, so he will be ready to fire. Tapiture will sit right off the pace under the gifted hands of Joel Rosario, and then the beast will be unleashed for the run. In the Rebel he got into a little trouble and couldn't fully get to running. Hoppertunity the horse that beat him that day came back to run lovely in the Santa Anita Derby. Tapiture will destroy this field on Saturday and the only conversation to be had is who will be your Kentucky Derby favorite, Tapiture or California Chrome?

Hunger Season For Jockeys

It is the same jockeys on the good horses this time of year. Trainers and owners are all looking for that edge that will take their horses to the starting gate on the first Saturday of May. One doesn't have to look very far to see this practice. Just take a look  at the Arkansas Derby field and you will find new riders on horses that didn't run bad in their last start. A perfect example of let me get the best on my horse is Tapiture. Trainer Steve Asmussen gave a big break to a young and talented Ricardo Santana Jr last season during the Oaklawn Park meet. The young rider took his chance and showed everyone who looked why he will be one of the best in the game. He won the jockey title and announced his arrival at Churchill Downs and Saratoga. He rode Tapiture in his first six starts and  always tried on the horse. It took four starts for Tapiture to break his maiden, and when he did, he did it in style by winning the Kentucky Juvenile cup at Churchill. The win solidified what everyone had thought and hope with the horse. A horse with immense talent and power. Tapiture took a break from that win in November, and promptly came back to win the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn. The win in the Southwest was so dominating and powerful it had mouths salivating about the possibilities. He came back in the Rebel and was beaten a head by  Hoppertunity, who is a very good horse. There was some contact in the running of the Rebel that may have prevented Tapiture from fully striding out like he did in the Southwest. That lost immediately prompted Asmussen to make a change to  Joel Rosario, who also rode in the Southwest and Rebel. He rode Strong Mandate in both races and couldn't get the horse to the wire in first.

What did Santana do other than haven't ridden in the Kentucky Derby before. The young jock showed his talent and horse IQ all year round, but for potentially the biggest chance of his life he is removed for a jockey who couldn't beat him with Strong Mandate. If one was to look at the entries for this Saturday at Oaklawn you will  see that Santana Jr is named on all of Asmussen other horses. Including horses running in minor stake races but for the big bonanza he is not welcomed. Joel Rosario is one of the best jockeys in the game. He has an ability to get run out of horses that wouldn't normally run for other jockeys. There are some jockeys who are just ahead of the game than others. I have watched countless races over the years and I have seen  terrible rides given on horses. Not all jockeys are cut from the same cloth, but a talent is a talent, and Ricardo Santana Jr is a talent with an upside that will have trainers and owners clamoring for the young star in the future.

Another horse making a jockey switch is Conquest Titan who previously was ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan. Conquest Titan revamped his running style in an allowance race at Churchill downs. Bridgmohan took him back and made one run and the win was dominating. The horse he beat in that race, General A Rod, had  a good showing down at Gulfstream Park this season. Conquest Titan started his season by finishing second to Cairo Prince in the Holy Bull ,which was the strongest prep race of the derby season. From that race, Wicked Strong came back to win the Wood Memorial, Intense Holiday won the Risen Star and finished second in Louisiana Derby. Coup De grace came back and won the Bay Shore at Aqueduct. Conquest Titan then took his running style down to Tampa Bay and finished a disappointing fourth. Everyone was quiet about the horse and his performance after the race and then came the change to Calvin Borel. What did Bridgmohan do wrong to lose the ride on the horse? Unlike Ricardo Santana Jr who is a young pup in jockey years, Bridgmohan has established himself over the years and his credentials speak volumes. He has won numerous jockeys titles and grade ones. Calvin Borel credential is also very stellar and I understand his knack for winning the Kentucky Derby, but we are always looking at horses form as a predictor of how they will compete in races. Calvin Borel's form this season wouldn't allow me to bet on him if the game was about betting on jockeys. Great horses will get a sub par jockey to the wire first. I was watching a race yesterday at Aqueduct and the young jock made a move with her horse turning for home and I thought she had it locked away, but she got nailed at the wire. The more I looked at that race I saw how much run another jockey could've gotten out of that horse. The ride wasn't great, and the jockey who nailed her at the wire was just a good finisher. Maybe in time the young jock will learn to finish what she started.

In the next few weeks jockeys will be bouncing all over the place trying to find the right mount for the derby. Mike Smith has an interesting choice to make and he will probably sit on his decision until the very last minute. Gary Stevens who rode Candy Boy and his piloting Bayern this Saturday will also have a choice. He may not even end up on any of those horses for the derby. The jockey game is a fickle business and there are only so many great horses. Everyone is looking for that great horse to propel them to elite status. Jockeys like Johnny Velasquez, Mike Smith and Gary Stevens no longer have anything to prove. Their elite status was garnered over years by winning grade ones, but someone took a shot with these young jocks. Whether its Mott giving a leg up to Mike Smith when he was strolling around New York tracks, or a horse like DA Hoss putting Johnny Velasquez on the map. All jockeys  need that one person or horse to get them to that place. Rafael Santana Jr will get there. Just watch the kid ride and you will enjoy his talent. Shaun Bridgmohan status was cemented on various  rides over the years. Winning six races  a day multiple times, and doing it as an apprentice. Winning the eclipse award for best young apprentice and last Saturday produced a grade one win on Room Service down at Keeneland.

This is the hunger season for jockeys and horse racing is a game that isn't for the weak of heart if you are a jockey.