A look at the field for the 145th Kentucky Derby:
CHURCHILL DOWNS
145th Kentucky Derby (1 1/4 Miles) Purse $3 Million, 12th Race; Post Time: 6:50 p.m. (NBC, Sirius-XM Ch. 82)
Post-Odds; Starts W-P-S; Best Beyer; Earnings; CD Stats
1. (15-1) WAR OF WILL (8-3-1-1) 94; $501,569; CD: 1-1-0-0
Mark Casse/Tyler Gaffalione
Working bullets in Kentucky and broke his maiden in the Churchill slop five months ago. Sent off at odds-on to win the Louisiana Derby and finished ninth after an awkward start. The last horse to win from the one post was Ferdinand in 1986. “The one post I didn’t want is the one I got,” said Casse.
2. (20-1) TAX (5-2-2-1) 96; $326,300; CD: 1-0-1-0
Danny Gargan/Junior Alvarado
Runner-up in the Wood Memorial on 4/6, this colt and Country House are the only two horses to have run back-to-back races at a mile-and-an-eighth. “He’s a great gate horse,” says Alvarado. “When you go to a 20 horse field, having a horse who can break out of there and get you to a good position helps.”
3. (15-1) BY MY STANDARDS (5-2-2-1) 97 $653,710 CD: 1-0-1-0
Bret Calhoun/Gabriel Saez
Shocked the railbirds by winning the Louisiana Derby at 22-1, in what was then the best Beyer of the year. Calhoun notched his 3000th career win in February. “Quite frankly, horses can either get a mile-and- quarter-mile or not,” said Calhoun. Jockey was riding Eight Bells in the 2008 Ky. Derby. Filly broke down after finishing second and was euthanized.
4. (50-1) GRAY MAGICIAN (8-1-3-2) 80; $584,140; CD: 0-0-0-0
Peter Miller/Drayden Van Dyke
Only win in eight starts was when he broke his maiden off a layoff at Del Mar in November. Low Beyers portend also ran status. Miller saddles second Derby contender and first since Comma to the Top ran 19th in 2011.
5. (5-1) IMPROBABLE (5-3-2-0) 99; $619,520; CD: 1-1-0-0
Bob Baffert/Irad Ortiz Jr.
The Beyers keep going up up and up. Restless in the gate for the Arkansas Derby, had to be backed out and reloaded but raced well and placed second behind Omaha Beach. Blinkers off, probably to avoid a third straight runner-up finish.
6. (15-1) VEKOMA (4-3-0-1) 94; $788,850; CD: 0-0-0-0
George Weaver/Javier Castellano
Had a dream trip in the Blue Grass, unbothered from the start and pulled away to beat a 14 horse field by 3 1/2 lengths as the 7/5 favorite. Trainer George Weaver told the DRF’s Mike Welsh he has doubts Vekoma can get the distance, “But I said that about a mile-and-one-eighth before the Blue Grass and he went out and won with authority,” said Weaver.
Castellano has one third place finish from a dozen Derby mounts.
7. (10-1) MAXIMUM SECURITY (4-4-0-0) 101; $649,400; CD: 0-0-0-0
Jason Servis/Luis Saez
The only undefeated horse in the field also has the only back-to-back triple digit Beyer speed figures. Jockey Luis Saez hustled him out of the gate and onto the rail in the Florida Derby for a three-and-a-half length win. “Luis walked the dog,” said Servis. “He backed them up.”
8. (8-1) TACITUS (4-3-0-0) 97; $653,000; CD: 0-0-0-0
William Mott/Jose Ortiz
Bred to run long, Wood Memorial winner was bumped, clipped and rank yet prevailed as the 5-2 favorite. The bad news is that of the last 34 horses to exit the Wood Memorial and advance to the Kentucky Derby, none have finished in the top three. Owner Juddmonte Farms has never won a Kentucky Derby.
9. (30-1) PLUS QUE PARFAIT (7-2-1-2); 84; $1,590,400; CD: 2-0-1-1
Brendan Walsh/Ricardo Santana Jr.
Struck it rich winning the United Arab Emirates Derby in March, but that prep has never produced a top three Kentucky Derby finisher. “I’ve been all over the world and nothing beats this,” said Walsh. “To have a horse here, it’s an honor.” Horse’s name is French for “more than perfect.”
10. (30-1) CUTTING HUMOR (6-2-2-1); 95; $516,967 CD 0-0-0-0
Todd Pletcher/Corey Lanerie
Set a track record winning the Sunland Park Derby under JR Velazquez, who opted to ride Code of Honor. Purchased at the Fasig-Tipton sale in Saratoga for $400,000, this son of First Samurai has three bullet workouts prepping for today’s race. Jockey Corey Lanerie was second with longshot Lookin at Lee two years ago; 15th on Promises Fulfilled last year.
11. (30-1) HAIKAL (5-3-1-1); 95; $373,900; CD: 0-0-0-0
Kiaran McLaughlin/Rajiv Maragh
When running longer races, horses need to adjust to going around two turns. Haikal’s only two-turn race was the mile-and-an-eighth Wood Memorial and he finished third with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. All five of his starts have been at Aqueduct, one of two in the field to have raced at only one track.
12. (4-1) OMAHA BEACH (7-3-3-1); 101; $1,121,800; CD: 0-0-0-0
Richard Mandella/Mike Smith
SCRATCHED
13. (15-1) CODE OF HONOR (5-2-1-1); 95; $478,820; CD: 0-0-0-0
Claude “Shug” McGaughey/JR Velazquez
Owned by William S. Farish, former ambassador to Great Britain, Code of Honor was bumped at the start of the Florida Derby and finished third at 4/1 odds.
14. (15-1) WIN WIN WIN (6-3-2-1); 99; $367,300; CD: 0-0-0-0
Michael Trombetta/Julian Pimental
Blocked midpack on the far turn in the Blue Grass, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. stood in the irons and maneuvered his colt around six horses and up for second. Ortiz has opted to ride Improbable, giving journeyman jockey Julian Pimental his two minutes of fame. Pimental was aboard Win Win Win when he romped in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and broke the track record.
15. (50-1) MASTER FENCER (Jpn) (6-2-2-0) n/a; $234,392; CD: 0-0-0-0
Koichi Tsunoda/Julien Leparoux
Runner-up in the Fukuryu Stakes got the invite after the winner declined Churchill Downs’ invitation. It was a 6,000-mile trip for a mile-and-a-quarter race, but just being there will be enough for owner Katsumi Yoshizawa to scratch one off his bucket list. Leparoux was off-the-board in all ten prior Derby rides.
16. (5-1) GAME WINNER (6-4-2-0) 97; $1,846,000; CD: 1-1-0-0
Bob Baffert/Joel Rosario
Typical Bob Baffert running machine, with four straight wins as a 2-year-old capped by his half-length win at odds-on in the B.C. Juvenile at Churchill Downs. After a four-and-a-half month layoff, Baffert entered him in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn where he was beaten a nose again at odds-on.
17. (6-1) ROADSTER (4-3-0-1) 98; $706,200; CD: 0-0-0-0
Bob Baffert/Florent Geroux
Last July a TMZ reporter jokingly asked Baffert which of his colts would win the ’19 Run for the Roses. “Roadster,” he answered, referring to this $525K yearling purchase. A breathing problem required surgery and the resulting layoff has left him with just four races to prep for the Run for the Roses. Roadster would be the first horse to win from the 17 post.
18. (30-1) LONG RANGE TODDY (8-4-1-1); 95; $854,459; CD: 0-0-0-0
Steve Asmussen/Jon Court
After rallying to win the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn at $8.40-to-$1 odds, Asmussen entered him in the Arkansas Derby where he finished sixth by a well beaten 14 lengths. It was his only start in the mud. Fifty-eight year-old Jon Court becomes the oldest jockey to ride in a Kentucky Derby.
19. (30-1) SPINOFF (4-2-1-1); 95; $260,000; CD: 0-0-0-0
Todd Pletcher/Manny Franco
Has the lowest earnings of all but the Japanese entry, but his speed figures (60-75-84-95) are on the uptick. Chestnut colt’s runner-up finish in the La. Derby garnered him enough points to qualify.
20. (30-1) COUNTRY HOUSE (6-1-2-1); 91; $260,175; CD: 0-0-0-0
Bill Mott/Flavien Prat
Only win was his maiden-breaker at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 17. Chart writer’s comments suggest he breaks slowly and lacks finishing kick. Big Brown is the only horse to have won from Post 20; sixteen have tried. Prat becomes colt’s fifth different rider. None of Mott’s previous eight Derby horses hit the board.
21. (30-1) BODEXPRESS (5-M-3-0); 96; $208,700; CD: 0-0-0-0
Gustavo Delgado/Chris Landeros
Despite maiden status Bodexpress garnered enough qualification points by finishing second in the Florida Derby at 71-1 odds. The last maiden to win the Kentucky Derby was Brokers Tip in 1933, and since then 11 horses have tried and failed.
Sources: Daily Racing Form, Equibase, Kentucky Derby Media Guide, AmericasBestRacing.net, brisnet.com, BloodHorse, Baltimore Sun
RECORDER PICKS
Chip Ainsworth: Vekoma
Jason Butynski: Code of Honor
Jeff Lajoie: Improbable
John Dobrydnio: Tacitus
Mark Durant: Game Winner
Dave Gonzalez: Code of Honor
Sources: Horseracingnation, Americasbestracing, Equibase, Kentucky Derby Media Guide, Paulick Report, Louisville Courier-Journal, Daily Racing Form