*Official Triple Crown Thread*

[ManCalledFoot]

it's foot again!

I almost posted on your fisher cat thread... never seen one, always wanted to!

[nullnor]

did you guys know, that when there is lightning it heats up the air so much around it that it causes the air to rush away so fast...breaking the speed of sound and causing thunder?

i think that's pretty cool. thunder is a result of the sound barrier being broken.

[nullnor]

shocking is what happens in that video at the 38 minute mark. this is when you learn that horses are more than just pack animals.

[johnnya24]

shocking is what happens in that video at the 38 minute mark. this is when you learn that horses are more than just pack animals.

Looked interesting, but was blocked for me.

[revo]

Here's the draw, with morning line odds and the jockey:

1.Daddy Long Legs, Colm O’Donoghue, 30-1
2.Optimizer, Jon Court, 50-1
3.Take Charge Indy, Calvin Borel, 15-1
4.Union Rags, Julien Leparoux, 9-2
5.Dullahan, Kent Desormeaux, 8-1
6.Bodemeister, Mike Smith, 4-1
7.Rousing Sermon, Jose Lezcano, 50-1
8.Creative Cause, Joel Rosario, 12-1
9.Trinniberg, Willie Martinez, 50-1
10.Daddy*Nose Best, Garrett Gomez, 15-1
11.Alpha, Rajiv Maragh, 15-1
12.Prospective, Luis Contreras, 30-1
13.Went the Day Well, John Velazquez, 20-1
14.Hansen, Ramon Dominguez, 10-1
15.Gemologist, Javier Castellano, 6-1
16.El Padrino, Rafael Bejarano, 20-1
17.Done Talking, Sheldon Russell, 50-1
18.Sabercat, Corey Nakatani, 30-1
19.I’ll Have Another, Martin Gutierrez, 12-1
20.Liaison, Martin Garcia, 50-1


Bodemeister opens as the 4-1 fave, while Creative Cause (12-1) and 2-year old champ Hansen (10-1) appear to be solid plays.

[johnnya24]

Looks like the bookmakers win with that card.

[revo]

Hansen is now being sponsored by Microsoft.....

Microsoft’s Windows Phone will sponsor the juvenile champion Hansen in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 5 at Churchill Downs. The Windows phone logo will be displayed on jockey Ramon Dominguez’ pants.
Dr. Kendall Hansen announced the sponsorship deal May 3.

[revo]

Derby Notes

- favored Bodemeister will try to snap a 130-year trend of unraced 2-year olds triumphing in the Derby
- but he's favored due to a 9 1/2 length romp in the Arkansas Derby
- Union Rags was the winter book favorite for the Derby, but finished third in the Florida Derby.
- he's also trained by Michael Matz, who won the Derby 6 years ago with undefeated Barbaro
- the only undefeated horse in this year's Derby is 6-1 Gemologist
- he beat fellow Derby entrant Alpha by a neck in the Wood Memorial
- Dullahan is the only 2-time Grade I winner in the race
- Hansen will look to become only the 2nd winner of the Breeders Cup Juvenile stakes to win the Derby. Only Street Sense, the 2006 winner, took the Derby in the 28 year history of the race
- the top five finishers of the BC Juvenile are all in the Derby
- Creative Cause has finished in the money in all 8 of his career starts
- Steve Asmussen, routinely Churchill Downs' leading trainer, has two entrants with Daddy Nose Best and Sabercat
- Calvin BoRail rides Take Charge Indy, the upset winner of the Florida Derby
- Daddy Long legs won the UAE Derby in Dubai and is the only European in the race
- 76-year old D. Wayne Lukas will try for his 5th Derby win with Optimizer
- Trinniberg is the likely pacesetter but has never gone two turns before

[Steve]

Hansen is now being sponsored by Microsoft.....

Microsoft’s Windows Phone will sponsor the juvenile champion Hansen in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 5 at Churchill Downs. The Windows phone logo will be displayed on jockey Ramon Dominguez’ pants.
Dr. Kendall Hansen announced the sponsorship deal May 3.

One of my favorite profs from college was named Hansen. Think I'll put $2 on Hansen.

[ManCalledFoot]

I can't get past Gemologist being a perfect 5-for-5, including the Wood Memorial. At 6-1, that's where my money's going. Pair him up with Calvin and Take Charge Indy, and throw a tenspot on the 'S' horse Sabercat in honor of my Dad.

Now where the hell do I bet, Revo? What with OTB shut down and all... wait, Yonkers Raceway/Empire Casino should be good, right?

[revo]

I can't get past Gemologist being a perfect 5-for-5, including the Wood Memorial. At 6-1, that's where my money's going. Pair him up with Calvin and Take Charge Indy, and throw a tenspot on the 'S' horse Sabercat in honor of my Dad.

Now where the hell do I bet, Revo? What with OTB shut down and all... wait, Yonkers Raceway/Empire Casino should be good, right?

Ya, that's a problem nowadays Foot. You can go to the Meadowlands, I guess. They're building a huge OTB facility near me, but it's not open yet.

I used to go to Staten Island to place my bets, but this will now be the 2nd Derby I'll miss. Probably a good thing, since I haven't picked a winner since Sea Hero in 1993!

[ManCalledFoot]

Ya, that's a problem nowadays Foot. You can go to the Meadowlands, I guess. They're building a huge OTB facility near me, but it's not open yet.

I used to go to Staten Island to place my bets, but this will now be the 2nd Derby I'll miss. Probably a good thing, since I haven't picked a winner since Sea Hero in 1993!

We had a sleazy OTB on 48th between 5th and 6th, right across from the Today Show plaza. I always placed my triple crown bets there, but it closed last year (much to the chagrin of our horse racing guys). I'm right up the road from Yonkers Raceway; I looked it up, they're more than willing to take my money.

Only problem is my daughter's softball game is at 6, fer crissakes.

[Pogues]

I'm going with Take Charge Indy in this race. But since Grindstone was the only horse I've ever successfully picked right, I'll probably be wrong again. Ironically, the '96 race he won was the only one I had an opportunity to go to, being that I was stationed at Fort Knox at the time.

[Judge Jude]

Meadowlands still takes Derby bets at old grandstand. Ladies Hat Day there tomorrow, if that matters, with prizes.

New place, at the current backstretch, opens in 2014.

[revo]

We had a sleazy OTB on 48th between 5th and 6th, right across from the Today Show plaza. I always placed my triple crown bets there, but it closed last year (much to the chagrin of our horse racing guys). I'm right up the road from Yonkers Raceway; I looked it up, they're more than willing to take my money.

Only problem is my daughter's softball game is at 6, fer crissakes.

My wife works down the street, on 48th b/w 5th & Madison -- I'd occasionally place some bets there. Agreed, very sleazy. What's there now?

I remember back in college (I got into horse racing when I was 14), my dorm had its annual picnic that weekend every year. I'd make sure to bring a radio (the internets was still a few years away) and in 1990, my roomie and I had the fortune to use my selection of Unbridled to bet our last $50 combined and won about $300. Lots of Piels was had by all after that victory.