KENTUCKY DERBY 2024 With the eternally rubbish weather in Britain this year, I've been paying more attention to US racing lately, especially with the advent of the excellent Racing App with all the race replays for free. So why not have a look at the Derby... ====================== The 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve Grade 1, US$5,000,000, for three-year-olds. One mile and a quarter (~2000m). Sat 1857 local time, 2357 BST, Sun 0857 AEST 1. Dornoch - Trainer Danny Gargan, Jockey Luis Saez. Brother to the winner of last year's race, Mage. Often leads so the inside gate should be an asset, however none of these horses have raced in a 20-runner field before. So there'll be a lot more pressure from the gates, missing the kick by half-a-length isn't an issue in a small field, it can be a curse from the inside rail in the Derby. Had run only first or second in his first five starts before being blown away by Sierra Leone in the G1 Blue Grass. 20/1 in the M
Well done if you've lasted this long. A couple of decent results yesterday could have been a lot better if I was simply boxing my selections in trifectas. The tide might be turning... Anyhow onto the preview! TRIUMPH HURDLE Bunting - one of the seven runners for Willie Mullins. Won a maiden then ran fourth in a Mullins 1-2-3-4 in the Dublin Racing Festival G1 Juvenile Hurdle, which was where he ranked from the stable (and all of those run here). Can't see any reason to promote him. Ethical Diamond - was further behind the aforementioned quartet at Leopardstown and 50/1 that day. It's only "trained by W.Mullins" preventing him from being that price here. Highwind - beat Boodles winner Lark In the Mornin in January, but blotted his copybook in the G1 Juvenile Hurdle, running eighth and last of the six Mullins runners, with a few mistakes thrown in. Not reliable enough to put any faith in. Ithacas Arrow - 33L behind Sir Gino at Kempton over Xmas, won a C3 hurdle