Kentucky Derby 138

Looks like there will be a full field of 20 racing on a fast track; the latest weather forecast calls for no more than a 20 percent chance of rain on any of the four days leading up to race day.

If you're the kind of person who can't get enough Kentucky Derby, then satellite radio will be your best friend on Saturday. Sirrius has seven hours of pre-race programming.

Good luck to one and all.

 

For me the question is who to pair with Gemologist for an exacta bet.

 

I like Bodemeister. That's all I've got right now, though I'm about to scour the internet to find the field with all their pertinent info to send to my brother. So that will help.

 

Bodemeister, Take Charge Indy and Hansen are the other three I'm considering. I'll wait to see how the draw plays out tomorrow.

 

From the Daily Racing Form:

http://www.drf.com/events/kentucky-derby-top-20-churchill-downs

 

Moddy, you're right. Every year, I cringe as they head down the first stretch as I anticipate a 10-horse pileup. On the most-watched race of the year, that would decimate the racing industry.

I'm wheeling Bodemeister with a few. I just think he's at least a length better than the rest. But if he's in PP 18, I might change my mind.

 

I'm in the 20-is-too-many camp, too. I'd be happy with 12 or 13.

 

You might want to read this if you think the racing industry is not already decimated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/us/death-and-disarray-at-americas-racetracks.html?ref=sports

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/24/us/for-horse-and-jockey-risks-vary.html

 

Who said I didn't? Horse racing has been in a slow spiral for years.

Horses and jocks getting hurt and dying isn't anything new. But a 10-horse heap on national TV would be. (And that graphic in the second link should note which tracks run thoroughbreds and which run quarter horses.)

 

As long as there's an honest pace to stretch the field out, the 20 really isn't that big of an issue.

When there's no early field extension (see: 1999, among others), it gets interesting, but it hasn't been an issue, since.

 

True it is nothing new and you would think Barbaro's accident and death would have cleaned up the industry (that brought more attention to horse racing than anything in recent memory). It seems to be getting worse, unfortunately, and I love horse racing.