A Scratch at the Kentucky Derby

Just hours before the horses run in the 135th edition of the Kentucky Derby, early favorite I Want Revenge has been scratched.

So — per my earlier post — my new pick, based mostly on speed figures, is Dunkirk.

It does not appear that I Want Revenge has sustained a serious injury, but apparently there was some concern on the part of his trainer that the weather and the track surface could combine to make things worse.

"We just thought that in the best interests of the horse, we're not going to run," trainer Jeff Mullins told Newsday.

The absence of I Want Revenge shouldn't change Rob Longley's Derby picks in the Edmonton Sun.

Longley wrote that I Want Revenge "[o]vercame all kinds of trouble in his last race and still won. A contender for sure but figures to be overbet." Not anymore. Perhaps in the Preakness two weeks from now.

Longley's choice to win the race? Desert Party, a 15–1 shot whose speed figures haven't impressed me. I wonder if Longley is reacting to the recent trend of Derby winners coming from outside post positions, including Big Brown last year from the Post 20 position. Desert Party has the Post 19 position in this year's race. "Outside post won't hurt as it will allow him to get position to effectively use his tactical speed," Longley writes.

His second pick is Friesan Fire ("He is bred for the distance, worked spectacularly over the track here and was brilliant in winning the Louisiana Derby."), his third choice is Dunkirk ("He will be great one day, but perhaps not yet.") and his fourth selection is 30–1 shot Regal Ransom ("Should be a factor on the front end but if the pace is too hot he could be cooked by the time the field hits mid–stretch.")

Someday, I would like to go to the Kentucky Derby. The weather seems about right today — upper 50s, slight chance of isolated showers.

I'm not a devoted horse racing fan, but I do take issue with Jaime Samuelson's blog post in the Detroit Free–Press contending that the Kentucky Derby's claim to be the "most exciting two minutes in sports" is overrated.

And I agree with one of his readers, who commented that Samuelson apparently has never been to the backstretch of any race track — and offered to take him. "It will change your view on the sport," the reader wrote.

I agree with that because I was a casual observer myself when I started working on the sports copy desk of the Arkansas Gazette, but I got to know the horse racing writer and visited Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs on many occasions.

There really is nothing like it. Thoroughbred horses are majestic creatures to watch. When you watch these noble beasts get into position and then burst into the race, you understand why horse racing is considered the sport of kings.

And racing reminds me, in a way, of something a hockey fan once told me. He said that seeing a hockey game in person was entirely different from seeing it on TV. Horse racing is like that. The TV experience cannot compare with watching a race from the rail of a track. The atmosphere is unique.

If you're lucky enough to be in Kentucky this afternoon, I hope you enjoy the experience.