By JENNIFER THIBODEAUX BOURQUE AND MICHAEL – LOUIS INGRAM
BASN NEWSROOM
LAFAYETTE, LA and PHILADELPHIA PA (www.basnnewsroom.com) As the spectre of COVID -19 looms over sports, the effort to regain normalcy landed in two unlikely areas.
The National Hockey League turned its post – season into an old school round-robin tournament. To the delight of many, the response went beyond sports starvation and extra eyeballs, creating new fans and re-energizing old ones.
Months earlier, thoroughbred racing came out of the shadows, offering the only action for anyone as jockeys, trainers and hosses would be at work as they attempted to light up the tote board. With their ability to set the table for gaming action, they labored while America squirmed…
Which brings us The 146th Edition of The Kentucky Derby, deviating slightly from its normal spot during the first Saturday in May. Sixteen three – and – a half year olds will to post; which my sister Jeni jumped on – as a good thing.
“You see there are subtle differences now,” opined Jeni. These hosses have been around a little longer. They’re pros – they know what to do in and out of the gate. They’ve also got a l’il more meat on their bones as well; healthier, sturdier – less likely a tragedy will occur on the track.
“Shit, they’re almost four – and Triple Crown races at four would make a lot more sense for all the above reasons, especially considering the fact a hosses’ stud value won’t deviate because he’ll be making babies after age four.”
So because of these and other factors, the Triple Crown gets to steal some prolonged spotlight.
SWITCH IT UP!
The races (and order of) were thrown into a new configuration: The Belmont Stakes, the longest and latest, would be moved up to the leadoff spot. In a race which looked like a commercial for Tapit’s pedigree, Tiz The Law (with Manuel Franco up) romped to a texbook win after stalking behind the leaders.
With the shortened distance from one and half miles to a mile and an eighth, the dreaded Belmont backstretch never became a factor as Franco and Tiz the Law greeted summer with a win for local trainer Barclay Tagg, whose hoss, Funny Cide, missed his Triple Crown moment in 2003…
Tiz The Law would also be the first New York bred Hoss to win a Triple Crown race in eons…
NO SUMMERTIME BLUES
The shifting of the Triple Crown took everyone to Saratoga, where the best of the best settle business in the summer on the East Coast (no disrespect, Del Mar). The Travers is the marquee event at the summer meet – a race where many Triple Crown competitors come to apply their skills.
Tiz the Law did not disappoint as he stalked and and slayed the field!
Which now brings us to Churchill Downs and today’s race. The nagging that come with this event are the residual and apparent lack of effort in arresting the police officers who murdered Breonna Taylor in her Louisville home weeks ago. There will likely be a protest, according to recent reports.
Also included in this are the remnants of how the race became an event. Sadly, we are way past jockey Oliver Lewis and Aristides, first hoss to win the Derby, Lewis being among the 15 Black jockeys aboard for the race. While the race has been honored, the jockeys have not.
With a field of 16, Churchill Downs will not make it easy. Let’s take a peek at the field:
Kentucky Derby post positions and odds
- Finnick The Fierce (50-1)
- Max Player (30-1)
- Enforceable (30-1)
- Storm The Court (50-1)
- Major Fed (50-1)
- King Guillermo (20-1)
- Money Moves (30-1)
- South Bend (50-1)
- Mr. Big News (50-1)
- Thousand Words (15-1)
- Necker Island (50-1)
- Sole Volante (30-1)
- Attachment Rate (50-1)
- Winning Impression (50-1)
- NY Traffic (20-1)
- Honor A.P. (5-1)
- Tiz The Law (3-5)
- Authentic (8-1)
Finnick The Fierce and King Guillermo are late scratches, so 16 will come to post…
THE PLAY:
With Tiz The Law wayyyyyy on the outside, he will have work to do early; clear the field and sit in the three or four path once into the flow of the race; no hosss has ever won the Derby from gate #17 – Big Brown and Kent Desormeaux won from post #20, so don’t sweat it.
Honor A.P. (#16) has the pedigree to run all day (AP Indy) and will also be looking to stalk. Were this a sprint, the inside posts would be ideal, but anything over a mile at this track moves the “sweet spot” post – wise to spots 5 through 9. The #10 hoss (Thousand Words) has been a consistent runner and could shake out a minor pot…
We know, however, that it’s all about the trip; and the one closer I think has a legitimate shot has the same daddy as the favorite. Enforceable (#3) is also by Tapit and will save ground to allow for a closing bid if he can avoid traffic.
We will play one trifecta box and one superfecta box:
We’ll take Tiz The Law (#17) Authentic (#18) Enforceable (#3) Thousand Words (#10) and NY Traffic (#15) in a trifecta box = $30.00
We’ll take a $1 superfecta wheel with 3, 17, 18, 3, 17, 18, 3, 17, 18, with #10, #11, #13, #15, #16 = $60.00
So when you see your Hoss steamin’ down the rail, get up and scream at the top of your lungs:
WORK THAT NOBLE BEAST!!!
always out numbered…never outgunned.
Copyright (c) 2020 Michael – Louis Ingram/JT Bourque – all rights reserved.
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