El Kabeir was scratched from the Kentucky Derby entry list after 9 o'clock this morning. The grey/roan colt by Scat Daddy has developed a tenderness in one foot - possibly an abscess, or the beginning of a quarter-crack. Since he was scratched after the 9 a.m. deadline, the second alternate entry, Tale of Verve, is not allowed in the gate. According to my information, with the scratch of El Kabeir, the horses in post positions one through six will each shift one space over; therefore, Ocho Ocho Ocho, who has the number one draw, will actually start from gate two and there will be no gap in the seven gate.
My picks for the Kentucky Oaks today really stank. All fourteen of the fillies entered started the race. The betting favorite was still Stellar Wind. I should have changed my picks when four of the eight handicappers on the coverage chose Condo Commando to win... It was thought that if she got to the front quickly, she'd slow the pace down and then pull away in the stretch. She had several other fillies pushing her in that front position, and she ran out of gas. Condo Commando finished ninth. Stellar Wind finished in fourth place.
The winner of the race was Lovely Maria, a pretty bay filly sired by Harlan's Holiday, and with Thunder Gulch breeding on the dam's side. She is trained by Larry Jones, who won his third Oaks today; and is owned by Brereton Jones, the ex-governor of Kentucky. Lovely Maria is the third filly he owns to win the Oaks. The big story connection was the jockey - Kerwin D. "Booboo" Clark. Booboo has been a jockey for 40 years - he began riding at 16, and can't imagine another life. He's one of the little guys who spend their whole life working with, and loving, horses - but he's never made it big-time. At one point, he couldn't get riding jobs in the US or Canada, so he went to the Middle East and rode there for five years. Larry Jones chose Booboo Clark to be Lovely Maria's jockey in her first race. He has been in her saddle for every one of her races. Last month, after 40 years of riding, he won his first Grade I Stakes race - the Ashland Stakes - on Lovely Maria. Today, he won the Kentucky Oaks. He was crying when he crossed the finish line and throughout his first interview. The man is 56 years old, and, after forty years in the saddle, as a professional, he won his second Grade I race. Kerwin Clark is an amazing man. He has grit, determination, and belief in himself. Way to go, Booboo!
So, Lovely Maria won the Oaks and paid $14.60 for a winning $2 bet; Shook Up was in second place, and paid $20.20; I'm a Chatterbox came in third, and paid $5. A $2 exacta ticket paid $296, a $2 trifecta paid $781.40, and a $2 superfecta paid $4,126.60.
The order of finish following the top three was: Stellar Wind in fourth, Birdatthewire in fifth, Angela Renee in sixth, Oceanwave in seventh, Include Betty was eighth, Condo Commando finished ninth, Eskenformoney was tenth, Forever Unbridled was eleventh, Puca finished twelfth, Money'soncharlotte finished thirteenth. Jockey Gary Stevens eased Sarah Sis in the stretch, and she crossed the finish line, but was then pulled up and loaded onto the horse ambulance. Immediately after returning to her barn, she was declared in good condition, but suffering from heat stress and dehydration. Further testing will be done in the morning, to assure that she is well.
We usually see Dr Larry Bramlage representing the veterinarians on call at the Triple Crown races. Dr Bramlage has been replaced this year by Dr Keith Latson, an equine surgeon.
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