Kentucky Derby Entries' Bloodlines

Please see yesterday's blog for the morning-line betting odds for the entries.  Following will be the colts in their post positions, with their sires listed, followed by the maternal sires.  
   But, first - Again, the race is on the main dirt track at Churchill Downs, and covers the distance of 10 furlongs, or 1 and 1/4 miles.  Only colts are entered this year, so each entry will carry 126 pounds.    Of the 20 regular entries (plus the two alternates, in case of a scratch), all were born in Kentucky, except for # 2 Thunder Snow, born in Ireland; # 3 Fast and Accurate, born in Pennsylvania; # 6 State of Honor, born in Ontario, Canada; and # 17 Irish War Cry, born in New Jersey.  If you bet by coat colors, all of the colts are bay, brown, or dark bay, except for two gray/roans (# 3 Fast and Accurate, and # 16 Tapwrit) and three chestnuts (# 8 Hence, # 10 Gunnevera, and # 17 Irish War Cry).
  Here's the field, with sires and broodmare sires:
1     Lookin At Lee          Lookin At Lucky          Langfuhr
2     Thunder Snow          Helmet                           Dubai Destination
3     Fast and Accurate     Hansen                          Green Dancer
4     Untrapped                 Trappe Shot                  Giant's Causeway
5     Always Dreaming    Bodemeister                  In Excess
6     State of Honor          To Honor and Serve     Elusive Quality
7     Girvin                       Tale of Ekati                 Malibu Moon
8     Hence                        Street Boss                   A. P. Indy
9     Irap                            Tiznow                         Storm Cat
10   Gunnevera                 Dialed In                     Unbridled
11   Battle of Midway       Smart Strike               Concerto
12   Sonneteer                   Midnight Lute             Half Ours
13   J Boys Echo              Mineshaft                     Menifee
14   Classic Empire          Pioneer of the Nile      Cat Thief
15   McCraken                 Ghostzapper                 Seeking the Gold
16   Tapwrit                      Tapit                             Successful Appeal
17   Irish War Cry             Curlin                          Polish Numbers
18   Gormley                    Malibu Moon               Bernstein
19   Practical Joke            Into Mischief                Distorted Humor
20   Patch                         Union Rags                   A. P. Indy
AE1  Royal Mo                Uncle Mo                      Saint Ballado
AE2  Master Plan             Twirling Candy           Henny Hughes

Tomorrow - Jockeys and trainers...

Belmont Horses

So ten colts and one ridgling will be running in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.  Every horse is a bay, except California Chrome; Commanding Curve is the ridgling.  Samraat was bred in New York state, California Chrome in California, and the other nine are Kentucky-bred.  All of the entrants are related to *Forli (my favorite thoroughbred, along with Man o'War) - eight have *Forli in both the sire and dam's pedigrees, Matterhorn has *Forli blood in his sire's pedigree, and Commanding Curve and Commissioner have *Forli blood in the dam's pedigree.
  Both Ride On Curlin and General a Rod have run in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, along with California Chrome.  Ride On Curlin finished 7th in the Derby and in second place in the Preakness.  General a Rod was in 11th place in the Derby and 4th in the Preakness.  Four of the colts ran in the Derby: Commanding Curve ran in second place; Wicked Strong ran 4th in the Derby; Samraat was fifth;and Medal Count ran 8th.
  Four new colts are joining in the last race of the Triple Crown - Commissioner, Matterhorn, Matuszak, and Tonalist.   Matterhorn and Tonalist were sired by Tapit, a grandson of A. P. Indy; Matterhorn's dam was Winter Garden, by Roy (by Fappiano); Tonalist is out of Settling Mist by Pleasant Colony, and she is out of the Topsider mare Toll Fee.  Matuszak is by Bernardini, a son of A. P. Indy; and out of the Mr. Prospector mare Golden Sonata.  None of A. P. Indy's sons have ever won a Belmont Stakes - the stallion was pensioned in 2011, so Commissioner is his last chance to win this leg of the Triple Crown.  Commissioner is out of Flaming Heart, by Touch Gold, by Deputy Minister.
  Five of the eleven horses racing are not related to A. P. Indy - they are Medal Count, Ride On Curlin, Samraat, Wicked Strong and General a Rod.  Commissioner is the son of A. P. Indy; Matuszak and Commanding Curve are grandsons of A. P. Indy; and California Chrome, Matterhorn and Tonalist are great-grandsons of A. P. Indy.
   I would love to see another Triple Crown champion in my lifetime.  I've seen Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed all win the Triple Crown... a 35 year "dry spell" has since occurred - will we see a new champion crowned on Saturday?  It's up to the horses, the jockeys, the track, ad, most especially, racing luck.  I'll hope and I'll cheer for California Chrome - but there are ten other contenders in this one and a-half-mile race worth $1.5 million.
   My biggest hope is for a clean race, with no injuries.