The Preakness Stakes 2019 - The 144th Black-Eyed Susans

On Saturday, 18 May, the 144th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown races will once again be run at Pimlico Race Course, Old Hilltop, outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  This year, the Race for the Black-Eyed Susans has a post time of 6:48 EDT, and a field of 13 colts will race for a guaranteed purse of $1,650,000.00.  The race is 1 and 3/16 miles long (9.5 furlongs), and all entries will be carrying 126 pounds.  The race record was set in 1973 by Secretariat, who won the distance in 1:53 flat.
   After the Kentucky Derby controversy, Maximum Security is not running in the other Triple Crown races.  Country House, who was declared the winner, is being treated for virus and will also miss both races.  War of Will, who was shown to have run up into Maximum Security, kicking and cutting his hind legs for five strides - and finally placing a knee in the leader's testicles, causing him to run out - will be there. (See my blog from May 11, and look at the video embedded in the news story.)
   So twelve colts and one gelding are entered to run in the Preakness.  Ten were bred in Kentucky, Win Win Win and Warrior's Charge were bred in Florida, and Alwaysmining was bred in Maryland. Alwaysmining is the only gelding entered.  Eleven of the horses are bays or dark bay-browns, and there are two chestnuts - Improbable and Laughing Fox.  The thirteen entries represent twelve stallions - two are sons of Into Mischief.  And four of the colts ran in the Kentucky Derby - Improbable, who finished 4th; War of Will, who finished 7th; Win Win Win, who finished 9th; and Bodexpress, who finished 13th.*  All of the horses in the Kentucky Derby actually finished one place farther back than listed, since Maximum Security, who was the horse that was actually fouled, was moved back to 17th place. *
   Listed below are the post positions drawn by the entrants; the entry's name; the morning line betting odds;  (1) the sire; (2) the trainer; and (3) the jockey:
  1.   War of Will          4 to 1     (1) War Front     (2) Mark Casse     (3) Tyler Gaffalione
  2.   Bourbon War      12 to 1    (1) Tapit            (2) Mark Hennig   (3) Irad Ortiz Jr
  3.   Warrior's Charge   12 to 1    (1)Munnings    (2) Brad Cox      (3) Javiar Castellano
  4.   Improbable           5 to 2     (1) City Zip       (2) Bob Baffert     (3) Mike Smith
  5.   Owendale            10 to 1     (1) Into Mischief   (2) Brad Cox    (3) Florent Geroux
  6.   Market King       30 to 1     (1) Into Mischief   (2) D Wayne Lukas   (3) Jon Court
  7.   Alwaysmining      8 to 1      (1) Stay Thirsty  (2) Kelly Rubley   (3) David Centeno
  8.   Signalman           30 to 1      (1) General Quarters   (2) Kenny McPeek  (3) Brian Hernandez Jr
  9.   Bodexpress          20 to 1      (1) Bodemeister   (2) Gustavo Delgado  (3) John Velasquez
 10.  Everfast               50 to 1      (1) Take Charge Indy  (2) Dale Romans  (3) Joel Rosario
 11.  Laughing Fox      20 to 1      (1) Union Rags    (2) Steve Asmussen   (3) Ricardo Santana
 12.  Anothertwistafate   6 to 1     (1) Scat Daddy    (2) Blaine Wright   (3) Jose Ortiz
 13.  Win Win Win       15 to 1     (1) Hat Trick (JPN)  (2) Michael Trombetta   (3) Julian Pimentel

Kentucky Oaks Is One Week Away

A week from today, the "Lillies for the Fillies" race will be run.  The Kentucky Oaks is  always run the day before the Kentucky Derby, and highlights the girls instead of the boys.  The race is now limited to 14 entries, as the Derby is limited to 20.  The Oaks covers a distance of 9 furlongs, or 1 1/8 miles, on the main track; all fillies will carry 121 pounds; and the purse is a guaranteed $1.25 million, with $750,000 going to the winner.  The current fastest time for the Oaks was set in 2003, when Bird Town covered the distance in 1:48.64.
   The Kentucky Oaks has been run at four different distances since it's inception in 1875.  The first winner was Vinaigrette, who covered 1 1/2 miles in 2:39 3/4.  The Oaks was run at 1 and 1/2 miles from 1875 through 1890; from 1891 through 1895, it was 1 1/4 miles; in 1896 through 1919, the distance was 1 1/16 miles; from 1920 through 1941 it covered 1 1/8 miles; it changed again in 1942 through 1981 to 1 and 1/16 miles; and, once again, in 1982 it was switched back to a distance of 1 and 1/8 miles.
   The entries for the Kentucky Oaks race for qualifying points, as do the Kentucky Derby contenders.  There are currently 16 fillies on the list for the 14 entries allowed.  I will list them by highest to lowest amounts of points, as I did the Derby contenders.  Of the 16 fillies, 14 were bred in Kentucky, with Out for a Spin bred in Virginia, and Cookie Dough being a Florida-bred.  There are 2 greys or roans, 2 chestnuts, and 12 bays, dark bays, or brown coat colors.  Two of the fillies are sired by Quality Road, and two are sired by Candy Ride (ARG) - so, 14 stallions for 16 possible contenders.
  Here is the list of the top 16 contenders for the 2019 Kentucky Oaks:
   1.   Bellafina    Quality Road,  out of Akron Moon, by Malibu Moon
   2.   Champagne Anyone   Street Sense,   out of Lucevan, by Ghostzapper
   3.   Street Band   Istan,  out of Street Minstrel, by Street Cry
   4.   Lady Apple   Curlin,  out of Miss Mary Apples, by Clever Trick
   5.   Out for a Spin   Hard Spun,  out of My Mammy, by Came Home
   6.   Liora   Candy Ride (ARG),  out of Giant Mover, by Giant's Causeway
   7.   Restless Rider   Distorted Humor,  out of Silky Serenade, by Unbridled's Song
   8.   Serengeti Empress   Alternation   out of Havisham, by Bernardini
   9.   Motion Emotion   Take Charge Indy,  out of Golden Motion, by Smart Strike
  10.  Jaywalk   Cross Traffic,  out of Lady Pewitt, by Orientate
  11.  Chocolate Kisses   Candy Ride (ARG),  out of Brownie Points, by Forest Wildcat
  12.  Jeltrin   Tapizar,  out of Song to the Moon, by Successful Appeal
  13.  Positive Spirit   Pioneerof the Nile,  out of Above Perfection, by In Excess
  14.  Flor de La Mar   Tiznow,  out of Sacristy, by Pulpit
  15.  Cookie Dough   Brethren,  out of Brooke's Valentine, by Fusaichi Pegasus
  16.  Dunbar Road   Quality Road,  out of Gift List, by Bernardini

     A few photos of some of the fillies, in alphabetical order:

Bellafina

Champagne Anyone

Jaywalk

Out for a Spin

Positive Spirit

Ten Days to the Kentucky Derby

If there are no sudden doubts causing a scratch, or illnesses, or injuries, it looks like the field is set for the running of the Kentucky Derby on 4 May.  The field is limited to the top 20 point qualifiers, and the listing below will be by quantity of points only.  So far, jockeys for 18 of the entries have been named.
   Of the top twenty, 19 are colts (Plus Que Parfait is a ridgling) and one gelding, Tax.  Eighteen were bred in Kentucky, with Win Win Win a Florida-bred, and Master Fencer bred in Japan. Considering coat colors, there are 3 greys or roans, 8 chestnuts and 9 bays, dark bays, or browns. The 20 entries represent 18 different stallions, with 2 sons each sired by Candy Ride (ARG) and War Front.  Besides the two sons of Candy Ride, who was bred in Argentina, there are two stallions from Japan represented, as well as one stallion from Great Britain.  All of the dams, but one, are North American bred; War of Will's dam was bred in Ireland.
  Following is the list of the top 20 entries for the Kentucky Derby: the entry's name, sire's name, dam's name, and dam's sire name.  All horses will race on the dirt track, 10 furlongs (or 1 1/4 miles), carrying 126 pounds, the purse is guaranteed at $3 million.  The post position draw for the 145th Kentucky Derby will take place at 11 a.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, 30 April.
   1.   Tacitus   Tapit,  out of Close Hatches, by First Defense
   2.   Omaha Beach    War Front,  out of Charming, by Seeking the Gold
   3.   Vekoma   Candy Ride (ARG),  out of Mona de Momma, by Speightstown
   4.   Plus Que Parfait   Point of Entry,  out of Belvedera, by Awesome Again
   5.   Roadster   Quality Road,  out of Ghost Dancing, by Silver Ghost
   6.   By My Standards   Goldencents, out of A Jealous Woman, by Muqtarib
   7.   Maximum Security   New Year's Day,  out of Lil Indy, by Anasheed
   8.   Game Winner   Candy Ride (ARG),   out of Indyan Giving, by A P Indy
   9.   Code of Honor   Noble Mission (GB),  out of Reunited, by Dixie Union
  10.  Haikal   Daaher,  out of Sablah, by Distorted Humor
  11.  Improbable   City Zip,  out of Rare Event, by A P Indy
  12.  War of Will   War Front,  out of Visions of Clarity (IRE), by Sadler's Wells
  13.  Long Range Toddy   Take Charge Indy,  out of Pleasant Song, by Unbridled's Song
  14.  Tax   Arch,  out of Toll, by Giant's Causeway
  15.  Cutting Humor   First Samurai,  out of Pun, by Pulpit
  16.  Win Win Win   Hat Trick (JPN),  out of Miss Smarty Pants, by Smarty Jones
  17.  Country House   Lookin At Lucky,  out of Quake Lake, by War Chant
  18.  Gray Magician   Graydar,  out of Burg Berg, by Johannesburg
  19.  Spinoff   Hardspun,  out of Zaftig, by Gone West
  20.  Master Fencer (JPN)   Just a Way (JPN),  out of Sexy Zamurai, by Deputy Minister

Photos of five entries, posted in alphabetical order:

Cutting Humor

Improbable

Master Fencer (JPN)

Omaha Beach

Tacitus

Great Racing At Gulfstream Park, With 2 Pegasus Races Worth a Total of $16 Million

Today, or tomorrow, depending on when and where you are reading this, on 26 January, Gulfstream Park Race Track will conduct 12 races for thoroughbred horses.  Many are stakes races, with big money purses, and they have drawn top horses from around the country.  The two Pegasus Invitational races have drawn entries from around the world, and the races are drawing world-wide television coverage.  NBC will be covering the two Invitational Races live, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. EST.

For the two Pegasus races, I am listing: Post position; Horse's name; (Sire's name); age and sex; assigned weight; and morning betting odds.

  The first Pegasus race is the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf Stakes.  The distance to be run is 1 3/8 miles (11 furlongs) on the turf course; the guaranteed purse is $7 million; and the post time is 4:51.    This is a handicap race, which takes into consideration the horse's age, sex, and past racing performances.  Assigned weights range between 112 pounds and 124 pounds for 10 entries.
  1.    Magic Wand (IRE)     (Galileo-IRE)             4yo filly       112        9 to 2
  2.    Yoshida (JPN)            (Heart's Cry-JPN)      5yo horse     124       5 to 2
  3.    Channel Maker          (English Channel)       5yo geld       117       12 to 1
  4.    Aerolithe (JPN)          (Kurofune)                  5 yo mare     112        8 to 1
  5.    Next Shares                (Archarcharch)           6yo geld       124        15 to 1
  6.    Fahan Mura                (English Channel)      5yo mare      119        30 to 1 
  7.    Bricks and Mortar      (Giant's Causeway)    5 yo horse     124       5 to 1
  8.    Delta Prince               (Street Cry-IRE)          6yo horse      124       15 to 1
  9.    Catapult                      (Kitten's Joy)               6yo horse     124        7 to 2
 10.   Dubby Dubbie            (Ice Box)                      4yo geld       124       30 to 1


  The second Pegasus race is the Pegasus World Cup Invitation Stakes.  The distance to be run is 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on the main dirt track;   the guaranteed purse is $9 million; all horses are male, and all carry the same weight of 124 pounds in the race.  Post time is scheduled for 5:36 for 12 entries.
  1.   Bravazo                        (Awesome Again)       4yo colt          12 to 1
  2.   Something Awesome   (Awesome Again)        8yo geld         20 to 1
  3.   City of Light                (Quality Road)            5yo horse        5 to 2
  4.   Seeking the Soul          (Perfect Soul-IRE)      6yo horse        12 to 1
  5.   Accelerate                    (Lookin' At Lucky)       6yo horse         9 to 5
  6.   Tom's d'Etat                 (Smart Strike)              6yo horse        20 to 1
  7.   True Timber                 (Mineshaft)                  5yo horse        30 to 1
  8.   Gunnevera                   (Dialed In)                   5yo horse         8 to 1
  9.   Kukulkan (MEX)        (Point Determined)      4yo colt           30 to 1
 10.  Audible                       (Into Mischief)              4yo colt           10 to 1
 11.  Imperative                   (Bernardini)                  9yo geld          30 to 1
 12.  Patternrecognition       (Adios Charlie)             6yo horse        10 to 1

Have fun at the races!

 

Belmont Stakes Post Positions and Odds

The draw for Saturday's 150th running of the Belmont Stakes has taken place.  Once again, the forecast is for afternoon and evening thunderstorms.   Will Justify become the 13th Triple Crown winner in 100 years?  We'll see....   There will be ten entries in the gate, unless there is a scratch due to illness.  Besides Justify, only one other contender has been both the Derby and the Preakness, that being D. Wayne Lukas trainee Bravazo, who finished second in the Preakness.   Tenfold also ran in the Preakness, three weeks ago.  Four other entries ran in the Derby, and this is their first return to the races since then: Free Drop Billy, Hofburg, Vino Rosso, and Noble Indy.  Plus three new colts, Restoring Hope, Gronkowski, and Blended Citizen.  All ten colts were bred in Kentucky.
  Here are post positions drawn, sire, and morning line betting odds:
1.     Justify        Scat Daddy     4 to 5
2.     Free Drop Billy     Union Rags     30 to 1
3.     Bravazo     Awesome Again     8 to 1
4.     Hofburg     Tapit     9 to 2
5.     Restoring Hope     Giant's Causeway     30 to 1
6.     Gronkowski     Lonhro    12 to 1
7.     Tenfold     Curlin     12 to 1
8.     Vino Rosso     Curlin     8 to 1
9.     Noble Indy     Take Charge Indy     30 to 1
10.   Blended Citizen     Proud Citizen     15 to 1

Yesterday I wrote there were 23 horses who had won both the Derby and the Preakness, but not the Belmont Stakes.  Here is a listing, giving the year and the name of the colt:
1932    Burgoo King
1936    Bold Venture
1944    Pensive
1958    Tim Tam
1961    Carry Back
1964    Northern Dancer
1966    Kauai King
1968    Forward Pass
1969    Majestic Prince
1971    Canonero II
1979    Spectacular Bid
1981    Pleasant Colony
1987    Alysheba
1989    Sunday Silence
1997    Silver Charm
1998    Real Quiet
1999    Charismatic
2002    War Emblem
2003    Funny Cide
2004    Smarty Jones
2008    Big Brown
2012    I'll Have Another
2014    California Chrome

Today's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico

I remember when the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes got as much publicity as the Kentucky Oaks - but that was quite a few years ago.  These days, the second race in the Triple Tiara for Fillies is only a Grade II, with a total purse of $250,000.  It still covers a distance of 1 and 1/8 miles, or 9 furlongs, but it no longer has a luster to it's image.  All the fillies who ran carried 122 pounds; now it depends upon their race experience and wins....
   At any event, the post time for this year's running of the female counter-part of the Preakness Stakes is at 4:48 EDT in the afternoon.   Originally, there were ten entries, but Midnight Disguise, the only New York-bred filly was scratched with a bruised foot.  Of the nine fillies who enter the gate, all were bred in Kentucky, except Goodonehoney, who is from Maryland.  All of the fillies are bays, dark bays or browns, except for Red Ruby, who is registered as a grey or roan.
  Here is a listing of the post positions, the weight each filly will carry, her sire, and her morning-line betting odds:
1.     Tell Your Mama  116#      Blame         20 to 1
2.     Midnight Disguise    120#    Midnight Lute        4 to 1
3.     Coach Rocks    120#      Oxbow      7 to 2
4.     Red Ruby     118#      Tiznow      5 to 1
5.     Mihrab       116#       Tiznow       30 to 1
6.     C. S. Incharge     116#     Take Charge Indy     15 to 1
7.     Goodonehoney     118#      Great Notion       5 to 1
8.     Indy Union      116#       Union Rags       10 to 1
9.     Sara Street      116#       Street Sense       4 to 1
10.   Stakes On a Plane      116#      Run Away And Hide      20 to 1


The first running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes took place in 1919, with Milkmaid winning.  The race was then run at the distance of 1 and 1/16 miles - where it stayed until 1988, when the distance was lengthened to 9 furlongs.
   The third leg of the fillies Triple Tiara is the Mother Goose Stakes, at Belmont Park, the day before the Belmont Stakes.

The Preakness Stakes 19 May 2018

The second jewel of America's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Horse Racing will be run this Saturday, 19 May, at Pimlico Race Course, outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  The one and three-sixteenths mile long race is a little bit shorter than the Kentucky Derby, and 5/16ths shorter than the Belmont Stakes, the last part of the Triple Crown races.  The post positions have been drawn, and morning-line betting odds posted.  There are only 8 colts racing in this race, four continuing on from the Derby, and four newcomers.  All of these boys were born in Kentucky; everyone carries 126 pounds.
 In post position 1 is Quip, a dark bay or brown colt, sired by Distorted Humor; odds of 12 to 1.
 Post two is Lone Sailor, a dark bay or brown colt, sired by Majestic Warrior; odds of 15 to 1.
 Post three is Sporting Chance, a dark bay or brown colt, sired by Tiznow;  odds of 30 to 1.
 Post four is Diamond King, a bay colt, sired by Quality Road; odds at 30 to 1.
 Post five is Good Magic, a chestnut colt sired by Curlin; odds at 3 to 1.
 Post six is Tenfold, a bay colt sired by Curlin; odds at 20 to 1.
 Post seven is Justify, the chestnut colt by Scat Daddy; odds are 1 to 2.
 Post eight is Bravazo, a dark bay or brown colt, sired by Awesome Again; odds are 20 to 1.

Justify, who broke from post 7 and won the Derby, is back in post 7 for the Preakness.
Good Magic finished second in the Derby, breaking from post 6; he's in the 5 hole Saturday.
Lone Sailor broke from post 8 in the Derby, and finished eighth.
Bravazo broke from post 13 in the Derby and finished sixth.

Jockey Mike Smith will once again be riding Justify.
 

Kentucky Oaks Today, Derby Tomorrow

It was raining early this morning at Churchill Downs, and the main track surface was given a "sloppy" rating, while the turf track is listed as "good."  The weather forecasters say there will be periods of both rain and sun throughout today.   The Kentucky Oaks, the female version of the Derby, is scheduled to leave the starting gate at 6:12 EST this afternoon.  There is a full field of 15 fillies, who will each carry 121 pounds, over the main track for 1 and 1/8 miles.  The purse for this year's Oaks is $1 million...  I'll be listing post position, filly, morning line betting odds, sire, and coat color. All of the Oaks entries were born in Kentucky.
1     Ever So Clever         20 to 1         Medaglia d'Oro    dark bay
2     Lockdown                20 to 1          First Defence       dark bay
3     Mopotism                 20 to 1         Uncle Mo             bay
4     Paradise Woods         5 to 2          Union Rags          bay
5     Jordan's Henny         30 to 1         Henny Hughes     gray/roan
6     Vexatious                  20 to 1         Giant's Causeway   bay
7     Farrell                        5 to 1          Malibu Moon        bay
8     Sailor's Valentine      30 to 1         Mizzen Mast         gray/roan
9     Wicked Lick             30 to 1         Maclean's Music   chestnut
10   Miss Sky Warrior       9 to 2         First Samurai         dark bay
11   Tequilita                   20 to 1          Union Rags            bay
12   Daddy's Lil Darling   20 to 1        Scat Daddy            dark bay
13   Abel Tasman               5 to 1         Quality Road         bay
14   Salty                            6 to 1          Quality Road        bay
15   Summer Luck            30 to 1         Lookin At Lucky   bay

There have been no scratches in the Kentucky Derby field for tomorrow.  Girvin, who has a quarter crack in one hoof, will be wearing glued-on shoes.  Following are the 20 starters, with their jockeys and trainers listed...
1     Looking at Lee         Corey Lanerie                   Steven Asmussen
2     Thunder Snow          Christophe Soumillon      Saeed bin Suroor  
3     Fast and Accurate    Channing Hill                  Michael Maker 
4     Untrapped                 Ricardo Santana, Jr        Steven Asmussen 
5     Always Dreaming     John Velazquez                Todd Pletcher
6     State of Honor          Jose Lezcano                    Mark Casse
7     Girvin                        Mike Smith                       Joe Sharp
8     Hence                        Florent Geroux                 Steven Asmussen
9     Irap                           Mario Guttierrez               Doug O'Neill
10   Gunnevera                Javier Castellano              Antonio Sano
11   Battle of Midway      Flavio Prat                       Jerry Hollendorfer
12   Sonneteer                  Kent Desormeaux            Keith Desormeaux
13   J Boys Echo              Luis Saez                          Dale Romans
14   Classic Empire         Julien Leparoux              Mark Casse
15   McCraken                Brian J Hernandez, Jr     Ian Wilkes
16   Tapwrit                     Jose Ortiz                          Todd Pletcher
17   Irish War Cry          Rajiv Maragh                    Graham Motion
18   Gormley                    Victor Espinoza                 John Shirreffs
19   Practical Joke          Joel Rosario                       Chad Brown
20   Patch                         Tyler Gaffalione                Todd Pletcher

May all the races be cleanly run (figuratively, since there will be mud everywhere), and may no horses or jockeys have any injuries......

The Belmont Stakes Has 13 Entries

The Belmont Stakes has lowered ticket prices for this Saturday's third leg of the Triple Crown races, due to the fact that Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist is not running due to illness.  Since Exaggerator won the Preakness, folks were looking forward to the mile-and-a-half contest between the two winners.  Nyquist spiked a fever a couple of days after the Preakness, and has just begun returning to the training track.  But twelve other horses have decided to face Exaggerator on the track called Big Sandy, and the Graveyard of Champions. (Not that a lot of horses have died on the track, but wonderful winning horses have had their biggest defeats here - Secretariat and Man o'War, for example.)
   Of the colts running in the third race of the American Triple Crown series, only Exaggerator and Lani  will have competed in all three Classic races.  Exaggerator finished second in the Kentucky Derby, and won the Preakness; Lani ran ninth in the Derby and fifth at Pimlico.  Stradivari  (fourth) and Cherry Wine (second) are the colts to run in the Preakness and the Belmont, and not in the Derby.  Five other starters in the Kentucky Derby have decided to race in the Belmont, having skipped the Preakness:  Creator (thirteenth in the Derby), Suddenbreakingnews (fifth), Destin (sixth), Brody's Cause (seventh), and Trojan Nation (sixteenth).
   Of the 13 colts running, 5 are grey or roan, 1 is chestnut, and the rest (7) are bays and browns.  All of the colts were bred in Kentucky, except the chestnut Governor Malibu, who is New York bred.  Lani is still the single internationally raced colt, having raced in Japan and the UAE.  Several sires have two colts running - Giant's Causeway has Destin and Brody's Cause; Medaglio d'Oro has Stradivari and Forever d'Oro; and Tapit has Lani and Creator.   Several trainers have two horses entered, also:  Todd Pletcher has Destin and Stradivari; Dale Romans has Cherry Wine and Brody's Cause; Dallas Stewart has Seeking the Soul and Forever d'Oro; and Steve Asmussen has Creator and Gettysburg.
   Following are the post positions, the horse's name, their coat color, the name of their sire, and their opening betting odds:
1.    Governor Malibu  (ch)  Malibu Moon           12 to 1
2.    Destin  (grey/roan)   Giant's Causeway            6 to 1
3.    Cherry Wine  (grey/roan)   Paddy O'Prado      8 to 1
4.    Suddenbreakingnews  (bay)   Mineshaft        10 to 1
5.    Stradivari  (bay)   Medaglia d'Oro                   5 to 1
6.    Gettysburg (grey/roan)   Pioneer of the Nile  30 to 1
7.    Seeking the Soul (bay)  Perfect Soul (Ire)     30 to 1
8.    Forever d'Oro   (bay)  Madaglio d'Oro           30 to 1
9.    Trojan Nation    (bay)   Street Song (Ire)       30 to 1
10.  Lani  (grey/roan)    Tapit                                20 to 1
11.  Exaggerator   (bay) Curlin                               9 to 5
12.  Brody's Cause  (bay)   Giant's Causeway      20 to 1
13.  Creator  (grey/roan)    Tapit                           10 to 1

Lani is the only colt to have raced one 1/2 miles before - and he won that race impressively.  I'd like to see Exaggerator win.  With all the newcomers, and the horses who took a break since the Derby, I'm not sure who else I 'd bet on....  It'll come down to the horses' demeanor's Saturday afternoon....

Friday's Kentucky Oaks

The 142nd running of the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs will take place tomorrow.  As in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, this seems to be a sire's stakes race this year.  There are fourteen entries in the Oaks - a Grade 1 race for three-year-old fillies, racing 1 and 1/8 miles on the main dirt track, for a purse of $1 million. Post time is announced for 5:49 p.m. EDT.   I will be listing first, the post position; second, name of the filly; third, morning line betting odds; fourth, the filly's sire;  fifth and sixth, the filly's coat color and state where she was foaled; and, seventh, the name of the trainer (if he/she has a horse in the Derby on Saturday)....

1.    Terra Promessa     10 to 1    Curlin         bay, Kentucky        Steve Asmussen
2.    Weep No More      9 to 2     Mineshaft     chestnut, Kentucky
3.    Lewis Bay             8 to 1     Bernardini    bay, Kentucky
4.    Go Maggie Go     12 to 1    Ghostzapper    bay, Kentucky      Dale Romans
5.    Dream Dance       30 to 1    Afleet Alex     bay, Kentucky
6.    Mokat                  20 to 1    Uncle Mo       bay, Kentucky
7.    Mo d'Amour        30 to 1    Uncle Mo       bay, Kentucky        Todd Pletcher
8.    Royal Obsession   20 to 1    Tapit             grey, Kentucky       Steve Asmussen
9.    Paola Queen         30 to 1    Flatter          bay, Kentucky
10. Venus Valentine     30 to 1     Congrats     bay, Kentucky         Thomas Amoss
11. Rachel's Valentina   7 to 2    Bernardini   bay, Kentucky          Todd Pletcher
12. Cathryn Sophia       9 to 2    Street Boss    bay, Maryland
13. Land Over Sea        5 to 1    Bellamy Road   chestnut, Kentucky     Doug O'Neill
14. Taxable                  20 to 1   Tapit              chestnut, Kentucky    Steve Asmussen

Two fillies sired by Tapit; two sired by Uncle Mo; two sired by Bernardini....
Three trained by Steve Asmussen; two trained by Todd Pletcher....
Mike Smith will ride Taxable; John Velasquez rides Rachel's Valentina....
Rachel Alexandra is the dam of Rachel's Valentina; the dam won the Preakness....