Critter Sitter's Blog

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Kentucky Derby - Gate Positions & Odds

The Kentucky Derby seemingly will have a full starting gate of twenty colts on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs. Only twenty are allowed to race, but there are two alternate entries waiting on the sidelines in case of illness or injury. Here are the drawn post positions, with morning line betting odds, and the jockeys that I recognize.

1. Trojan Nation 50 to 1 Aaron Gryder
2. Suddenbreakingnews 20 to 1
3. Creator 10 to 1
4. Mo Tom 20 to 1
5. Gun Runner 10 to 1 Florent Geroux
6. My Man Sam 20 to 1
7. Oscar Nominated 50 to 1 Julien Leparoux
8. Lani 30 to 1 Yutaka Take
9. Destin 15 to 1 Javier Castellano
10. Whitmore 20 to 1 Victor Espinoza
11. Exaggerator 8 to 1 Kent Desormeoux
12. Tom's Ready 30 to 1
13. Nyquist 3 to 1
14. Mohaymen 10 to 1 Junior Alvarado
15. Outwork 15 to 1 John Velasquez
16. Shagaf 20 to 1 Joel Rosario
17. Mor Spirit 12 to 1 Gary Stevens
18. Majesto 30 to 1
19. Brody's Cause 12 to 1
20. Danzing Candy 15 to 1 Mike Smith
**** Stand-bys in case of a scratch/es ****
21. Laoban 50 to 1 Cornelio Velasquez
22. Cherry Wine 30 to 1 Robby Albarado

Information on the two stand-bys: Laoban was born on 31 January, in Kentucky, a bay son of Tapit. He is trained by Eric Guillot.
Cherry Wine was born on 13 February, also in Kentucky. The grey son of Paddy O'Prado is trained by Dale Romans.

If any horse scratches for the Derby, the horses in the starting gate to the outside of that starting position will all move over one slot, until the stand-by entrant is standing in post 20. Now I don't want to jinx anyone... but say that post 12 horse is a scratch; all horses from post 13 to 20 would move one slot to the left (posts 12 through 19), and the first stand-by entry would go into gate 20.... Hope that explains how that works...

Good luck in your handicapping and betting!

Photos of Sweden in Springtime

Apple tree

Uppsala

Dalby Woods

Beech trees

Rural creek

Kosterhavets National Park

Virserum

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....

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Danish Spring Photos

The Gylling Lutheran Church contains my family records back to Jens Rasmussen (born 1670) and his wife, Maren Ibsen.

Springtime forest

Hirtshals Lighthouse

Valby Park in Copenhagen

Nyborg

Windmill

Bornholm Island

Kentucky Derby Odds and Ends

Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, arrived as a plan in the mind of Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, after the Colonel had visited Epsom Downs in 1872. Churchill Downs was built on property that Colonel Lewis leased from his uncles, John and Henry Churchill. Opening day at Churchill Downs featured three key races - the Kentucky Oaks, the Kentucky Derby, and the Clark Stakes. These three races were patterned after the Epsom Oaks, Epsom Derby, and the St Leger Stakes. All three races, plus several others, were the new track's greatest event on 17 May 1875. Like the Epsom Derby, the Kentucky Derby was originally contested over one and a half miles; in 1896 it was shortened to it's current distance of one and one-quarter miles. From 1875 until 1929, the Kentucky Derby "floated" on Saturdays in mid-May; in 1930, it was agreed that the Kentucky Derby would always take place on the first Saturday in May.

If you've read my blogs about the Triple Crown before, you know I include all sorts of "strange" facts. I do it for fun. I am not addicted to gambling, and people who "follow the ponies" all have their own way of picking winners - past races, days run on, the jockey, the trainer, the track, the speed figures, The Daily Racing Form, the weather, the phase of the moon, and/or the astrology reading of the day. I just like to look at everything - including the way the horse looks....
We are expecting a full field of 20 horses to participate in Saturday's Derby. So far, the top 20 point-earners are all in fine fettle. So here are my, as usual odd, observations regarding the top 20 entrants:
All horses are male this year; with 16 colts, 2 ridglings (Mor Spirit and Majesto), and 2 geldings (Suddenbreakingnews and Whitmore).
Eighteen of the 20 were bred in Kentucky; two are Pennsylvania-bred (Mor Spirit and Tom's Ready).
Three colts were sired by Tapit, the grey son of Pulpit (Creator, Lani, and Mohaymen).
Three colts were sired by Uncle Mo, bay son of Indian Charlie (Nyquist, Outwork, and Mo Tom).
Two of the colts were sired by Giant's Causeway, bay son of Storm Cat (Brody's Cause and Destin).
Three of the colts were sales consignees of Warrendale Sales (Exaggerator, Mo Tom and Suddenbreakingnews).
Of the coat colors of the 20 entrants, 3 are chestnut; 4 are grey or roan; and 13 are bays or dark browns.
On birthdays, the chestnut gelding Whitmore was born on 23 January; the bay colt Mo Tom was born on 6 May; five colts were born in February, eight were born in March, three were born in April, and Mohaymen and Suddenbreakingnews were born on 2 May.
Nyquist is the only undefeated entrant.
Steve Asmussen trains two colts, Gun Runner and Creator.
Todd Pletcher trains two colts, Outwork and Destin.
Chad Brown trains two colts, Shagaf and My Man Sam.
The Ramsey family owns Oscar Nominated.
The grey colt Lani, son of Tapit and bred in Kentucky, has a Japanese trainer and jockey, and has raced in Japan and the Middle East. He was the winner of the United Arab Emirates Derby.

NBC and NBCSN have announced their coverage of the Kentucky Derby weekend - on Wednesday, 4 May, at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) NBCSN will cover the starting gate draw live.
On Thursday, 5 May, NBCSN will cover 4 live races from Churchill Downs beginning at 4 p.m. (EDT).
On Friday, 6 May, NBCSN will cover 7 live races, including the Kentucky Oaks, beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT.
On Saturday, 7 May, NBCSN will cover 9 races, beginning at 12 noon (EDT); the last three races of the day, including the Kentucky Derby will be shown on NBC stations.