The 135th running of the Kentucky Derby took place Saturday in Louisville Kentucky, the first leg of the Tripple Crown. The other 2 races are made up by the Preakness and Belmont.Horse racing is a known as a very civilized sport and is known as the the sport of Kings. Now I do know a thing or two about that (Ryan, meaning Little King in Gaelic) but even with my royal ties just can’t get behind this sport. I suppose that it i just like a track and field race that captivate us every Olympics but there is something about it that just doesn’t make it that attractive.
The favorite going in was a horse named I Want Revenge. This horse may be looking for some of that revenge in the next race as it was scratched from the race after handlers discovered an issue with its ankle. With this horse out of the race it opened the door for some other horses to become a “hero”. Little did anyone know that it was going to be a near impossible winner that came into the race as a 50-1 shot and with a long storey that you have to figure someone will want to make a movie out of. Granted it will be a crappy movie but Hollywood has shown that they arn’t above that.
The track was very sloppy and wet, perhaps that played a role in the race, perhaps not. One can only presume that his Mother was a Mudder...and more then likely his Father was a Mudder!
Mine That Bird with Bennie Woolley Jr. started this improbable journey to come 21 hours and 1,700 miles away in New Mexico. The former bareback rider-turned-trainer hooked up a horse van to the back of a pickup in New Mexico, and headed to Churchill Downs. Jockey Calvin Borel, a former Derby winner, was given the task to ride Mine That Bird. This story even has a Canadian connection to it as the won four of five starts at Woodbine in Toronto and was Canada's 2-year-old champion. I am not sure but I believe that this hose was sold for a mere $9,500. If this is accurate it is a steal of monumental proportions because the value will skyrocket after this major upset victory.
Oh yeah and the chance of some people winning some money was there.... a $2 bet would have pulled in $101.20
1 comment:
What a story! The horse came from so far back; pretty cool. The jockey, however, needed a good punch in the noggin to settle him down. Relax guy, the horse did the running, not you.
Post a Comment