A Derby for the ages

[Peter_Spaeth]

Not sure there has ever been anything quite like this comeback. From above

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCk0P92uoXc

[Casey2296]

Unbelievable, picked up on a $30,000 claims race last September, entered the Derby as an alternate and the longest shot. Incredible story.

[irv]

Rich Strike
(Based on a $2 bet)

Win: $163.60

Place: $74.20

Show: $29.40

A $2 exacta with second-place finisher Epicenter paid $4,101.20. A $1 trifecta paid $14,870.70, and the $1 superfecta paid a cool $321,500.10.

[commishbob]

I've been around tracks since my father started dragging me to Aqueduct as a kid in the early 60s. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect ride than they got from Sonny Leon on Saturday. Yes, it helped that the leaders were burning each other out but Leon had his horse placed perfectly to take advantage. Every move he made was perfect.

I really love that owner and trainer stuck with their small track jockey when they had to have fielded tons of jockeys' agents calls on Friday once they made the race. That whole team has really been through a lot of adversity and for this to come their way is just a great story.

[irv]

Originally Posted by commishbob

I've been around tracks since my father started dragging me to Aqueduct as a kid in the early 60s. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect ride than they got from Sonny Leon on Saturday. Yes, it helped that the leaders were burning each other out but Leon had his horse placed perfectly to take advantage. Every move he made was perfect.

I really love that owner and trainer stuck with their small track jockey when they had to have fielded tons of jockeys' agents calls on Friday once they made the race. That whole team has really been through a lot of adversity and for this to come their way is just a great story.

https://youtu.be/k-NjF89a_go

[Snapolit1]

The truly insane thing on the exotics is that the 2, 3, and 4 horses were the logical choices. Could you imagine what the pay offs would have been had a 30 or 40-1 hit the board to place or show. Yowza.

I tried to handicap the race and quickly figured out there was no horse in that field to fall in love with. Picked two longshots but not the winner.

Originally Posted by irv

Rich Strike
(Based on a $2 bet)

Win: $163.60

Place: $74.20

Show: $29.40

A $2 exacta with second-place finisher Epicenter paid $4,101.20. A $1 trifecta paid $14,870.70, and the $1 superfecta paid a cool $321,500.10.

[commishbob]

I liked Crown Pride and Zandon going in. That early pace took out the Japanese horse though. A bunch of others, too. Beautiful animal for sure.

I’ve watched the replay over and over intending each time to see what happened to this horse or that horse but I’m mesmerized by Rich Strike’s amazing ride every time. 😁

[58pinson]

Been a trackie for 45+ years. The game will keep you humble. How many players who loved the Asmussen or Brown horse flushed their tickets for not buying a bottom wheel? Most all I would imagine. Sometimes, although pricey, the "all" button is the horseplayers best friend.

How would you like to be Mattress Mac who wagered $1.5 million on Epicenter and had to watch the bomb fly up the rail. The suicidal front end burned out the front runners.

One thing did concern me. The handling of the winner by the outrider on the backstretch struck me as outrageous. Yeah, the winner was full of himself but the jock is perfectly capable of jogging the horse back to the front of the track. Not much was said about it, and I was surprised the camera stayed on it so long.

Heck of a story. Anyone want to hazard a guess on what price he'll be in Baltimore? Don't want to be a grinch, but I will bet against fairly aggressively.

[Hxcmilkshake]

Usually don't see that hot a pace in a big race like that.

Sometimes a longshot wins because the field was overrated but this was purely due to pace.

Epicenter really fought well and will be the favorite in the Preakness if he goes and will probably be a decent value as favorites go.

Rich Strike will be 3-1 or higher assuming 10+ horse field and who else goes.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

[commishbob]

If you have access to The Athletic the sub-lede on this page is an interview with the woman who was NBC's lead producer of the Derby coverage. Great insight into what was going on behind the cameras and mikes for that race.

https://theathletic.com/3298367/2022...entucky-derby/

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by commishbob

If you have access to The Athletic the sub-lede on this page is an interview with the woman who was NBC's lead producer of the Derby coverage. Great insight into what was going on behind the cameras and mikes for that race.

https://theathletic.com/3298367/2022...entucky-derby/

I can understand the announcer focusing on the front of the race, but man, once Rich Strike blew by Messier like he was standing still it should have been obvious something was going on. Even in the final seconds as he was running down the two leaders the guy didn't seem to know he was there.