A Derby for the ages

Casey2296 · #1 05-09-2022, 06:11 AM

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

irv · #2 05-09-2022, 07:48 AM

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 · #3 05-09-2022, 08:45 AM

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 · #4 05-09-2022, 09:12 AM

Quote:

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 · #5 05-09-2022, 09:35 AM

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.

Quote:

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 · #6 05-09-2022, 09:52 AM

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 · #7 05-09-2022, 10:29 AM

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.

D. Bergin · #8 05-09-2022, 11:47 AM

Damn. Incredible!

What a gear that horse and jockey found at the end. Especially considering they were held back and navigating traffic for much of the race.

That's a movie, right there.

D. Bergin · #9 05-09-2022, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 58pinson

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.

I'm not a Horse Racing expert by any means, but if you're talking about the part after the race that I think you are...it actually made me smile a little bit.

I was thinking..."Man, that's a salty horse, and he don't want to be touched by that dude. Good for him." LOL!

Fits the narrative in my head of the wild uncultured horse beating the field of bluebloods and nobles. Whether that's actually true or not, I don't think I want to know.

Snapolit1 · #10 05-09-2022, 03:57 PM

At one point the guy on the pony basically punched the horse in the face to get him away from the pony. That was a really unfortunate moment, much less one to be caught on live television.

And a horse that worked up will leave some people with the belief (mistaken) that the horse was drugged and that's why he was acting so crazy.

It's not really that unusual for a horse to try to savage another horse. Even in mid-race. But when the winning horse kept going at the pony I have no idea why the jackass on the pony didn't just back off and leave the horse by himself. He just made a situation worse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

I'm not a Horse Racing expert by any means, but if you're talking about the part after the race that I think you are...it actually made me smile a little bit.

I was thinking..."Man, that's a salty horse, and he don't want to be touched by that dude. Good for him." LOL!

Fits the narrative in my head of the wild uncultured horse beating the field of bluebloods and nobles. Whether that's actually true or not, I don't think I want to know.

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