Kentucky Derby Profiles 1 of 5

#Ky Derby Coverage by

 Jordyn Burco

KENTUCKY DERBY PROFILE’S

Orb - (Malibu Moon-Lady Liberty, by Unbridled) Shug McGaughey - Depending on post positions, this may be my derby horse. He has showed nothing, but brilliance since maturing from his 2 year old career. He showed brilliance in winning his first allowance race as a 3 year old, then the Gr. 2 Fountain Of Youth, and then the Gr. 1 Florida Derby. The only thing that puzzles me about him, is the Florida derby time was slower than the Florida Oaks that day. He didn't control the pace, so its not all his fault, but otherwise everything else looks like an A+ horse to me. I predict that, if this horse doesn't win the Derby, he will win the Belmont if entered. He has the pedigree to win the Derby and Belmont. He has a top leading jockey on him, and a famous trainer who’s been very successful and great with his horses, but still looking for his first derby win. He trained the famous Easy Goer. Another nice thing to look at this horse is, he won the Florida Derby easily, when he didn't need too. He had enough points to get into the derby, so he wasn’t cranked up, like 2nd place finisher, Itsmyluckyday who is a Gulfstream Park specialist. Orb can also close or sit in mid pack and wire it. There’s no doubt, that he will place in the top 4. If I had to pick connections/trainer to win the derby, it would be these guy’s! They have quite the story behind them. So, I do believe this guy has the stuff to win. I definitely will be using him 1-3.

Verrazano - (More Than Ready-Enchanted Rock, by Giant's Causeway) Todd Pletcher is the trainer. This horse was at the top of many’s list, leading up to the Wood Memorial. He still won the Wood, but it wasn’t as great of a race, as I’d like to see. He’s still a very talented, unbeaten horse, but he lacks the experience. He is 4 for 4, but never ran as a 2 year old. He won 2 allowance races this winter at Gulfstream Park, before traveling up to northern Florida to win the Tampa Bay Derby, then traveling to New York for the Wood Memorial. Yes, he has done everything thats been asked and thrown at him, and has a nice running style and the best jockey/trainer with him. So, what's wrong? I see that 10 furlongs will most likely not be up his alley. He could show me wrong, and I promise right now, that I wouldn't be surprised if he won, because he really makes me ask a lot of questions. I think he has enough class, but there will be a few other horses that will relish the distance more than him. I also haven’t seen the progression that I’d like to see in him. He looked like he was untouchable in his first three starts, but it looks like now the others have caught up to him. He’s going to be the favorite, but I wouldn’t bet him for the win. At the most, he may be in my superfecta, but not quite sure even on that yet. I will know more after Wednesday. I do give him the 1st place award for most beautiful horse though!

Lines Of Battle - ( War Front-Black Spech ) Aidan O’ Brien is the trainer. I really dont have a whole lot to say about this guy. He’s your foreign horse, who won the UAE Derby, over in Dubai in March. He does have pedigree that suggest that he likes dirt (UAE Derby is on tapeta) and his pedigree is borderline. The problem is, there have never been to many foreign horses who have finished in the top 10. I suspect him to place towards the back. He’s a nice tapeta/synthetic surface horse, but I think the whole horse racing world would be shocked if he wins, or even gets 2nd.

Goldencents (Into Mischief-Golden Works, by Banker's Gold) Doug O'Neill – Can this one also 'Win one for Ware' just like Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals did? This horse is partly owned by Rick Pitino. This horse will definitely be one of the favorites, only because he has a famous owner. This horse has a similar story like I’ll Have Another’s last year. He was a nice 2 year old, trained by O’ Niel (same trainer who trained I’ll Have Another), has a new jockey, and won the Santa Anita Derby too. This horse will bring a lot more people to the Derby, only because of his story. His Santa Anita Derby wasn’t as impressive as like last year's running of it. This horse will most likely have distance problems. I can’t see him winning the Derby. Nice horse, but not enough class. The only way I see him hitting the board is if some horses like code west dont enter, then I may be using him in some of my superfectas. It would be another nice story though, if he did win. 

Java’s War (War Pass-Java, by Rainbow Quest) Ken McPeek – In his first start of the year, he was beaten soundly by Verrazano in the Tampa Bay Derby, but he proved he is clearly a different (much more improved since then) colt and confirmed his class with a remarkable last to first performance in the Blue Grass at Keeneland. He did it against a moderate pace - and was visually impressive. Although there was no faulting his performance, except for the relatively slow clocking; it was on a vastly different surface (Polytrack), which cannot be overlooked. Remember, he has been successful on dirt too though. Ten furlongs will be just perfect too, and he’ll be extremely dangerous if he receives a major pace meltdown. I don't really envision that scenario happening. I can picture this horse passing a lot of horses late, but I don't see him making it to the winners circle. Though, he should be considered in your superfectas.