To me, scratchng Mo like they did when it is possible they knew all along they would scratch him is pretty sad.  Sad for a horse like Sway Away that had a fairly good chance of running well in this race.  I wonder if Mo would have drawn a more favorable post if they would have scratched him?  As much as I like Pletcher in the past, I am growing increasingly concerned with the way his top horses seem to wither by the time the TC and the Oaks come around.  The two possible favorites in the Oaks and KD scratched this year.  The favorite in the KD injured and scratched last year and also running a decent filly in the Derby last year when she had no chance to win.  Pretty sad indeed.

A horse I feel they all have to beat is MMM.  He might not win the race himself, but they are going to have to deal with him at some point.  Soldat, if his last was an anomaly and he bounces back will be really tough.  My outsider if he takes to the dirt is Animal Kingdom.  However, there is no way I will make my final decision until a couple of races before the Derby when I see how the track is playing and what the actual track condition is.  Good luck everyone.  Wide open Derby for sure.

Exacta box: Soldat, Brilliant Speed, Midnight Interlude

Across the board: same three, plus MMM and Twice the Appeal

There goes my forty bucks.

Jason,  It is such a crap shoot and if it pours even moreso. The case you make for these 4 is as fair as any, especially for MMM and DI.

For me though, Archarcharch, carries the most solid foundation for this test the deepest work and the sharpest race ready attitude.

I still feel he has the best shot at being on or right near the lead at the top and I still think despite his #1 hole, John can figure out a way to get this Gutsy Horse in position to win.

so its top 3 finishers for me

AAA, MMM & DI for me.  

Stay Thirsty is doing a well as he ever has so he might just bring it tomorrow.

Good luck God Bless and safe trips for all.  

i feel bad for sway away too :(

Good Horsemanship????? They knew he wasn't going to run BEFORE the pp's were drawn, you do not enter a horse that isn't 100%. They knew he wasn't 100% for at least two weeks weeks and they sure knew it on Wednesday. And what is really sad, the horrible part of this, is that people lost out on a chance to run their horse in the race. For example the owners of Sway Away may never get another chance to fulfill this dream because of the selfishness of Mo's connections.

That´s the real Repole, and the real Pletcher.

This has nothing to do with MO, he is a real star.

LAZ

Agree with what you stated about Sway Away. Hear he's pointed toward the Preakness. And,you know how I feel about Pletcher. lol

Jorge and Laz: You couldnt be more off base. Get your facts straight. They DIDNT know they were going to scratch him all along. They gave him every chance to recover and he didnt repsond. They made the decision yesterday. Mike put up the $25k to enter. Mo was the top money earner in the field and the juvenile champ. They dont owe anyone anything, except themselves and the horse. They did the right thing by scratching him. Do you have any idea how much money he spent to treat his horse? You have a lot of nerve.

Feel bad for connections of Sway Away? Blame CD for not having also-eligibles.

Exacta Box: Zazu, St. John's River and Daisey Devine.

Joyful victory's numbers are way too low for such a short priced favorite.

Exacta Box: Dialed In, Animal Kingdom, Soldat, Midnight Interlude.

Tri's include on Nehro, Shackleford and Brilliant Speed.

WPS money on Mucho Macho Man, Pants on Fire, Stay Thirsty, Master of Hounds and Derby Kitten.

Archx3 will be over bet and I don't think he is going to do any better than Lookin' at Lucky did last year.

IMO the only outside horse that will try to cut over in front of the field,and will be able to do this is shack.I think soldat got a worse draw than even arch in this scenario which includes pvall sending commattt from 6 and having at least one close presser and remember decisive moment is inside of him.The others that can press closely are the 7 pants on fire and maybe 9 twinspired, or even MMM,I think the others are too slow or not QUICK enough to try to press pace closely from their sarting positions ,MOH is the wildcard I dont know what he will do.UM wanted same trip that Mclaughlin wants with soldat and he scratched eventhough connections think he had a chance to win at less than 100%

Glad you are taking pleasure in Mo getting sick Mike Relva. Well done.

All I've learned about Pletcher and Mike Repole over the past couple of days is that they're nothing but BSers! First he's so confident that his horse will win that he'll singlehandedly make him the favorite and now they scratch? Repole still has confidence in Pletcher after all of this? Pletcher and Repole don't deserve a pat on the back for not creating another Life At Ten situation. My standards are a bit higher than that. They put themselves before the horse, simple as that. Now they've cost someone else a shot at running in the Kentucky Derby. Despicable!

I use the same Derby handicapping method every year and it *usually* works.  Stress on usually because i think this year is a total crap shoot no matter what method you use.  

So FWIW the top 5 by my method are Archx3, Pants on Fire, Comma to the Top, Mucho Macho Man & Dialed In.  

That is not my superfecta play.  Because this field is so confusing, I'm playing those 5 to win.

Of course, $5.00 saver bet on Calvin Borel.   I'm using him in my exotics, too.  

JASON

That's a cheap shot with no foundation. I've stated months ago wanted Mo healthy for tomorrow,if you remember correctly when he ran third last month,I STATED HE WASN'T HIMSELF,HE DESERVED A PASS. That's much more than you and Draynay would've said if it had been Zenyatta. As for Sway Away,feel bad that he didn't get in period. Was going to take great delight with Mo running tomorrow,so I could tell your pal Draynay how wrong he was.....again.

A 2 year old champions first race in 2010 is a paid workout at the Timely Writer. Crying out loud. Just like Rachel Alexandra's listed races in 2010. UM/Indian Charlie and RA/deOro.

No sense exposing these sprinters at the classic distance healthy or not.

Oaks - Bouquet Booth

Dam Line for this filly is rarely seen with Grandsire Riverman who was sired by Never Bend sire of the great Mill Reef, rated by Timeform as 6th best race horse in the world through the 20th Century.

Jason,

As you know, I didn't think Mo had a chance to win the Derby, basically because of the 2 race campaign and having been ill.  I just couldn't see him over coming that.  I am so glad they scratched him to give him a chance to recover and come back later well and fit.  I just love his owner.

I am going to bet Trifecta - ArchArchArch Shackleford and Twinspired.  Here's my reasons -- The training of both ArchX3 and Shackleford seem to be kind of old school and both these two look good, I like Jon Court and he deserves a win.  Shackleford - he looks like powerhouse, plus I like the Foresty connection, Twinspired -might be a closing kind of race, plenty of tiring horses.

I absolutely do not agree that Uncle Mo's connections were being selfish.  I believe they were doing what the public wanted them to do by giving Mo every chance he could get to run for the roses...but in the end, they did what is best for the horse.  The public wanted to see this horse run...now we just want to see him get better.  I have no idea who to bet on...i'll draw names out of a hat.

Derby:

Soldat

Mucho Macho Man

Shackleford

I sort of like Midnight Interlude too, and it´s going to be fun to see what Master of Hounds can do on the dirt.

Oaks:

Joyful Victory

Zazu

Plum Pretty

Safe trips to everyone!

To be FAIR, Mike Relva would never take pleasure in a horse getting sick. He likes horses too much.

the one thing no one in mentioning is bloodlines which is where Dialed In comes out on top in my book followed by Nehro i think Mucho Macho Man gets third

Kentucky Derby: Ext & Tri Box

Master Of Hounds

Midnight Interlude

Shackleford

Twice The Appeal

Derby Kitten

Dialed In

Soldat controlled the pace with easy fractions in his wins. Ran along on the lead in :48 flat and won easily. What makes everyone think that he'll be able to rate so easily here? He's not gonna go with the pace, which is going to be closer to what he saw in the Florida Derby, :46 and change. If he's anywhere near it he's toast, and if he's behind it he has shown no ability to rate. Having trouble seeing the angle but realize that a lot of you like him, he seems like the new wise guy horse to me. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the third or fourth choice the way he has picked up backers this week.

Jason

If you are saying that I am taking some kind of elation in Mo being sick and/or not racing tomorrow, that's way off.  I have always supported him from day one and even though he was not my sole pick in the race, I wanted him to compete and to do well.

I also state the obvious with Todd.  What's this, two years in a row he has had the favorite going into the Derby and his horse didn't start?  That type of thing happens, but the decision to scratch was made Thursday morning.  Why not do it the night before?  The Derby is a once in a life time experience for a horse and often for many owners.  Mike might have put up the $25K.  He also won $1.3 million with Mo too.  It’s his horse, his decision.  My feeling is that if you know you aren’t going to go then why not give others a chance?

Jason: "You couldnt be more off base. Get your facts straight. They DIDNT know they were going to scratch him all along. They gave him every chance to recover and he didnt repsond. They made the decision yesterday. Mike put up the $25k to enter. Mo was the top money earner in the field and the juvenile champ. They dont owe anyone anything, except themselves and the horse. They did the right thing by scratching him. Do you have any idea how much money he spent to treat his horse? You have a lot of nerve.

Feel bad for connections of Sway Away? Blame CD for not having also-eligibles."

Bravo.

ZOOKEEPER

Thanks,I've never wished a horse ill fortune even if I don't like the trainer.

Jason,

You make a good point about Uncle Mo scratch. Repole may be well to do, but no one is going to throw $25K down the toilet. I feel bad for the horse's connections.

Hopefully he returns in the later half of the year.

It is too bad that they don't change the rules so that a late scratch will allow an also eligible to get into the race.

Regarding the race, I agree with 3 of your 4. I like Soldat, but my first choice is Dialed In. Yes he is a lukewarm favorite, but he has Zito and a top jock. Then, if you like DI, how can you not like Shackelford? The horse is on the improve and ran a great Florida Derby.

Blind Luck Rules, I love that little gal.

I think its ok to feel bad for both Sway Away's connections and for Uncle Mo and his connections without name calling, I can see both sides - Hypotheticly of course not really from how it effects them financially. I couldn't afford to even maintain a horse at this level let alone go buy one for half a million... the sad thing in this situation is no one wins.

I thought they DID have also eligibles why did they let 22 pass the entry box if they werent also eligible?

The problem with GI infections is that they are insidious seeming to be beaten but then coming back.  

Its also not so easy to see or diagnose. Sometimes all you can see is a slight loss of condition for no good reason and reluctance to "bloom" all these symptoms are slight and in such a well cared for animal can be almost imperceptable but these slight things DO affect performance

Ulcers are so common in stalled horses, this could be a carry over from that too I hope Mo recovers fully to his best form and WOWS us again sometime soon.

HOW bout that Plum Pretty - listened to it on the sat. can't wait to see the replay!!

Hey Draynay, wasn't that a California horse that just won the Kentucky Oaks? I think it was!!!

Jason,

 You are right about blaming CD as far as not having AE's. Why don't they? Makes no sense to me. Calvin's horse at 7-1 right now. Something else that makes no sense to me. Back later with my picks.

Garcia and Baffert combo gets me once again. Plum pretty ruined my  exacta of zazu and st. johns river, at least I got that joyful victory was not a synch. St. johns river just ran out of room, I expect to see big races from her later this year. All the credit to plum pretty I didn't think should could win unless she had the lead.

i have to agree with jorge a bit they might not have been 100% sure all along that they were going to scratch him but i bet they were like 90%-95%. when they brought up that if he missed the derby he wouldn't run in the preakness or belmont i knew he was done for this race. and bringing up money means absolutey nothing come $25K and vet fees to repole doesn't even count as pocket change. wouldn't shock me if he never runs again.

For the derby I would like to see Nerho, Midnight Interlude, Animal Kingdom,and Dialed In do well. As for betting I am really lost so I think I am going to bet Nerho across the board.

Jason,

Still working on the underneath but welcome aboard the SOULDAT TRAIN. This horse caught my eye with his first race back. Everything was going smooth until that hot day in early april. That aside, he is ready. Heck,even my brother spotted how poorly Soldat looked in the post parade at GP without even knowing who he was. I was away from the screen and he said who's that? He looks terrible. I rushed over to the screen and with a voice of dismay just shook my head and said.........that's Soldat. He was a mess. Well not tomorrow. He's dappled and ready to for the big payback. I can hear James Brown singing right now. Good luck to all. I will post the rest tomorrow. It's going to be an all nighter. NOAA reports too. Damn this is getting to complicated.

After watching Rosie's intrepid ride on St. John's River, I'm sticking with Pants On Fire.  That girl is unbelievable.  Her riding is untouchable.  Her horse runs well on a dry track, and even better on the slop.

Arkansas form is not holding up at Churchill....but I have to admit, I love the silks of Jinks Fires.  I think I had flames like that on one of my hot rods...so I have to give a nod to Archarcharch.

Did Plum Pretty show Sunland to be a prime prepping ground? Can Calvin do it agin on Twice The Appeal?  Fair Grounds form is holding very well at Churchill...with Machen and Wilkinson taking races.  After watching Rosie's ride in the Oaks, I think the odds will drop on POF.  I also like Midnight Interlude, Nehro, Stay Thirsty, and Dialed In and Mucho Macho Man.

josh.  Pretty close on the Fairgrounds backed exacta box in the Oaks.  NO ONE had St. John's River or DD.

The handicapping of this race will get much better after the 4th mint juelip.  In fact I'm starting now.

Mike, how wrong I am ?  Ask Jason how many 10 dollar Pick 3 win tickets I sent him today.  I WAS ON FIRE.  I was hitting everything.  I almost killed it with my Super and 100 W/P on St. Johns River.  Joyful Victory was a toss for me.  I bet the Super but not the Tri.  arrrrghh.

Let me give you the winning ticket for the Tri. for the Derby.  Box these 6 ( Nehro, Soldat, MMM, Santiva, Twice the Appeal, and Shackleford.)  Exatcta Box Santiva, Nehro, Soldat.  You can thank me later.

What a great day !  $$$ I will have some picks for you later but how great a race is the 9th tomorrow at Churchill ?

Someone has to win this.

Archarcharch on Top (Blind Luck Inspired me and made the world safe for closers again.)

With Dialed In (oh his FL Derby is painfully slow) and Midnight Interlude (Plum Pretty Inspired me and made the world safe for Beyer's and final times) on the exacta

With Nehro (could you look worse in the mornings?) and Soldat (His FLA Derby was so bad he has to improve) for the trifecta

Throw Comma To the Top on the back end for a Superfecta in the outside chance he gets loose, runs a 55 for the half, and gets sucked up by Archarcharch draft propelling him into 4th.  

Remember this.  In all the prep races only 1 horse looked like he wanted to go beyond 1 1/8th.  That horse was Nehro.  If you think Dialed In will EVER pass Nehro you are nuts.  Nehro wins.

Went the wrong way in the Oaks with Zazu, Plum Pretty, DD tri box.  Not too familiar with the Fairgrounds.  CA was 1-2 last Oaks, and 1-3 this Oaks.

The common thread looks to be Zazu and Plum Pretty chasing Turbulent Descent around the drag strip all year.  In fact it caused Zazu's 9 week vacation, and I was worried about her limited CD track time as well.  

Looks like Blind Luck tumbled out of the gate.  I guess she is alright.  

Householder

The CD track announcer actually picked St. John's River to win.  almost did too.  

Sway Away did not earn his way in....Pretty clear.

Stay Thirsty, Shack, Dialed in, and Baffert.  

Coldfacts my Bro,

How did your Oaks selection fare? (LOL).  Plum Pretty was quite impressive, don't you think?  She was much the best, notwithstandind St John's River's late rattle; and I can't help gloating and saying that I told you so.  By now you should be adding a little more weight to my Derby selection, Dialed In because as you can see Ranagulzion's selections in these big futurity races are not to be taken lightly.

I've seen your picks and all I can say to you is that only one horse in the field will get past Shackleford once the son of Forestry commandeers the front end in the Derby, and that colt is the 'Zito rocket'.

I look forward to seeing you Dialed In on our post-Derby exchanges.  Best of luck with "the hound" from Ireland.

Jason, I sincerely think we all love horses on this site. But I think some people are upset with Todd Pletcher. I am not. The situation is that Mo was improving on the medication and they thought they had a chance to race him. Then they stopped the medication and he started to decline. Being in medicine myself, I see this with people all the time and it is totally understandable to see it in a horse. They gave it their best shot and then they did the right thing by him and decided not to race. I congratulate them for being a caring trainer and owner. I feel very badly for Mike Repole especially and I am worried about Mo. He is definitely the most talented horse out there in my opinion. I hope they can figure this out for Mo's sake. He is my primary concern, Mike Relva's too and in fact, everyone's. On another note, I am watching the most wonderful show on PBS entitled THOROUGHBREDS, and who to my surprise appeared on the show but a very handsome Jason Shandler (a picture of him on a t.v. sportscast). My teeth almost fell out. If you get a chance to see it, it's fantastic.

O.k. my picks are your picks Jason. They make the most sense. My longshot is Pants On Fire.

I agree, that was a cheap shot at Mike Relva, that kind of accusation is expected from Draynay, the rest of us are more civilzed I thought.  I don't think Jason would spend time away from work to visit retired horses, but then again I could be wrong.  I just think Mike see horses more than just as a racehorse and a betting interest.  

Glad they scratched him, it was the only thing they could do with the horse.  He can re-emerge and prove himself in the Preakness.  I just don't get Todd P with his preparation of Uncle Mo but I believe Mike R had a lot of say on how Mo was prepped for the Derby.  I think he wanted a Smarty Jones.  A win in the Derby undefeated.  In the end, they had nothing to lose, scratching him was the best thing to do for the horse and am glad they did.

The Rock :  Where you at man ?  Looking forward to your picks tomorrow.  Nothing's changed on my bets, still think Dialed In is the best horse in this race, I hope he runs higher than 2-1 which I said he will end up with, and now that UM scratched, he might actually run at 9-5.  I can't see any other horses taking up the money.

Here's my picks :

$20 EXB :

Dialed In WITH Twinspired

$5 EXA :

Dialed In WITH ArchX3, Soldat, POF, MMM

$32 TRIFECTA :

Dialed In WITH  Twinspired, ArchX3, Soldat, POF WITH Twinspired, ArchX3, Soldat, POF, MMM, Santiva, Twice The Appeal, Brilliant Speed

$192 SUPERFECTA :

Dialed In WITH  Twinspired, ArchX3, Soldat, POF WITH Twinspired, ArchX3, Soldat, POF, MMM, Santiva WITH Twinspired, ArchX3, Soldat, POF, MMM, Santiva, Twice The Appeal, Brilliant Speed

I'll play my .50 cent superfecta and trifecta with Twinspired on top using the same combinations, just in case lol.  I'll go and bet these now before I change my mind again.  Going to play Los Alamitos and Cal Expo tonight, hoping to hit something.   I want to play the P4 and P6 at Churchill Downs tomorrow.

I played my $10 DD with PP to Dialed In, hope it pays at least $20 lol.

I think everyone is really under-rating Watch me Go...I know his connections and he has some talent that is being overlooked...even in this group! So My Exacta picks:

Dialed In

Watch me Go

soldat

Mucho Macho Man

DRAYNAY

Then I'm nuts, Dialed In will pass him and many others. lmao

I am still alive in my Oaks/Derby double.  Just need any one of the following to come in:

Pants on Fire

Dialed In

MMM

Shackleford

Midnight Interlude

Tomorrow, I may just cover myself and Exacta Box:

Nehro

Stay Thirsty

Soldat

Santiva

ArchArchArch

If it rains... I will likely box all those expected to be on or near the lead which may be 8 or 9 deep. (Yikes!)

Here is to hoping the storms are short lived and light in precipitation!

Feel bad for Uncle Mo.Hopefully every blogger at the bloodhorse finally sees the real Mike Repole.Money doesn't buy class and this cat has absolutely no class.Talks way too much,gave no credit to Toby and Arthur who blew by his horse in the wood,says he is gonna slam Mo at the windows so he is the derby favorite.Then scratches out the day before the race.Please the powers that be at blood horse online no more from this guy thanks

Beautiful Oaks Day...except that I did not win one of my bets.  Maybe I should stay away from the exotics and just go for straight bets.

Anyways, good luck to all tomorrow at the Derby.  BTW, I am just grateful that BloodHorse does replays, since that appears to be the only way that I will ever see the races ... even though I AM AT THE RACES!

I think the reason Churchill doesn't have AEs for the Derby is because of advanced wagering on Oaks day.

Picks -- Arch3, Dialrd In, MMM, Soldat, Pants on Fire

EVER HEARD OF SECRETARIAT? THE TRAINER SAID TO THE JOCKEY...."YEA SURE" SAID THE JOCKEY....."WELL..YOURE ON HIS BACK!"................ZITO SAID THIS BEFORE DIALED IN'S 1ST START!     TRUE STORY......

ANYONE SEE THAT OLDER HORSE THAT BEAT DIALED IN RUN TODAY? CLOSE LOSS TO OLDER GRADED STKS HORSES! ALW LOSS WASNT AS BAD AS YOU THOUGHT HUH? NO PACE AT ALL THAT DAY......MAYBE YOULL LEARN SOMETHING TOMORROW PEOPLE!!!

i like st johns river but i couldn't get my bet in. but its a good thing i would have done a kathmanblu, STJR exacta.

in the derby i like AAA, animal kingdom, Brilliant speed. i cant see nehro winning nor twice the appeal. ill probably play dialed in as a back up and maybe master of hounds for fun. AAA might be a price cause of the post, AK now has johnny v although he doesn't have the churchill exp like robby he's the better rider, hope fully all goes well. Brilliant speed is now routing on dirt the two performances on dirt ill throw out due to him being green, sprinting.

i think this is going to be a good derby

the way rosie rode ST johns river makes me like pants on fire alot more now i will  use him as well.

St Nicholas Abbey ran a much improved race in his second start this year, demolishing the field in the GR3 Ormonde.  A good step in the right direction.  Still will have to step up, but so much improved over his first run.  He quickened easily and won by a wide margin without his jock uncocking the whip.  

First things first, kudos to Bob Baffert (with The Factor) and Todd Pletcher for knowing their horses were not going to be 100% right for the Derby and choosing not to run.  Not every trainer would pass up the opportunity, whether or not they had other horses to run.

That said, geesh what to do with this field.  I probably won't lay any money down until shortly before post time, but the 4 that figure into my wagering scenarios are:

DIALED IN

STAY THIRSTY

MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE  

MUCHO MACHO MAN

And what about the racing today? What a thrilling Oaks!  Anna Naprovnik is amazing and I'd sit her on a horse of mine anyday.

Loved seeing First Dude winning the Alysheba, but was perplexed seeing Caracortado in this spot.  I think there were better choices for him, though I know he didn't draw into the race they wanted for him originally.  

Another perennial favorite of mine, Blind Luck, showed her old stuff today and a new star emerged in Plum Pretty.

Good luck to everyone betting tomorrow!

I just cannot see how anyone can think Stay Thirsty has a chance with a su-90 Best Beyer and having consistently been outworked by the sub-par Mo.  What is the appeal of this horse  I am mystified.  I would love to see Mike Repole continue to be a spokesperson for racing but don't see any way this horse can put him in the Derby winner's circle.

Jason: You could not be more wrong.

I read on the Downey Profile subscrition section last week that Mo was going to be scratched.

They new; fact is his[Repole] emotions got the best of him.

He wanted to win this race so bad but what speaks out most is what little faith they must have in Stay Thirsty..

Todd Pletcher on the scratching of Uncle Mo, " it was very very very, very, very disappointing". Blah blah blah blah blah.

Lazmannick,

I could not agree more with your comments. The entry of a sick/short horse in Uncle Mo is another black eye for horse racing. Team Pletcher admitted that they have the best vets around to care for their horses. They also have money to pay for every possible procedure and legal drug under the sun. You can add Quality Road as a gate scratch in the 2009 B.C. and a last place finish in the 2010 B.C. to the growing list of laughable results from team Pletcher. Has he won a Breeders Cup Classic or Dubai World Cup? Has he campaigned a Horse of the Year? Pletcher's strength as a trainer is simply the number of blue blood horses that owners send him.

Draynay,

Nehro, come on already, he has already fired his best shot and he never wins. I thought Aunt Mo was 10 lengths better than every 3 year old in the country. Do you remember back to January when you and Ranagulzion were foaming at the mouth over Aunt Mo? I stated back then that I would be surprised if Mo even makes it into the starting gate under Pletcher's care.

jayjay,

The Plum Pretty/Dialed In double is paying far more than $20. I have four doubles going(Dialed In,ArchArchArch,Brilliant Speed, and Soldat), the payouts are great!

Out of all the prep races I watched the most impressive was Dialed In Maiden win on his first out as well.

Zito says he was a little chunky,now he dropped weight..

I believe they call this sharp..

Track plays tomorrow like today Dialed in is the safest bet to hit the board.

My big hit of today was Victoria Wildact closed very well..

Gulfstream was represented today..

Good luck to all

I will take a trifecta box of Master of Hounds, Twice the Appeal, Watch Me Go, and Derby Kitten. Also I'll bet Derby Kitten across the board, thinking he is doing really well and no reason he can't run with these.

And now, a brief moment of clarity. The

chartmaker blew his recap of the Louis-

iana Derby by, uh, "failing to mention"

that MUCHO MACHO MAN lost a shoe in it

just a NK and 1/2 behind PANTS ON FIRE

and NEHRO never giving up the goods. In

the HOLY BULL, MMM was bumped VERY HARD in the chute and had to succumb

to DIALED IN by 4 1/2.  MMM ran a 99

BEYER in the REMSEN while being clip-

ped from behind for the place...nice!

MMM is a grinder, long and hard, no

surrender. PANTS ON FIRE will back up, NEHRO is doomed if the cushion

comes up wet, ditto DIALED IN from

half a mile back. MMM has outrageous

Tomlinson's in case you haven't no-

ticed -- higher than even SOLDAT'S

slop numbers.  MMM posted a bullet

breezing 5 panels at Gulfstream in

:58.1 on Apr 9 -- simply the fastest

workout of ALL Derby hopefuls. Get

him while he's HOT, fellow turfers,

at a berzerk-o 20-1!!! Don't just

send in one lung, do the deuce. Dr.

Eyego has focused!        

Well, I played my tickets.  I'm holding on to the superfecta winning tickets but it won't be official until tomorrow hehe.

Just saw my DD bet will pay $61 to Dialed In although I'm not sure if that's the payout on a $1 or $2 bet.  If I had known that, I would've played it more on PP!

Good luck to all playing the Derby tomorrow.  Hope all horses get out of the gate safe and cross the finish line with no injuries.  Looking forward to finally seeing the best horse out of this evenly matched field.  I don't think it's the worst crop of 3 yr olds but they all have yet to show they can dominate.  I think DI will do that tomorrow and if he can survive the fresh horses in the Preakness, we're looking at the next TC winner.  I really believe that!

Laz, Mike Relva

    I've always thought that they should have an also eligible list for the Derby.  Then again, had Sway Away finished better in the AR Derby, he would have had enough graded earnings to make the field without being on such a list so it is what it is.  He had his chances to earn more graded money and he didn't, plain and simple.  Honestly, I think Churchill shouldn't just go with graded earnings, but place more emphasis on graded earnings based on the level of race (I.E GI races count more than GIII races).

    Second, to all those knocking Pletcher, give me a break!!!  The guy has won a lot of big time stakes races, multiple training titles at the best tracks and campaigned multiple champion horses for their division and not all of them have had the best pedigrees like many would claim.  Many of the best owners send their horses to him for a reason!!!

    Anyway, good day today for me as far as wagering (Thank you Victoria's Wildcat, First Dude and Banned).  If St. John's River gets up in the Oaks, it would have been a great day, but I can't complain.  Hopefully tomorrow will be as profitable. As for the Derby, I'm taking $100 to win on Archarcharch, $25 exacta box AAA & MMM and finally a small tri with AAA on top, MMM and Soldat in 2nd and all in the 3rd spot.  Yes, the 1 post stinks for AAA, but is there really a favorable post in a 20 horse field?  Any horse breaks bad and veers one way or another and 1/2 the field's chances can be wiped out before they even get into stride.  On the undercard, I love Bridgetown in the Turf Sprint.  Good luck to all.

Watch for Stay Thirsty to come into the cooler KY climate and drop a bomb today!  You can picture the story that will be involved if Pletcher/Repole win.  Just like Pletcher did last year after Eskendereya went down...

Uncle should have been scratch when they discover he had the GI problem, you do not push a champion horse, the connections robbed another frm getting a chance at the KD.

I like a long shot to win the KD, my horse is COMMA TO THE TOP, he got the speed to get away from them and a great rider that know how to rate a front runner. My other picks to follow COMMA is SHACKLEFORD,ANIMAL KINGDOM, BRILLANT SPEED,and MMM

GOOD LUCK ALL WIN A BUNDLE.

Call me crazy but I think Comma To The Top is going to be around a lot longer than people think. I'm hoping he is around long enough to get to the wire first.

Comma

Animal Kingdom

Dialed In

Draynay,

Nehro will be closing when the race is over. A class horse doesn't play bridesmaid.  Dialed In has won three out of his four starts coming from 'impossible' positions and against 'impossible' speed bias.  Get some education on this sport Pal.

I love how some are so confidant/arrogant about their picks.  And even in defeat were "right."  I would think true handicappers don't even bet the derby because of all the question marks/luck involved. But not beign one myself, I'm going with Shackelford if it is sloppy and Dialed In if its dry.  Shocked Twice the APpeal was bet so low; even with the Borel effect.  Only Decisive Moment, Comma to the Top, and Watch me Go would surprise me if they hit the Tri.    

Dialed In has raced just 4 times and has done it slowly.  Pick another horse.

Brilliant Speed is my top pick, I have him in a win/place bet.  I used him in separate exacta boxes with him and Dialed In and Mucho Macho Man.  For kicks and giggles: Trifecta Key: Brilliant Speed over Mucho Macho Man and/or Master of Hounds.  "May the horse be with you!" - the one & only Harvey Pack

Ex box

Dialed In

MMM

Shackleford

Midnight Interlude

Soldat

MI to win, Baffert takes the Oaks/derby double.

Good luck!

Still think Nehro is the play here, and I have a feeling I'm either going to be right or very, very wrong.

Exacta Box: Nehro, AAA, Pants on Fire, MMM, Master of Hounds

Trifecta Key: Nehro, AAA, Pants on Fire/ Nehro, AAA, Pants on Fire/ Nehro, AAA, Pants on Fire, MMM, Master of Hounds, Dialed In, Animal Kingdom

WPS on Nehro, PS on AAA and Pants on Fire

Good luck to all!

DRAYNAY

Will bet Dialed In finishes ahead of your new horse that your friend Asmussen trains. lol

JAYJAY/ PAULA

Thanks.

Mr Pletcher is just having an unfortunate time.  High profile trainers can go through periods like that.  Sometimes things just happen and there is really nothing you can do about it.  I read so many conflicting reports about Uncle Mo.  Somne said he looked great, some said he didn't.  Some said he worked well and some said he didn't.  Some said his appetitie was good and his energy was good, others reported that his appetite was decreasing and so was his energy.  The best thing was to scratch the horse but I understand wanting to try to make the race also.  I'm not the biggest supporter of Mr Pletcher, but he doesn't deserve to be villified for this.  And everyone who is talking about Sway Away- if he wins the Preakness and Belmont decisively, then talk about how he was kept out of the Deerby.  But his Arkansas Derby race does not scream contender to me.

1. Animal Kingdom – All he has to do is take to the dirt and a nice 6F work over the track makes me think he will.  He has had two dominant wins at 9F, in each one drawing away with authority, one from a close stalking position and the other from well back.  I like his versatility, his trainer and the fact that he is a true router who has never raced below a mile.

2. MMM - He would be my first choice except that he hasn't raced in 36 days.  That's a long time.  He is also very large (17 hands and still growing) and was a June foal.  If he overcomes these concerns he will be very tough to beat.  I like his versatility and tactical ability to rate close to the pace.  Two nice 7F works sandwiched by two exceptionally nice 5F works.  Definitely the one to beat IMO.

3. Soldat – His 17 post is a concern as no horse has won from there since before 1900.  I’m betting that his Florida Derby was an anomaly as he was stuck along a very dead rail the entire race (the only horse to have that happen to him) on an obvious speed biased track that saw Shackleford almost go all the way and the stone closer Dialed In struggle in the last 20 yards to get to him like speed biased tracks often do.  Garcia can pretty well put him wherever he wants and with the long run through the stretch the first time should be able to get a favorable position.  I don’t think they’ll go for the lead, but they will give him his head if he wants to go.  The distance should not be a problem and he has the highest rated route Beyer on dirt this year at 103.

4. Santiva.  My main concerns are:  only two races this year and backing up in his last.  A big plus is his route win over this track in a G2 race.  Has been working steadily but I am not a fan of 4F works when horses have been lightly raced.  As Billy Turner, Slew’s trainer said, good horse like to work, they thrive on it.  That just raises a flag to me.

Master of Hounds

Soldat

Midnight Interlude

Brilliant speed

I liked Bind's race today.  He was a little head strong for the first 5 furlongs and erratic in the stretch when Rosie was trying to get him into his proper lead.  He got beat by half a length by a nice horse in Worldly and should improve.

I was very happy with my exactor box until I saw that it matched that of Jason. Now I guess my only chance for a nice payday Saturday is to play the slots.

Clearly, with the rain falling, the track condition will have a great deal to do with the outcome.But so many of the horses entered have no form on an "off-track". This race reminds me of the year Mine That Bird won the Derby . . . with the favorite out and the track being a sea of mud.

The favorite is lightly raced and has no form on a muddy surface. He also is a closer so we don'y know how he will react to mud thrown in his face. He was all-out to catch and beat Shackleford in the Florida Derby and yet Shackleford remains a longshot in the morning line. If I remember correctly Shackleford ran greenly in the stretch and yet the favorite was vigorously handled and all-out to win and beat Shackleford by a neck.

Animal Kingdom was very impressive in his win at Turfway. If he is able to repeat that performance(and handle an off - track) he can be right there at the finish.

So, Shackleford and Animal Kingdom. Possibilities go to Brilliant Speed and Twinspired.

With due respect to all, i read just this morning that Pletcher told Mike the horse was not running on Thursday. BUT, not until after the 3 Vets met was it announced on Friday morning

that Uncle Mo was being scratched and thus the conference with Mike announcing it.

No one who bets, doesn't bet, or just loves the sport would ever wish ill will toward any horse with

perhaps the exception of a couple of folks and those are just being hard headed. I don't think they really would have negative thoughts in their heart of hearts.

Uncle Mo obviously has something and has had it for a while. Super antibiotics, etc. are not curing the situation. My best hopes and wishes are that the vets can ultimately find out what is causing the problem so that Mike can put him back on the tracks.

Mike, you are a super person, keep your chin up and don't give up on Mo Man. Racing needs you both and

please know you are appreciated and such a refreshing face on our horizons. Mo is a young horse and can come back and shine like a dime when he is fully sound! And we look forward to that day.

I like Pants on Fire, Dialed In, Shackleford, Mucho Macho Man, Watch Me Go and for the odds, Comma To The Top at 43 to 1. And i don't bet.

On the doppler radar for Louisville today,it is showing the rain moving out by 3:15 pm.

Thanks Jason. Hope your bets make you enough to take your kids to Disneyland!  

Ok,

Game day and time to throw down.

Soldat

to

Arch, Nehro, Mucho, Animal k, Brilliant S,

to

Arch,Nehro, Mucho, Stay, Animal K, Brilliant S, Pants, Twinspired, santiva.

I will flip second tier with Soldat and hope he gets 1st or second.

No use putting my supers up but I have 4 of 5 $4 future exactas still alive. I have Soldat to MMM, Santiva, Stay Thirsty and all Others which includes all but Arch and Dialed  In.

Good Luck All, enjoy it all. See you after the race.

Well, I just settled on trifecta: Soldat, Archx3 and Shackleford...Call it a crazy pick, but what has not been crazy this year? The only horse I really like of those three is ArchX3 - he's been solid and constantly don't appreciated. I believe he's got a potential, however starting from hole 1 buries much of his chances, I think. The positive aspect of this year's Derby is that for the first time it won't be stressful for me - I don't have heavy favorite and will watch this race for pure pleasure of watching and be happy whatever the winner will be :)

trifecta box

Master of hounds, MI,3m. brilliant speed,dialed in.see ya at the wire

Jason, Thank you for your response on 5/6 regarding Uncle Mo.  Did anyone of the above people listen and watched the press conference Pletcher and Repole held?  Are any of them were aware of Devil May Care's being euthanized this past Wednesday, because of lymphosarcoma that was discovered due to a very enzyme count?  Uncle Mo was scratched due to a very high enzyme count - that is not something to take lightly, especially in the wake of Devil May Care's death.  Get real people!

You are all so petty it is pathetic!  

Dang I was wrong, you CAN still get 15 to 1 on Archarcharch  Betcha some!  I feel like this horse WILL be in the money.

Tri

AAA MMM DI

POF AND AK next.

God Bless them all!!

glad I didn't have a dime on the Derby.  congrats to all who won.

At least Master of Hounds ran credibly.  Just not good enough.

STELLER JAYNE

Yeah,I'm "AWARE" everytime I see a headline about a horse that's sick,injured,put down I read it. Instead of blasting Mo when he didn't run well last month like many on here that did,I posted he deserved a pass cause he wasn't himself. Maybe you should read my comments carefully next time.

Laz,

Great call on AK.

Jayjay,

Didn't get a chance to post my picks. And let me save you the suspense. After race 4 at churchill, it went all downhill for me. Except for Get Stormy. This card just turned upside down IMO. And with AK's pedigree, i didn't think he'd handle dirt with all that turf pedigree. Not surprised he won with all the twist and turns in this Derby.  

Congrats to anyone who got that right.  Will say that he looked strong and Belmont will be right up his alley.  Could be the unlikliest of Triple Crown hopefuls.  Almost cashed my huge show bet on Shackelford, at least got a thrill.  Had 13, 14, 19 on several tickets but only had the 16 underneath on a couple of Supers.  Hope AAA is ok.    

Well as always I was able to pick the best American horse in the Derby while many of you were clueless.  Dialed In was a complete waste of money and I told you that again and again.  I will keep this short because I have a lot of place money to spend.  Mike Dialed In did not finish in front of Nehro.  As far as I know Dialed In hasn't finished yet.  Ranagulzion your passion for Dialed In tells me you know nothing about how to handicap the Derby.  Ranagulzion, you were saying something about Nehro and the Class of Dialed In ?  Would you like to repeat what you said ?

Terrible race for ArchArchArch, hope he can recover and come back for the second half of the year. Worst luck out of the 1 hole yet, but all because of the saddle slipping.

Played a big hunch bet, and got a great payout on Animal Kingdom, bet him across the board. Although with all the history to buck, I thought he's have higher odds than Shackleford. Too bad Shackleford didn't hang on for the money, it would have been nice at 23-1. MMM ran another good effort, he hit the board as I anticipated. Nehro was the one who messed up all of my exacta, tris, and supers, if it wasn't for him. But overall a great race and a clearer picture of the 3 year old standings. I was happy to see Animal Kingdom and Shackleford looked fantastic in the post parade. Overall the only two in the top 9 that I was surprised about were Santiva and Brilliant Speed running 6th and 7th. Nice effort by Master of Hounds too. Aside from poor AAA, the rest finished as I expected. I was concerned about Nehro's "poor" work, post 19, fairly low odds, and number of races in a short time period so I didn't include him anywhere and crossed him off my shortlist. It will be interesting to see if he bounces at all in the next two.

Very impressive for Animal Kingdom and Nehro though. I hope AK turns out to be something really great... and I hope Nehro, MMM, Shackleford, MoH, and Dialed In follow him to the Preakness with the others expected to be waiting. Hope the rest of the field came out of the race injury free and that everyone did ok with their bets! On to the Preakness... and hopefully some easier handicapping. 3 outta 4 just doesn't count for big payouts in the wrong order.

I didn't get to watch the Derby "live" because I had to be at a 3PM meeting.  Seems like some people didn't get the memo about it being Derby day.

But I watched alot of analysis in HRTV last night and in the morning.  I was as sold as ever on the 4 horses I liked, but not enough to spend alot of money.  Just $2 to win on Dialed In, and exactas with him, Stay Thirsty and Mucho Macho Man.  But because of what someone said on HRTV, and I'm not sure who that was, but they showed Animal Kingdom's work and said if they could get 20-1 on a horse with a work like that they were betting.  So 5 minutes before I went to my meeting, I put $2 on Animal Kingdom.

I know, I'm the last of the big time spenders and now I'm kicking myself in the butt.  Never bet $2 on a 20-1!!  But it's enough to buy us all a nice dinner tonight, so for that I thank you nameless HRTV analyst.... And it kept alive my now 3 years of successful win bets at the Derby.

DARN! I HAD 100W 60 P ON MMM...GOOD EFFORT..CANT FEEL BAD...SAVER BET 80W HASTER OF HOUNDS....THOUGHT HE RAN OK.....TOUGH DERBY!!!!   BUT...LIKE I POSTED LAST WEEK..WATCH THE ARK DERBY AGAIN...LOOK AT ARCH TAKE A BAD STEP RIGHT AT 1/8TH POLE.....I POSTED "DID ANYBODY SEE AAA TAKE BAD STEP?"  I'M JUST SAYING...I THINK IT HAPPENED IN THAT RACE....HORSE RAN BEST RACE THAT DAY....THATS WHEN THEY GET HURT.....WATCH THAT RACE AND TELL ME IF YOU SAW IT....

When I handicapped this race, I liked Nehro, who is a distance horse, and should do well in the Belmont. His prior starts showed him rallying and just missing, as he did today. I thought an added 1/8 of a mile would give him the chance to win.  I also liked Master of Hounds, since he had finished 2nd at the Preakness distance overseas.  I never liked Dialed in, whose Beyer figures dropped with added distance, thus the reasoning was, if his Beyer figs dropped at a 1 1/8, how would he win the Derby?

The obvious about Animal Kingdom was his record, and improving Beyers. I did not pick him, but felt Nehro was the standout at longer distances. Animal Kingdom's first try on the dirt in a major race was gutsy, and for Johnny Velazquez, bittersweet, because of Mo's and Robby Aborado's issues.  I will add that Animal Kingdom was an obvious choice in retrospect, given his record and improving speed figures over time. Bluntly, I would say the others simply did not have any reason to be in the race.

Going forward, I would think Animal Kingdom will do well in the Preakness, but may come up short in the Belmont against some of the other closers, especially Nehro, who should excel at that distance.

Anyone catch that Barry Irwin comment about going to one trainer b/c the previous one's lie'd to him? Wonder how Pletcher feels about that, especially after Pluck was "plucked" from his barn after the BC win last year.

Laz : NICE JOB on your pick!  Hope you hit it big bud!  To the others that picked Animal Kingdom to win, congrats!

I can't say Dialed In has an excuse, although I'm not sure why he was that far back when the pace wasn't that fast.  The track seemed really deep and the speed wasn't holding on, I can't think of any reason why DI ran the way he ran.   When I saw him dead last, I crumpled all my tickets since he was my single.  Glad Johnny V got his derby finally and on what seem like a good horse.  TC material, I'd have to say no but considering the crop of 3 yr olds this year, I'd have to say he's got a shot.

and who said horses cant win coming off the synthetic. new angle now any horse coming off the synthetic and is running on the churchill main track bet them. examples that suport this are animal kingdom (won ) and dakota phone(won. haha animal kingdom triple crown?? will see. he's bred to run all day. i thought master of hounds ran huge maybe the belmont i would go there if i was coolmore.  MMM ran his heart out looking forward to see what they'll do with him. i was right about nehro although he could have say in the preakness. i hope AAA is well i herd they said it wasn't life threatening so thats good, he broke good too i was expecting big from him.

FIRST,  Get Well soon Archarcharch - it was sickening to see the headon reply, he roled that ankle BAD at he gate. They keep saying he didnt show distress till after the finish - but I say freakin' OUCH. I cant believe he ran at all, and NOT last - My heart goes out to this fine, fine animal and his equally classy connections.

Congrats to Animal Kingdom and Motion and all 20 plus of his owners another "other feel good story" here I'm so happy for his conections.

Does anyone think its kind of eerie Derby fate that Johnny was gonna win and if not on Mo then what ever it took? muwahahaha... sorry gave me chills. Amazing pick up ride Johnny is some kinda hand, that is fact.

NOT to belittle Animal Kingdom's effort.  His win was impressive. He was ready. Animal Kingdom looked awesome all week and is a versatile

masterpiece.

AGAIN we see how fragile Grade 1 winning closers are.  That much gritty CD kickback put DI off worse than it did Zenyatta.  He is a nice colt but ... he just Natta Zenyatta. JL was so honest that he needed them to back up for him - crawling pace assured other better positioned horses would rebrake and in JL's words - sprint off.  

MMM is gettin better every race and if he comes out of it OK should be his best in NY.

What new commers will we see in the Preakness? can AK continue to improve?  Will Johnny keep the mount?  (I do feel bad for Robby too)

How thrilling to think of the future, but Im still so very heartbroken about Archarcharch. He was really ready and kept running on heart alone glad he didnt tear it up worse. I think he doesnt roll that pastern and he is in the money.  

It was good to see that lots of the "poly" critters did well MOH looked like he could take to this dirt think just fine.

Just want to tell everyone that I held up that damn "I (heart)Ted from LA" sign at Gate 17 (admittedly, only for about 15 mins because it felt weird) AND TED STOOD ME UP.

On the plus side, after saying I was picking Dialed In, Master of Hounds, Soldat and Brilliant Speed, I also picked Shackleford and, because I liked his sire, ANIMAL KINGDOM -- across the board.

(Should anyone wish the proof, I have pictures of the bet slip -- I no longer have the slip because I cashed in in to pay for Oaks day)

Without my you-always-liked-the-sire bet, I would, as usual, have finished 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th.  Is there a secondary quadruplicatefecta for me somewhere in the world?

Still, I would heartily recommend to anyone in racehorseland to get to the Derby at least once -- even if you end up at the seats right where the starting gate is (your friends who know how to use cameras can always get you realy great start pictures.)

(Maybe it's over between Ted and I.)

I really like Animal Kingdom.

the_wiz 03 May 2011 3:18 PM

I like him even more now!! Jason you talked about him a bit, I sure hope at 20/1 you took a shot on him.

I Had him as my #1 going in. Liked Arch but tossed him from the one whole just like I tossed Lucky last year. Hit the .50 pick 3 twice at $1184.55 each and convinced my buddy to go in a on $3 tri which paid nearly 6 grand. Because of the wide open field stayed away from the super this year. This horse was mentioned by a number of people on this blog, I hope you all didn't shy away from him at the windows. The real clincher to go with him for you all should have been the fact that draynay never uttered a word about him. I'm marking the days off my calendar until next years Derby. My wife is sending me and my 2 boys all inclusive there as a retirement gift to me.

Whaaa?  A turf horse?  Animal Kingdom did very well, unexpectedly.  I know he had push button acceleration, I just didn't know he added the turbo boost.  For a 2 year old, MMM was incredible.  Rosie had POF sitting pretty in 4th for most of the race, but he seemed to tire badly in the last 2f.  I feel terrible for Jinks and Jon Court and Archie.  It would seem the jinx of Gate 1 remains.  He stumbled badly out of the gate, and yet he still ran, even though Court's saddle slipped up to AAA's ears.  Archx3's so beautiful; I hope he'll be fine after surgery.  That horse and his entire crew have so much heart.

It was a nice payout in the end...hope some of you hit the tri. Me, I'm still trying to figure out when they drained the tank on Pants On Fire.  Maybe he'll make a better miler?  Did anyone else's jaw drop when it looked as though Shackleford might go gate to wire?  All I can say is Animal Kingdom was amazing.  On to the Preakness!

Congrats to all that had Animal Kingdom, he ran one hell of a race and hope he takes home the Triple Crown!  

Couldn't have happened to a better trainer in Mr. Motion:

In 17 years as a trainer, Motion, 47, has saddled close to 7,900 horses and never been cited for a medication violation. Among the top 20 North American trainers in 2010, only Motion and Christophe Clement can make that claim.

Bravo to Animal Kingdom, Johnny V., Team Valor, and Mr. Motion !

On to the Preakness...

Draynay,

Some things never change, you are so full of yourself, it is quite comical!

Show me ONCE where you said you actually liked the winner?  Too funny...

AK and MH were my saver bets. Brilliant speed was my pick. My superfecta box was BS,MMM,SHAK,MH,AK. oh well. I feeel if MH had 1 us prep we might have a different winner.

DRAYNAY

Hey,I admit of all the races was only correct once,Crown Of Thorns. I was wrong on Dialed In,are you telling me you had Animal Kingdom?

LAZ

Nice going!

Master Of Hounds ran the best race of the lot. He was finishing best of all from an extremely bad trip.. From the overhead his rider changed direction five different times and he only got beat about 4 plus lengths. If he got the trip the Animal Kingdom got it would have been close. In retrospect post position 17 or 18 would have been more to his advantage; the slow pace of the race did not help him either. Those who said this horse was toss need to revisit the race. He entered the race with only one start in six months and finished ahead of 14 other colts. It would have been interesting if he got a better trip. His trainer Mr. Obrien deserves major credit for this training feat.  I hope they bring him back for the Belmont.

Now my heart goes out to plucky Comma to the Top and his connections he has an excuse now to finish last, poor baby, I hope he will be ok after they remove the chip.  

Thoroughbreds are such awesome yet fragile creatures.

Slowest first half since 1969 huh?  I know we are not thinking TC, I certainly wasnt, but this might be the crop that lets one slip by. Especially with the injuries and layoffs.

Motion is really impressed with AK's disposition and it takes mind as well as body to do this in 5 weeks.  AK's back ground invites longer races, they base in the MD climate and race at Pimlico a bunch...

Hmmm....

Congratulations to Lazmannick and those who picked Animal Kingdom. Mucho Macho Man was coming right after him and ran out of dirt. Will be an interesting Preakness and Belmont. He would indeed be an unlikely Triple Crown Winner, but not impossible in the group that is running right now. Mucho Macho Man seems to be some competition. I am worried about Mo. Elevated enzymes in a human can mean a number of things, I assume the same is true of horses. Some of them not so good.

now I hear POF bled significantly despite raceday Lasix... dang it.

something is telling me that the factor could have won this race. such a slow place he would have loved it.

Does anyone but me think it was inappropriate for Mr. Irwin to make that comment about his previous trainers not being honest (I am paraphrasing here)? I thought that was really poor form on his part and felt really bad for whoever his former trainers were. If he felt compelled to make that thought known, that was not the place to do it.

Woot! 2 derby winners in a row! I think I deserve to gloat after nailing a 20/1 and completely overlooked animal kingdom! My only problem is...how the hell did the BSF turn out to be a 103? That was wayyyy lowww than any prelim beyer that came out. Another MASTERPIECE of the flawed beyer system. No disrespect to andy, though, he wrote an article on G. Motion last week that was just plain awesome. Anyways congrats to all who picked AK.

Animal Kingdom is a serious contender from here on in, maybe what the sport needs, especially with the problems that surround Uncle MO.  AK looks like he is a few lengths better than most of the other three year olds at this point (but not all).  His final half mile in 47.40 and his final quarter in 24 flat were both pretty honest, all things considered, and he was assigned a 103 Beyer.  What I found impressive is that he was not overly whipped, was rated patiently and then when it was time to go, he went.  Very professional performance except for veering in slightly and brushing against Nehro around the 8th pole.

AK’s win and Nehro’s impressive performance once again is a testament to how horses can develop from two to three and why so many two year old stars have difficulty holding their dominance at three.  It is also interesting to note that two other horses also were very impressive today.  Master of the Hounds, who ran a dynamite race coming up the middle and then angling over to the rail in mid stretch, closed willingly.  The other one that impressed me was Mucho Macho Man.  He was actually ahead of AK at the top of the stretch and when that one ranged up alongside him was forces to alter his course inside before switching outside when the winner pulled away.  His determined close from that point matched AK’s for sure and he was close to getting the place money.  Both MMM and AK should benefit from this race and may have actually needed it as they had both been off for some time.  Shackleford managed to carry his speed well into the stretch, but I think that he benefitted from rather slow fractions early on.  I don’t know if he’ll get that luxury again in the Preakness if he goes.

The 2011 Derby left many handicappers speechless.  There is nothing in the sheet at all to tell you this horse even belongs in the Derby.  I boxed 6 horses and got the 2nd 3rd and 4th place finishers but Animal Kingdom?  Give me a break.  This is Mine That Bird all over again.  The horse lost a optional claiming race just 2 back.  Only 2 prep races coming into the Derby?  Winning a G3 race and getting into the Derby?  As a handicapper I hated the Derby finish and I made money and hated it.  For the record I would like to thank many of you for letting Aikenite go off at 13 to 1.  Lastly, where are all the Joyful Victory and Dialed In fans today?  I told you Joyful Victory was made to look good thanks to a rabbit and was told I was nuts.  Many of you on here bragged endlessly about Dialed In.  Where are you today?  SANTIVA ran better than Dialed In !!!  Nehro was amazing and caught a very wide trip.  If he had won it would have been the widest trip I had ever seen a winner take.  Jayjay thanks for posting all your losing tickets.  Dialed In? lol.

Does anyone know where I can cash my 50 dollar Plum Pretty/ Nehro Double ticket ?  Geez.

Thrilled to see Animal Kingdom win the Kentucky Derby.  He raced like a real champ.  Congratulations to G. Motion for a superb training job and JV for excellent ride.

The one black mark on this derby was the running of Comma To The Top.  Even his trainer said he didn't want to "ruin" his horse by entering Comma in the Derby.  Maybe Peter Miller was voted out of the decision but nevertheless it was a bad one.  Comma's drifting is his longer races demonstrated remarkably his need for shorter distances, not to mention the need for a well deserved rest.

His injury in the Derby did not surprise me nor his finish in the race.  I felt so bad for this horse who ran his heart out each and every time he was put in the gate.  Comma is a very talented thoroughbred.

Even the pinnacle of horse racing does not replace what's best for the horse.  Personally, I commend Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher for doing what was right by Uncle Mo.  It is a crime that the connections of Comma To The Top did not follow suit.

If I sound upset its because I am, period.

Pace makes the race.  What we saw yesterday was a turf horse win a turf race.  AK is bred to do just what he did.  Run into a soft pace and close like hell.  The Preakness will be a different race and the pace will make him less effective because he will be further back.  MMM grew up yesterday and will be even sharper for the Preakness.  He is my early pick for the win.  Nehro my brilliant little Derby horse is off to the Belmont and I will ride him all the way to wire.

AK I hope you enjoyed your 15 minutes.

 Rosie had POF sitting pretty in 4th for most of the race, but he seemed to tire badly in the last 2f.  Me, I'm still trying to figure out when they drained the tank on Pants On Fire.

Pants On Fire, the 8.10-to-1 second betting choice in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) on Saturday, almost certainly will miss the Preakness Stakes (G1) and probably will be sidelined for at least two months after bleeding significantly in his ninth-place finish.

What a great race, and a fantastic ride by John V., it was brilliant. He has to be the best jockey in the country. I think we have seen the first win of three, and we will have a Triple Crown Winner!

Laz,  Nicely done!  Hope you are now in higher tax bracket. HA!

Interesting race!  I didn't pick AK but I was impressed.  I did think Nehro would be up there and I was also impressed with him, MMM and Shackleford.  Maybe Nehro will become proof that the "less is more" mentality now days isn't the best idea.     Draynay - I decided to read your post just this once to see your excuses. What a surprise - none of your 4 or 5 picks was the winner but you're bragging anyways...? Well good for you for picking the first loser! I had Nehro second too - just like Ice Box last year. Wow, I must be a genius! You are just ridiculous!  

All those bickerings of history, pedigree and TMIs between ColdFacts, Ranagulzion, KY VET...none of it mattered really.  Laz posted very few comments and his most recent posts was dead on.  He got it right without having to overload the blogs with pretty much nonsense lol.

Draynay : No one believes you anymore LOL (except Jason and Billy).

Whoever got the trifecta and superfecta got my (just about) $600.00 bet on Dialed In lol.  I guess that's the last time I will single a horse in the Derby.  Not to say I would've played AK if I didn't single DI.

I'm glad to hear that ArchX3's injury is not life threatening and agree with Slew that his connections are classy and really good people.

MZ : What's the best part of your (first ever?) derby experience ?  Were you able to see the actual race from behind the wall of hats ?  Did you wear a hat ?

The Queen sent the Royal Jet for Ted From LA to attend the Royal Wedding, then he was coaxed out of retirement for a secret mission since he was one of the few in the world that could pull it off. Yes, he was the shooter of the world's number one terrorist. So certainly it is understandable that his identity must be held secret and that he was unable to make it to the Derby this year. He was offered the ride on Animal Kingdom but had to decline. Whether he will be allowed to blog again we do not know. It's a brand new ballgame now for Ted From LA(not his real name).

Congrats to the connections of derby winner Animal Kingdom and especially to Johnny V.  What a wonderful twist of fate that was for him.

Draynay,

Dialed In disappointed but IS a grade one winner in only five starts (can't say the same for your derby pick).  Nehro confirmed my opinion of him being a "bridesmaid type" always finding one better at the finish. Your horse DID NOT win, just like mine didn't therefore you have no bragging rights here.  BTW which horse were you touting in the kentucky Oaks (LOL).  I had the winner Plum Pretty (documented on the blog before the race was run).

mz,

As a close friend of Ted from LA, I was with him and left the races at 11:30 am to meet you outside Gate 17 and give you two 3rd floor clubhouse tickets.  He waited until after 12:10 and gave up the dream.  Decisive Moment seemed indecisive in the race.  Who do you like in Derby 138?  True story mz.  ~Bob

Wow,

Great race. We have a moose in the house. Congrats to AK, and all who had him. Bumming a bit about Soldat's effort, I surrounded him with the right supporting cast but...... no dice this year. Handicapping and betting are two different entities and you have to get them both right. Uggggggggggh! On to old hilltop babalu!

My bets from the Derby:

$100 to win on Shackleford

$100 to win on AAA

$1 super box - AAA, POF, MMM, Shackleford, Soldat, Nehro

$2 tri box - AAA, POF, MMM, Shackleford, Soldat, Nehro

$10 ex. box - AAA, MMM, Shackleford, Nehro

As you can see, it was not a profitable day for me at the Downs.  Didn't cash a ticket in any other race either.  Still an awesome time and a huge crowd.

My 2cents:

First of all nice race call by the new guy well done..

I was on Schackelford and with a 48 and change half I was to say the least getting excited then  1:13 and change even more excited then winning at the 1/8 pole only to get 4th.

I cashed no tix this year for the derby.. I had A.K on my exotics but not to win.

Looking back speed did not hold all day.

To the boo birds out there who say this horse has no business winning the race you have no clue..LOL Quality Road is still running..

Rule #1 they run the race for a reason.

I hit the exacta with Aekenite what a crappy payout anyone disagree?

Congrats to all that cashed.

Looking forward to the Preakness

Wiz Great story congrats..

Great I have another angle to play the Draynay angle..

LOL

Does Draynay honestly think that Animal Kingdom is another Mine that Bird?  This is a very talented horse with a ton of upside.  He’s versatile, can be rated anywhere, can push the pace and can come from well out of it.  It is interesting to note that he hasn’t even raced at less than a mile in his career, is the first horse in whatever to win the Derby in only his 5th career start, and acted totally professional in letting John V. handle him the way he did, which is very important with young horses.  It is also interesting to note that both MMM and AK had six and seven furlong works leading up to the race.

Is their any bigger disadvantage in sports than the 1 hole in the Kentucky Derby?

It really is unfair..

DRAYNAY

Like Ranagulzion said you have nothing to brag about. As for Plum Pretty,isn't she a CA HORSE? lol

What many are missing about Dialed In's failure to close for the win is that he was simply too far back with the pace being so slow. From the 3/4 pole home he actually closed more ground than Animal Kingdom, 17 1/4L behind as opposed to 6L behind. In the end, Animal Kingdom won by 2 3/4L and Dialed In was 7 1/2L back, a differential gain of just under 4 lengths.

The most amazing thing and why Nick Zito was probably so disappointed was that the pace was so slow, 1.13.40 to the 3/4s.   This was at least the slowest 3/4 time in the past 25 years and the slowest since Charismatic’s Derby (1.12.40).  I would have thought that with the speed they would have hit the ¾’s in a maximum 1.11, about twelve lengths faster. At that point Dialed In was 17 ¼ lengths off the pace and with the final half timed in 48.54 would have had to close the final half mile in 45.09 just to be nose and nose at the wire, which was simply too much to do.  Secretariat himself closed his final half in approximately 46.20 seconds, Big Brown in approximately 49.80 and Monarchos in approximately 49 seconds.

So why didn’t Julien move Dialed In sooner?  The key to closing is to actually close when the speed is going to be coming back to you.  With the pace that slow, none of the horses were really stopping so all Julien could do was wait because there was no way If he left earlier that he would have gained sufficient ground and at the end would have been totally out of gas well before the wire.

More synthetic to dirt horses taking the big one.  

Preakness winners typically have competed in the Derby.

Cudos to Nakatani who may have revived his career on Nehro.  His aggressive riding had that one forwardly placed waiting for the speed to quit.  He looks well suited for Pimlico.

Sucker bets...Pants on Fire (looked really tired in the LA-Derby weaving all over the track) and Calvin B's horse who was a distance third at the Pomona Fairplex.

Does anyone know what the Super Hi Fi paid?  I didn't see it on the television.  I thought the superfecta was a bit low but I guess MMM and Nehro were in there.

Zen's Auntie can you tell me why they got our baby Evening Jewell sprinting on the dirt?  Seems odd for the middle distance turf monster.

I'm going over my list of the CA ladies.

Turbulent Descent

Plum Pretty

Zazu

Switch

Blind Luck

Evening Jewell

dray,

You got it wrong, don't take it out on the horse. There were some of us who clearly saw his talent from his past performances and the only question was would he take to dirt. A great work on CD should have answered that question for anyone paying attention to the workout comments and articles, especially Haskins.."What we like about this horse is his ability to quicken, but unlike some horses who can give that big burst for an eighth of a mile, he quickens and then just keeps going. He showed in the Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (gr. III) that he can put himself into contention quickly and then sustain his run, wearing down his opponents rather than blowing right by them." He then explained why his breeding was great for dirt and left you with this classic line...Finally, if you have some concerns about Animal Kingdom having accomplished enough, but are as totally confused as most people because of a lack of a standout, you might want to remember these words: If the proven have proven little, go with the unproven, because you never know what they will prove.

Dray, I guess you missed all that because you were to busy trying to convince us how great you were instead. Try reading more and flapping less.

FOXSPORT.COM is reporting that if "You didn't see that amazing end to the Kentucky Derby then you probably live in Georgia."

"WALB in Albany, Ga, had to issue an apology after the TV station accidentially cut to a commercial in the middle of the Kentucky Derby.  Control operators weren't able to fix the problem in time for the big finish...our viewers missed the end of the derby."

Ted and Bob from Boston: I was there from 11:40 until 11:55 and then I felt too weird (I thought I could handle weird but I guess I can't when I am also wearing a hat) and I left.  But I do have a picture of me and my sign and my hat.  Too bad.  In any case (a lawyer term, that), there were 3 of us so we couldn't have made it in to Valhalla, the 3rd floor clubhouse, all together.  I now forgive Ted from L.A* and we can continue our relationship.

(*except that he wimped out in the Big Reveal -- should I send you my thoughts on who he is?)

Jayjay:

1.  YES. I wore a hat both days.  Looked damn good (for me in a hat).  Also wore pink on Oaks day.

2.  Didn't see a damn thing.  I was out so far the only monitor I could check out was in the infield, with binoculars (way across the track from us)

3.  LOOOOVVVED it.  

4.  Hated the long waits for the womens' washrooms (didn't want to get near the port-a-potties after the first 20 mins)

Overall Impression about First Derby (and Oaks):

a.  My backround is Italian.  All those ladies on Oaks day (especially) and on Derby day made me feel at home.  They were all dressed up like an Italian wedding (and, since some of you don't know what that means: MASSIVE SHORT,  COCKTAIL EVENING DRESSES and BIG, HIGH HEELS) but with hats added.  Fun to watch.

b.  Not like Italian weddings: NO FOOD.  I ate pretzels and hot dogs and kettle corn (what the heck is that stuff anyways?).  

c.  Like Italian weddings: BOOZE!  Loved the Lily (for the Oaks).  Didn't really like the Mint Juleps.  Had many Lilys and one Mint Julep.

d.  Wow! Almost enough exercise to make my dr. happy to get back to the busses way out beyond Gate 10*

(*BTW, there are only 3 gates at Churchill Downs: 10, 17 and 1.  Is this an American counting thing?)

e.  Since I was in the cheap (?*) seats, my friend with the telephoto lens got right up to the starting gate (yes, that's where we were) and got GREAT pictures of the start -- never saw a damn thing after that except the turn for home.

(*the people in front of us paid $245 for our (face) $116 tickets!)

f.  after all my posting about choices, I followed my gut and bet Animal Kingdom across the board as an afterthought (having blown the budget on my earlier, scientific choices) BUT ONLY BET $2!

g.  was the only person jumping up and down and screaming (happily) after I was finally able to figure out the colours of the winning rider (on the infield monitor, with the binoculars) AND IT WAS ANIMAL KINGDOM.

Overall Impression:  GREAT!*

*but next time, I  have to know someone with a horse in the race; or I have to win the lottery and buy an expensive seat; or I need Ted's cell phone number.

P.S.  We also went to Shadwell.  The newbies on the trip got to see Invasor breed a mare.  The newbies' reaction wasn't pretty.  I had fun.

DRAYNAY

So is Uncle Mo better than Secretariat now?

Greg, I never liked AK and he was the first horse along with Dialed In that I tossed.  6 weeks coming into the Derby and never raced on dirt I didn't give him a second thought.  The pace was the slowest in 60 years and it set him up perfectly.  Let me know when he ever wins another dirt race.  He will never see a pace like that again and if he makes it to Belmont Nehro will whip his butt.  The speed of the Preakness will be too much for AK.  Nakatani moved a little early with Nehro or he may have won.  The point is I don't expect to see AK in the winner circle again anytime soon.  I wonder how all the experts feel today knowing they picked Dialed In and he didn't deliver at all.

Thoughts

Kudo's to the girl that picked the Oaks winner whether she liked the name or actually pick her--no matter she picked the winner. She made a number of comments with her pick--she was right. The only steadfast pick listed to my knowledge early and late on either the Oaks or Derby.

For the rest of us that picked on this blog ---a few had the winner mentioned but were not close on the others or were really strong on him winning.

Those picking a rider to run the race---- AKA BOREL--- good rider but those who bet him took a price 50 points too short and should be ashamed---actually watching the betting told many I much would have preferred booking the money on him rather than make a bet. It was ridiculous.

My picks had 3 of the first top 4 in my pick/bet-- but since I didn't have the winner keyed on any my tickets-- nor the horse I keyed on top failed to hit the board --so I was certainly not right or close but as mentioned all along it wasn't like I loved a bet and actually sold half my $56 investment to a person that wanted me to pick from work. Derby or no it was a pass race for a big bet.

Oaks day was pleasant as I won about $1200 all mostly the benefit of a race at another track. They got that and more on Derby Day accented by being closed out by amateurs closing me out on an exactor  (4th in line for about 10 minutes) for  that I was trying to make on a race at Finger Lakes that paid $23.80 for $50 - It may have changed a bets made later.

Only other shot I had on Derby day was destroyed by Akenite getting up to beat my $10 exactor box of Apriority- Ibboyee-Noble Promise and I bet Noble Promise across---EARLY TIP HE (NOBLE PROMISE) WINS THE BC SPRINT OR MILE IF THEY LEAVE HIM TO SHORTER DISTANCES AND HE CAN REMAIN SOUND. A favorite horse of mine--always shows up but is a cut below being a great horse but makes it up with effort.

Bad or off Handicapping on Ky Derby-- bad betting for sure---unlike others here I am not one who always wins. Worse than anything I chased rather than back off. I should have been more professional like Ky Vet ---I am "sure" he wouldn't have chased being the professional he is. Another thought in the old days when you could alter the tickets because a teller or person not a machine would check them---- Dray would have had a fantastic days posting his tickets if not being richer--I give him the credit of being honest about not beating a cashier who pays their shorts---I was one of them in the day. Can you imagine if it was still that system---he would have had the Ky Derby Winner pounded--at least for showing purposes.

And just because--- REAL WINNING TICKETS on Secretariat in his last race--I have a number of them from Woodbine---the Code on the tickets that day was BIG RED---they are real-and I really don't need them I was thinking of selling them on Ebay---but for those true horse fans?

Other thought

I feel sorry for Robby A losing the mount although he is not a pity case having ridden many a nice horses Curlin and Mineshaft come to mind.

I'll let others boast and say they know the Preakness winner--I think watching the Derby the winner can come back and win but is no cinch. Again the entries are not drawn so everybody can be right until the 14th.

For me it is my 5th Anniversary so I will not even go Preakness day---she gave me my best win of my near 60 yr life--my 4 yr old son-- so she gets preference.

Good Luck

Paula,

 I thought what Mr. Irwin said was totaly appropriate. He was asked why he moved all his horses to Mr. Graham and honestly answered the question. Tired of being lied to and he got an honest trainer who doesn't give his horses illegal drugs.

I can't believe there are so many people who know nothing. To bet Twice The Appeal down to 12/1 was ridiculous. I told you all Borel's run is done. I was right.

draynay how did your Borel Factor do for you this year? LOL he was 0 for 8!! Alot of his rides ended in a next to last or last place finish. At least we never have to listen to the Borel kiddie wagon anymore.

YOU PEOPLE CRITICIZE THIS HORSE THAT HORSE..RANAGULZION IS RIGHT! DIALED IN WON A GRADE 1...MO HAS RUN FASTER THAN ANYBODY...NEHRO HAS RUN 4 GOOD RACES IN A ROW..ARCH RAN HURT....WHAT YOU PEOPLE MUST UNDERSTAND, IS THERE USUALLY IS NO BEST HORSE...JUST THE BEST HORSE THAT DAY!...ONE HORSE GET SHARP, THEN ANOTHER...THEY TRADE WINS...FOR EXAMPLE--I WON 5000 ON STREET SENSE....THEN BET CURLIN IN PREAKNESS..THEN CASHED BIG BET ON JAZIL......ITS HOW THEY ARE COMING INTO A RACE!  THE SHIP HAS SAILED ON NEHRO! HE RAN THE HANGING RACE I THOUGHT....NO PREAKNESS FOR HIM.......ANIMAL KINGDOM WASNT A SHOCK...HE WAS LIGHTLY RACED IMPROVING HORSE IN AVG GROUP OF HORSES...WHATS SO SURPRISING......MINE THAT BIRD WAS A SHOCK!!

LAZ : I find it funny that Draynay hates on horses whom he didn't pick.  He's so high on Nehro and all he could come up with was place money.  He probably put $20 across on the horse. If MMM won, he'd be like I have so much win money on MMM, I'm going shopping, if Santiva got 3rd, he'd be like, I have so much "show" money to spend...blah blah blah blah blah....LOL.  What a joke.  What he doesn't realize is that everyone knows he's full of it and yet he still thinks someone believes he wins anything.  I think he believes if he keeps posting the same thing over and over again, someone will pity him and give him kudos.

slyder - Borel coming in 10th with that horse was a great ride.  Not his fault the public bet him down like that.

Draynay - think you're wrong about Animal Kingdom.  We'll see, but I think that horse has plenty of wins left in front of him.  Don't know, you may be right, but to me he looks more like a horse who can run on all surfaces.  Maybe they should send him over to England to contest the Epsom Derby.

mz - not that it comports with your Italian background, but I ran into some delicious lobster rolls right next to the paddock.  Surely beat the pretzels and hot dogs.

longwaytohome - agree on Irwin's comments but he doesn't really have a good bedside manner.  While what he says may be true, to me he comes off a bit caustic.

Mr. Shandler - when do we get your comments on the Derby.

My only win this weekend was when I texted my friend at the Oaks from  the airport to bet Plum Pretty.

mz : sounds like you had a great time regardless of the not seeing the actual race.  Actually, if there was a year where you can go to the Derby and actually experience the whole thing (the crowd, the track) and miss the actual race, this is probably the year.  You can always YouTube the race but enjoying the track and the crowd and the porta-potties is something you can never find on youtube.  It's a once in a lifetime experience.  Your last post was pretty funny, something tells me you're the happy go lucky type o' gal.  Congrats on your winning bet! and glad you had a great time.

Gee Draynay

Animal kingdom actually ran past Nehro in the stretch, or did you miss that?  And with regards to the slow pace, get real.  Do you think that Nehro would have hung around as long as he did if the pace was faster?  AK was sitting waiting for John V. to press the button.  It didn't matter what the pace was, he actually ran away from most of the others in the race.  Nehro didn't.

I know it's impossible for you to give a good horse its due but I expect you'll magically show up on the bandwagon in a few days and act like you touted him all along.

BTW, talk to us when Nehro actually wins his first stakes race, in fact, when he wins an allowance race.

Draynay : If I had picked Nehro as my single instead of Dialed In, guess what, I'd still throw away my tickets.  You hit a place bet on Nehro, big deal.  You can't even make your next $10 P3 on the place money on Nehro. I probably made more money on Nehro in the Arkansas Derby exacta than your place money on him.  How much did you put on Twice the Appeal ?  On Santiva ? on Soldat ? on MMM ? on Shackleford ?

The mistake I made about singling DI was that I was 100% sure that the pace would be legitimate.  I was expecting a 23 / 47 and 1:11 splits from Shackleford and CTTT, I seriously thought that was the game plan for CTTT, steal the race by trying to outrun everyone.  I wasn't expecting them to crawl and as soon as I saw that, I knew it was over for DI.

Yes Lazmannick I believe AK is another Mine That Bird.  There was nothing before the Derby to get you to him winning the Derby and there was nothing to get you to AK winning the Derby.  I still believe Nehro was the better horse he just didn't get the better ride.  I can tell you right now there is a REASON the horse performed well off a 6 week rest.  Off a 2 week rest the horse will be very average.  Pace makes the race and he caught a perfect pace for his running style.  Bet him in the Preakness and you will lose.  You won't see him win on dirt again.

Jason: forgot to tell you that I saw your fave, Point Given at Three Chimneys.

I think I made enemies of the staff because I told them I thought PG was a better sire than Big Brown (in the next stall over) would ever be.

I took one for you, OK?

(at least I got to see Dynaformer and Rahy before they thought to kick me off the farm)

DRAYNAY

Regarding the "experts" picking Dialed In and didn't deliver,it's kinda like you months ago harping Uncle Mo as the coming of Secretariat and didn't even get into the gate!

DRAYNAY

ISN'T PLUM PRETTY A CA HORSE??????

Lmao

Will the real liar, liar pants on fire please stand up. (Pletcher and Catalano pretend they're going to stand up and remain seated.) And then .....

longwaytomay- I agree.  Mr Irwin responded to a question and gave the true answer.  He represents alot of people.  He told it like it is, not how people want it to be.  The only way to clean up racing is to be honest about it.  That is my opinion at any rate, for what it is worth.

Two down 48 to go. I just think it's a shame that Barry Irwin doesn't own Pants On Fire also. It couldn't be that only two are eliminated could it?

Yagos and Fires do the right thing (no surprize here) and retire this nice Horse.

I knew it when I saw the replay, Archarcharch injured at the start Bramledge confirms it.

How much heart does it take to run a mile and a 1/4 on a Broken leg?  and then just get on the van?  

It makes me tear up every time I watch the replays - I hope he recovers fully and lives a full life, he deserves it.  

Longwaytommy, I don't know that I agree with you about that. I come from the school of thought that it is better to be warm and fuzzy when you have just won the Kentucky Derby and you are on national t.v. Call me crazy. However, I don't think Mr. Irwin is a bad person, just waaay to forthright. Like many others here, I was really impressed with Mucho Macho Man. I do not think Animal Kingdom is a turf horse who got lucky because of the pace. More to him than that.

jayjay

Don't kid yourself.  Draynay's the greatest leg puller in cyber space.  Of course you know he probbly had a $500 place bet, maybe even a thousand on Nehro.  Just ask him.  He'll gladly tell you.  And next week wehen we all move on he'll remiond us of the big bet he had on Animal Kingdom.

Draynay

I guess we'll see about the two weeks rest next week won't we.  What you don’t realize about this horse is his versatility and ability to adapt.  He’s not a one hit wonder like your uneducated guess would like to peg him to be.  You’re just upset because he wasn’t a big name coming in for you to jump all over and tout.  He was lurking in the grass and we all know you don’t have that ability to look for something other than the obvious.  Rookie.

PAULA

No disrespect,but I agree w/ LONGWAYTOMAY cause Irwin said what many won't,I admire him.

DRAYNAY

Yeah,as usual you mask your absurd comments about Mo from months back and slam AK. Tell me you wouldn't be doing cart wheels if you owned a Derby winner?

DRAYNAY

Laz is correct,good luck with Nehro,you will need it!

DRAYNAY

You beat up on AK cause you didn't have him,about that simple. I didn't have him either,two yrs have went by and you still slam MTB,

CLASS ALL THE WAY,NICE GOING. Of course,I forget  that certain people on this blog can say anything.

I was thrilled with this Derby!!! I think the best horse won.

Laz,

I wish I had as much confidence in him as you had. I can only claim to have included him in a big fat exacta box that paid very well. Kudos to you (and all others who bet on AK to win) for thinking so clearly while I struggled and struggled without being able to settle on one horse.

Draynay,

I seldom respond to you, but this time I cannot keep myself from informing you that I'm convinced  you are a complete ass (a vain, self important, silly, or agressively stupid person). You don't have to keep proving it over and over again.

just thought i say that dialed in ran the final half mile in 47.02. so obv he was compromised by the slow pace.  newyorkpost.com/.../raisin_the_stakes_mgUXmNoBCJYNzEOPfeFFOP

heres the link that mentioned it if you don't believe me.

nehro was out run by animal kingdom i don't see him winning the belmont with AK in the field. but thats 5 weeks from now. i felt they should run in the preakness.

Trackjack,Jayjay;

How did your RTTR stables do? I had this as my power horses in one of the stable's for the Derby.

Power Horses

1) Animal Kingdom

2) Brilliant Speed

3) Mucho Macho Man

4) Nehro

5) Uncle Mo

As a result of losing horses in the stable do to earnings or not entering the Derby, the stable didn't earn enough points, but it did max on the points (100) for the horses in the Derby. (Animal kingdom, Nehro, Mucho Macho Man).

Does anyone else have to login everytime they post?  Ted from LA is not happy with this development.

"she gave me my best win of my near 60 yr life--my 4 yr old son-- so she gets preference.

Good Luck"

sniper1 09 May 2011 3:43 PM

And they call Storm Cat a stud horse?

The point is in my 6 horse Tri Box I had the 2nd 3rd and 4th place finishers.  My other point is you can't get to AK winning the Derby.  He shouldn't have even been in the race.  A G3 win at Turfway gets him in ?  Never raced on dirt ?  He took 6 weeks off ?  He was a toss and quess what, I will toss him in the Preakness.  AK will not be a factor in the Preakness.

No Mike it's not the same thing at all.

Okay, now I feel compelled to explain my Shadwell / Invasor post.  What I meant was that I had fun watching the PEOPLE react, NOT the horses.  I am surely not so happy and really not so lucky as you may otherwise think, Jayjay.

And, trying to raise the level of discussion (so to speak), may I also say that I always liked Invasor and he is a pretty horse too.  I hope that he gets the opportunities he deserves.

In light of the fact that a South American (although with European connections) sired the 2011 Derby winner (hey Draynay: I actually picked him - nyah! nyah!), maybe we can open up the possibilities for the breed in North America. (I also like Forli and remember Pronto and Practicante.)

p.s.  Animal Kingdom`s sire`s name is pronounced sort of like: luh raw days annie mow (that`s the closest I can get to it -- I was a French major and I want to stop cringing every time someone says his name)(BTW, it translates essentially into The King of Beasts)

Lesson over.

DRAYNAY

While your at the Dollar Tree spending your Place money, I am at the Mall spending my ALL-Nehro Exacta Money!! Nehro doesnt have heart it is what he lacks thats why he finishes 2nd again and again... Did I think AK would win the Derby heck no I didn't but all that matters is if you cash!! By the way your running your mouth about how the horse wont win the Preakness if your such a great handicapper the first thing you would done before run your mouth is look at the internal fraction of the race and see AK came way faster then your beloved Big Brown in fact almost as fast as the great Big Red himself!! Can he run back in 2 weeks thats to be seen but not like there is some superstar out there waiting on him. Unless Cal Nation is running right Draynay!!! LOL LOL LOL if you put as much energy into handicapping as you do running your mouth you would cash a little more! Good luck to everyone at the window... And good luck to Animal Kingdom in the Preakness!

Paula,

 Let's put this into perspective.

Suppose you own a thoroughbred racehorse. You select one of the best known and most expensive trainers in the USA to watch over and properly train your horse. You have conversations with this person and he tells you all is well with your horse and he couldn't be doing any better. Your horse is entered in a race and runs well. A few days later you are informed that your horse was running on illegal medication. Your trainer LIED when he said all is well and most importantly, HE made the decision to run YOUR horse when it was not healthy enough to run without the meds. Irwin said what he did when he had a national audience for a reason, and I applaud him for it.

Tcc: Thanks...I did find that out later in the day.  I, however, wasn't aware he was on Lasix already.

Paula: I don't believe Irwin was dissing other trainers as much as he was praising Motion...who certainly deserves a lot of credit for his training of AK...and acute lack of any drug violations.

Dr D: I luv ya but wha????

I hinted (stated blatantly) to my kids that a tickets to the Derby would make a fine Mothers' Day gift but they either ignored me...or couldn't find a shoe horn big and slippery enough to squeeze me into that crowd.  Record numbers?  Just goes to show that the RA and Zen fans stuck around now that they're intrigued by horse racing itself.  

Hope everyone enjoyed the Derby...I know I did...on to the Preakness.

Jayjay,

“All those bickerings of history, pedigree and TMIs between ColdFacts, Ranagulzion, KY VET...none of it mattered really.  Laz posted very few comments and his most recent posts was dead on.  He got it right without having to overload the blogs with pretty much nonsense lol”

I find your comment above offensive. They reflect how limited you are in your evaluation of the views of other. If you do not understand the contents my posts I am willing to accommodate with explanations.  If this is not the approach your are not willing to adapt then I suggest you keep your insult to yourself.  

I take exception with being included in the same sentence with the KY CLOWN. You clearly have an attention deficiency, for if not you would have noted I have not responded to any the CLOWN ‘S post. You have equated me with an individual that is incapable of putting a smile noun to a simple verb to construct a simple sentence. The CLOWN has no regard for others and constantly reaffirms that empty barrels make the most noise. Sir you have done me a great dishonor.

With regard to the exchanges with follow poster Ranagulzion that you have labeled bickering; Ranagulzion and I have yearly exchange on our respective selections. It’s what we do and I quite enjoy the exchanges as he is very good at defending his selections. You have chosen to read the posts and you are a t liberty to do so. However, if you regard them a bickering, why torture yourself by reading them. If you were not aware you have the option to bypass these posts.

I you wished to compliment Laz for his selection you could have done so without disparaging others. What have you gain for this effort? You have classified the views of other as nonsense. Have you been appointed by Jason to undertake this evaluation? One man’s teach is another man’s treasure. Who are you to boldly determine that other posters’ views equates to nonsense.

In your quest to offensive you regarded history, pedigree and TMIs as being irrelevant. The KD does have history associated with it. The pedigree of the field is evaluated along with their speed ratings. These references to history and pedigree evaluation are not unique to the posters you cited. Mr. Haskins did a comprehensive pedigree evaluation of Animal Kingdom’s pedigree preceding the derby. Are you suggesting that his evaluation did not matter?

My selection for the derby was Master Of Hounds. I am of the opinion he was given too much to do and it cost him dearly. With a 48 seconds half mile his rider could have taken closer order. He ran a creditable 5th finishing fastest of all. I highlighted the positives and negatives associated with this colt in support of his selection. How can anyone regard the ration for one’s selection as meaningless?

The colt lost the race and that a part of the game. The fact that Laz’s selection won does not make his prerace evaluation more meaningful. If he make a selection for the Preakness that looses, will you regard his prerace comments as meaningless and nonsense?

Posters are a liberty to post their views. They expect constructive criticism but not insults. I suspect you are an adult and consequently you should conduct yourself like one.

Ted From LA

   I mean afterall, you were an American citizen with First Amendment rights before you were James Bondage, America's number one Superhero. You have a right to exercise your First Amendment right to blog. To blog or not to blog, that is the question. To blog is the answer. Stand up for your rights. The Preakness will be a doozy of a race.

Last time I'll make a prediction in a Derby on a horse I like.  The preakness is a different ballgame though.  DIALED WINS BY 21 LENGTHS AND DEMOLISHES THE TRACK RECORD!

Ok, just kidding.  I'm not giving up on Dialed just yet, I'll ride him through the Belmont and then decide whether he's another IceBox or not.  This time, I will wait until 30 minutes before the race to make my bet and check the blogs before I leave for the track to see if Laz posted something hehe.

ZOOKEEPER

Bravo!

LONGWAYTOMAY

Irwin should be admired for his candor,many are afraid,he isn't. And,the trainer's he's referring to,hope he offended them,they have it coming.

TO DRAYNAY- HORSES IMPROVE...HE WASNT GOOD ENOUGH OFF HIS RACES! HE WAS ON SATURDAY! LIGHTLY RACED, IMPROVING..WON EASY...TRAINED GOOD..WHATS SO HARD TO BELIEVE? 103 BEYER SLOW FOR DERBY....COLDFACTS- YOU ARE THE RUDE ONE..JUST LIKE I REMEMBER YOU 3 YEARS AGO!  I JUST POINT OUT THE STUPID THINGS YOU SAY...YOU POST THESE HOLY-ER THAN THOU POSTS ABOUT THINGS THAT DONT EVEN MATTER..YOU POST INCORECT THINGS, LIKE THE 46CHANGE 2ND QUARTER IN THE SPIRAL,AND CAN'T EVEN TELL ITS A MISS-PRINT...YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT A RACE GOES 21CHANGE 2ND QUARTER/28 THE NEXT?  UNREAL....YOU CANT TAKE THE TRUTH! YOU ACTUALLY SAID THE FACTOR HAS A STRIDE THAT IS GOOD FOR LONG DISTANCE....DONT SAY STUPID THINGS LIKE A 12500 SIRE IS BETTER THAT A 250,000 SIRE....I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THE WACKO THINGS YOU SAY....AND YOU LIKED MOH....I POSTED THAT WAS AN OK PICK...YOU JUST PICK HORSES FOR THINGS THAT DONT REALLY MATTER....YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERT....YOU RESERCH, BUT COME UP WITH ILLOGICAL CONCLUSIONS!!

furlongs, you and many like you can't handicap your way out of a wet paper bag.  I am still shocked that so many so called experts ended up on Dialed In.  But know I am equally shocked that anyone believes AK will win the Preakness.  The pace will be much faster and will not suit him at all.  AK lost a 50k OC just 2 races back so don't get too excited.  We know he has a kick advantage when a 113 is run but what will be his kick advantage when a 111 is run in the Preakness?  I see a much sharper MMM coming into the Preakness and expect him to be the one to beat in 2 weeks.  AK may not even run.

Jayjay, you haven't given up on Dialed In for the Preakness ?  I found someone else who feels the same way you do.

www.youtube.com/watch

Slew

  Huh??? What are you referring to? Do you mean 2 down, 48 to go? Barry Irwin said he's had 50 trainers. He's only cleared two so far as two that he wasn't referring to. I do think they are working on that Triple Crown for us.

DRAYNAY

It's NOT rocket science,reason you're bashing AK is cause he BEAT YOU. It's about that simple.

Coldfacts;

O'Brien considering Belmont Stakes for Master of Hounds.

Coldfacts- I agree with your assessment of Master of Hounds.  He could have been closer to the pace.  But gomez admitted that.  Then he couldn't get through a wall of horses so Gomez finally jerked him to the rail where he rallied well.  I hope they bring him back for the Belmont.  O'Brien said Gomez was lobbying for that.  But they also made the statement that they could wait until the Breeder's Cup.  Let's see what transpires.

I had an Ex box:

Dialed In, MMM, Shackleford, MI, Soldat.

Mrs. trackjack had Ex box:

Pants on Fire, MMM, MI, Nehro.

We backed up with across the boards on Pants on Fire, MMM, Shackleford, MI, Nehro.  Got some back, still down for the day.  Had tossed Animal Kingdom early because of his non-dirt record.

Did make some money on Oaks day, the Mrs. had Plum Pretty.

We had a wonderful week, thanks to CD and special thanks to Merv Huber, Marketing Coordinator and Gary Palmisano, intern, who will graduate this month from the Univ. of Louisville.  These young men are the future of racing management.  Gary got me in to the draw on Wednesday evening and I sat with the MMM group.  What an experience for this two dollar bettor and I got to meet and talk to Steve Haskin.  

Gary Palmisano also escorted us on our tour of the backstretch on Monday AM where we listened in on Bob Baffert's news conference after getting splashed by Midnight Interlude's bathing.  Also talked to and got Kent Desormeaux's autograph. Then had breakfast at Wagner's.  

We sat in the 6th Floor Skye Terrace for the Oaks and Derby and in IMHO Mrs. trackjack was the prettiest gal there, our waitress Eva was second with many, many women tied for third.

The Galt House was superb and we attended Saturday evening's Night of Silk for the Permantly Disabled Jockey's Fund, had a great time, did some dancing, met Johnny V. and I added Angel Cordero's autograph to my collection.

Was at workouts every morning except Friday. Did the Kentucky Derby museum on Monday.  Stayed for racing on Tuesday and got Chip Wooley's and Mike Smith's autographs.

Jason, it was nice meeting you and talking to you on Wednesday before the races.  What a great week, truly a dream come true for Mr. and Mrs. trackjack.

tcc:

My best this year in RTTR was 3842 with 224 points.  The winner had 376 points.  Last year I won the contest with 521 points.  Any one come close or win any prizes?

mz:  

I like your take on Animal Kingdom's breeding.  With his lack of U.S. blood lines he stands to be a very valuable sire who can instill a lot of outcross blood into the watered down U.S. bloodlines.  I'm sure Barry Irwin has this in mind and is concerned about not ruining this colt in the quest for a triple crown.  By the way mz, hear any chatter in Lexington about any good two year olds?  I hear there's a Grade I Derby on the first Saturday in May in 2012.

sniper1:

I also have a $2 across the board ticket on Secretariat from Woodbine, was there live.

Dr. D, Ted from LA, Bob from Boston:

Could it be that the three of you are triplets?

Had a great time this year but I couldn't shake this FEVER and whether we go back next year or stay home with a Derby Party, THIS FEVER WILL STILL BE WITH ME.

On to the Preakness!

Mike Relva not too worry! It's fine. I understand everyone's points completely. I wouldn't be happy if people lied to me about my horse either. Yes, to the person who said Mr. Iwin was probably trying to say how much he liked Graham Motion by making that comment. Let me put it this way, I completely get why he feels the way he does. But I just wouldn't have said it on t.v. at the Derby. Good people can disagree. On Steve Haskin's blog a number of people have questioned what Mr. Irwin said but Steve Haskin put it into perspective quite well. This is Mr. Irwin's personality but that he is good for the sport, good to his horses etc. I wish him the best and maybe he has a Triple Crown winner.

Jason,

You're awfully quiet. What's the matter, too many mint juleps? (although you don't strike me as a bourbon kinda guy). Would love to read your thoughts on the race. Hope you're not under the weather.

Why do some of you constantly take Dray's bait? In a sport with tons of gray areas, he sees only black and white. A horse is either outstanding or he/she sucks. To save yourself the aggravation, let's preview what he'll say, depending on what Animal Kingdom does...

AK wins Preakness: This fluke got another perfect pace scenario, by golly he'll meet his match in the Belmont when he faces Nehro

AK loses Preakness: Told ya so!!! He'll never win again!

AK wins Belmont: He got lucky, he's not a Triple Crown winner, he doesn't belong in the same sentence as the all-time greats. Just wait, he'll be a fluke.

AK loses Belmont: Told ya so, he's a turf horse, Nehro is the best, blah blah blah.

The same will happen if/when Dialed In wins a  big race.

You can see this coming from a mile away, so why do you continue to get riled up about it? He's not going to admit he's wrong if, in fact, he is wrong. For the record, I have no idea what Animal Kingdom will do. But I do know what Draynay will do---he is comically predictable.

Jimmer out.

Zookeeper:

That was the post of the year

Mike Relva and Johnny,

I just couldn't take it anymore, but Jimmer is right, we should stop responding to Dray. At times, most of this blog consists of Draynayisms and a volley of answers to him. After a while, it's boring and aggravating all at the same time. So many other people contribute something of value to this blog. It's a shame that it gets lost in a sea of childish comments.

Speaking of valuable contributions, where are you GunBow? What are your thoughts on this Kentucky Derby? Can't wait to read your opinion of it. I'd like to hear from Jason also... but he remains silent. Hmmm!

You're right.  I should be thrilled that the Derby was won by a horse that didn't even belong in the race.  A single G3 win and the horse is in ?  The horse never touches dirt and wins the Kentucky Derby ?  What a fine crop we have this year.  Lol.  With that type of foundation you expect him to come back in just 2 weeks and have another top performance ?  Good luck with that.  Let me know how much you are betting on him for the win.

trackjack, Dr. D and I are not related, but he is my butler.  Nice summary of your Derby week.  My Derby fever doesn't die until the day after the Belmont and then it tanks like a Draynay chalk pick.  So did you all meet on Derby Day?  Tell me how weird everyone was in person.  I got stood up on my date with mz (apparently she was holding up a 2X2 inch "poster").

JIMMER

Your comments about Dray are on point. AK beat him,that's what he's upset about. Ask him what happened to Uncle Mo.

Here's something interesting from Dan Illman's blog on DRF:

Here are the final quarter-mile times for each of the Derby performers (according to Formulator Web)

Dialed In - 23.79

Twice the Appeal - 24.01

Animal Kingdom - 24.09

Master of Hounds - 24.13

Mucho Macho Man - 24.58

Brilliant Speed - 24.65

Santiva - 24.75

Derby Kitten - 24.87

Nehro - 24.93

Shackleford - 25.19

Archarcharch - 25.24

Stay Thirsty - 25.29

Pants On Fire - 25.44

Soldat - 25.63

Twinspired - 25.95

Midnight Interlude - 26.21

Watch Me Go - 26.23

Decisive Moment - 26.51

Comma to the Top - 28.29

Ah yes...Barry Irwin.  The folks who brought us Prized and Marshal Law.  He was really upset that some of the partnership in AK got really crappy seats at the Derby.  

How cool is it that Bobby Frankel trained both Leroidesanimaux, the sire of Animal Kingdon, and Medaglia D' Oro, the sire of Plum Pretty?  

draynay i could see you doing that for not having AK lol

M. Baze.  Very tragic and sad news about his death.  To loose good jockeys like Chris Antley and Ron Hansen and now Baze...

Dr D: gotcha now!  I didn't read that Irwin went through 50 trainers.

Jimmer: absolutely correct!

Cold facts:  I like the info you bring, just often disagree with your conclusions. But I do appreciate the research.  Perhaps you simply need to follow your own advice on negative posters...simply ignore them.

Now to everyone more acquainted with the tracks than I...which Classic is represented by Margaritas?  I'll take Tequila over Bourbon any day. Hacia Arriba!

It was a busy week Zookeeper. I'm back. Just posted a new blog. Let's chat over there.

Householder: Look at the last line from my new blog. He is loaded. Coil, Smash, Awesome patriot, Jaycito, etc.

Zookeeper let us know when you have an original thought.  I gave you a 6 horse box and they finished 2nd 3rd and 4th.  I gave you my top pick Nehro and he finished 2nd.  What did you do ?  Where are your picks ? I had to listen to Joyful Victory and Dialed In nonsense for weeks and for what ?  I guess it's easy to run your mouth about me it stops you from having to talk about your lousy picks for the Derby.  You come on here pretending to know something about horseracing but when the race is over and your horse hasn't hit the board you decide to deflect your anger on me.  Try learning how to handicap so I don't have to hear you whine after every big race.

Zookeeper.  The final 1/4 for Dialed In looks great at 23.79 but he was in another state!  

Dray:

Who gives a crap the horse won a grade 3. Now he won a Grade 1 and is improving.

I guess in your world horses do not improve they are what they are..

As of right now AK has accomplished more in his career than your Uncle Mo and right now his stud fee would be higher..

FACT,your six horse box tri paid how much? NOTHING..

Damn you are annoying.

Fact Quality road is still running..  

Tantrum, tantrum, Dray!!!

DRAYNAY

Look who's living in a glass house throwing rocks with your rant against ZOOKEEPER(someone with brains). We've had to listen to your silly crap for well over four months about Mo and comparing him to Secretariat. Is he better than Secretariat now,Dray? AK beat you,that's your fault. Instead of displaying a little class by giving him credit,you as usual go BUSHLEAGUE! Calling ZOOKEEPER a whiner,just underscores your inability to admit fault. When a horse beats you,blame yourself,not the horse. Your boasts about Mo being lock for the Triple,you look far beyond what I can say on this blog.

Mike, I believe Dialed In was your horse for the Derby.  Need I say more ?

NEWS FLASH!!!  UNCLE MO DIDN'T LOSE THE DERBY!! WHY YOU KEEP KNOCKING THE HORSE?  HE RAN 108 AS 2 YR OLD........DERBY 103 WAS ONE OF THE SLOWEST EVER.....STAY THIRTY IS OFF FORM BUT WAS GOOD....DONT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE OWNER AND TRAINER KNOW MO WAS WAYYYYY BETTER THAN TRIRSTY?  AND YOU ARE KNOCKING A HORSE BECAUSE OF WHAT REASON?   HE BEAT THE BEST ON CUP DAY? HE RAN MUCH FASTER THAN WINNER OF DERBY? THE 48 HALF WOULDVE BEEN BAD FOR HIM?   YOU ARE IGNORANT IF YOU CAN'T SEE MO'S TALENT!!!

DRAYNAY

Yeah,that's right and I admitted I was wrong. When do you ever say that?

" You're right.  I should be thrilled that the Derby was won by a horse that didn't even belong in the race.  A single G3 win and the horse is in ? "

Nehro got in without having ANY graded wins...

Jayjay, you picked Dialed In to win the Derby.  Somehow I feel no need to respond to you.

DRAYNAY

Nehro = 0 STAKES WINS

No Mike.  Nehro = 8.80

You wouldn't know anything about that you didn't cash on the Derby did you.  Dialed In ? Lol.

DRAYNAY

If you could tell the truth once then you would know I stated  EITHER DIALED IN OR MMM. So,I was wrong,kinda like you screaming QR would win and take HOY. How did that work out for you? lol