Maddux Sports Blog

I am getting ready to head to the airport and leave Louisville, and I’m still not sure what I saw yesterday. Our seats were at the 1/8 pole yesterday. As the horses got to us, Pioneerof The Nile, my choice, was in the lead and looking good. I was counting my winnings. But then I saw the flash moving up the rail. I had no idea who it was, but I knew the horse was moving fast. Very fast. I just didn’t think they would be able to get through the tiny hole that was barely there. If I’d known that it was Calvin Borel skimming the rail then I wouldn’t have been so confident in my horse. The guy is a machine, and he piloted the most unlikely possible Derby winner.

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The last time I was at the Kentucky Derby it was 1996, and Grindstone won. There were 19 horses in the field that year. Through different permutations and combinations I had 15 different horses covered with betting tickets. Grindstone, despite being 6/1, was not one of them. My point is that you will want to take my Derby predictions with a grain of salt. That being said, here are the three horses I am planning to play this year (assuming they make the field – it hasn’t been set as I write this):

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I’m 33 years old, so my first Kentucky Derby was the 1976 version won by Bold Forbes. I obviously don’t remember that one, though. Nor, sadly, do I remember the Triple Crown wins in 1977 and 1978 by Seattle Slew and Affirmed. The first Derby I do clearly remember watching isGato Del Sol in 1982, and it was with Ferdinand’s win in 1986 that I fell truly and deeply in love with the race. Every Derby since then has its’ own sets of memories and attachments, but some have obviously meant more than others. On the eve of a race that I hope will one day top this list, here, in no particular order, is a look at my five favorite Derby races:

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I don’t necessarily have a good sense of who is going to win the Kentucky Derby, but I feel pretty confident about ruling out some horses that aren’t going to win it. It’s not certain that these horses will end up in the race, but they are being pointed towards it as I write this. They are all fine horses, but for one reason or another I just don’t see them winning it all.

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If you are only going to take a bit of time getting ready for the Kentucky Derby then you’ll want to get to know these five names. There is a pretty good chance that one of these five horses is going to be wearing roses late Saturday afternoon.

Pioneerof The Nile

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If you follow the Kentucky Derby at all this year then you are going to hear a lot about synthetic tracks and the effect they will have on the Derby. It’s a big issue, but not one that is easy to comprehend if you aren’t familiar with the basics. This will help.

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Barring an unforeseen circumstance, both my heart and my money are going to be behind Pioneerof The Nile in the Kentucky Derby. There are a few reasons to be concerned about him, but I am sold on the Santa Anita Derby. I like him for several reasons, but the biggest is quite simply because of his trainer, Bob Baffert. Baffert is my favorite part of my favorite sport, and I find him almost impossible not to cheer for.

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For the next two weeks I’m going to be away from my computer and out of town. That means that I have pre-written the stuff you will read for the next two weeks, and that in turn explains why it won’t be nearly as news-driven or current as it usually is. Hopefully, though, it’s still going to be interesting and worthwhile. I’ll be focusing on two main events – the NFL Draft the first week, and the Kentucky Derby the second week – and I’ll throw in some other stuff as well.

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I love a lot of sports, but none more than horse racing. It has everything – drama, speed, emotion, challenge, intrigue, and more puzzles than a guy could solve in a lifetime. The Kentucky Derby is, in my humble but strong opinion, the best sporting event in existence. Winning it is so hard that it’s virtually impossible, yet everyone who has ever owned a horse dreams of winning it. I’ll be heading to my second Kentucky Derby in May (I saw Grindstone win in 1996), and taking my wife to her first. In anticipation of that spectacular trip I will periodically check in with the five horses that are pointed at the Derby that have me most excited. The road from here to there is long and winding, so it is entirely possible that the horse I like best in the race in May is one I have never heard of. Curlin didn’t hit the track for the first time until later than this.

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I could write a lot about that race, but I won’t. Instead, just two thoughts:

1. Wow. Big Brown . Not more more to say. Unbelievable. I will either make a lot of money on this horse or lose it over the next five weeks, because there is no way I am betting on anyone else. Incredible.
2. Any doubts that horse racing is a tough sport? The story of Eight Belles goes down in history as one of the all-time happy-sad classics. Nothing more to say at this point.