Grab your hats and fascinators, its Kentucky Derby weekend!

This weekend opens the first of the Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby.

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What races comprise the Triple Crown and when are they?

• The Kentucky Derby (KY)– May 4^th, 2019
  • Tune into NBC at 1:30pm for coverage
    • Post time: 5:38pm
    • Actual race time: ~5:50pm
  • The cheapest seats are selling for $231 for Saturday as of 3pm today.
  • The race is 1.25 miles long ~2 minutes
• The Preakness Stakes (‘Preakness’) (MD) – May 18^th, 2019
• The Belmont Stakes (NY) – June 8^th, 2019

When was the first one?

• The Kentucky Derby was first run in 1875.
  • This race has been run every year since 1875, even during both World Wars and the Great Depression. The other 2 races cannot say the same thing.
• The Preakness began in 1873
• The Belmont Stakes is one of the oldest sporting events in existence – it began in 1867.
  • To put that in perspective, the US only had 37 states, the Civil War had only been over for 2 years and the pitcher Cy Young was born.

Who can compete?

• Thoroughbred horses that are 3 years old – so you only get one shot at this.
  • It can be a boy or girl horse but only 11 fillies have won one of the Triple Crown races. 95% of races are won by colts.
• Here is the current list of horses running

Isn’t the Triple Crown hard to win?

• Only 13 horse have won the Triple Crown (competed since 1875)
  • First: Sir Barton in 1919
  • Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharaoh (2015), Justify (2018)
  • 35 horses have come into the Belmont winning the previous 2 races
  • Father/son horse pair to win the Triple Crown was Gallant Fox (1930) and Omaha (1935)
  • Secretariat won by 31.5 legs in 2:24 in 1973, both records still stand today
  • Seattle Slew (1977) first undefeated horse to win the Triple Crown

Any helpful hints for betting on the race?

• To Win, To Place, To Show
  • If you’re betting on a horse to win that is self-explanatory. To place = 2^nd and To show = 3^rd
  • If you bet Game Winner to show, you will get paid money if that horse places 3rd or higher.
• The longest shot to win the Kentucky Derby was 91:1 Donerall in 1913

• The odds on favorite for 2019, Omaha Beach scratched on Wednesday due to a breathing/coughing issue (4:1 at the time of scratch). The new favorite is Game Winner (4-1 as of 9am Thursday morning).
  • Yes Omaha Beach is ok, nothing life threatening. Entrapped epiglottis just affects the effectiveness of breathing in athletic horses.
• Bob Baffert, the trainer of Triple Crown winners American Pharaoh (2015) and Justify (2018), has 3 horses in the field: Game Winner, Roadster and Improbable
• Tacitus had the highest speed in his last race before the Kentucky Derby compared to the other horses in the field.
• Maybe who not to take: Plus Que Parfait is the 1^st American horse to win the UAE Derby, however winners of the UAE race are 0-10 in the Kentucky Derby
  • ‘Plus Que Parfait’ means ‘More Than Perfect’ in French
• Sometimes it’s best to go with your gut, your favorite color or your favorite name. Here are some of my favorite names:
  • By My Standards, Maximum Security, Code of Honor, Game Winner, Spinoff

All this Derby talk makes me wanna hat and a mint julep…

• You and me both!
• Back when the Kentucky Derby debuted in 1875, a hat was simply a common accessory. However more well off women wore more extravagant hats to show off their wealth and social status. This is now a fashion choice for women who attend the Derby, although it is not required. Wearing hats to the Derby is believed to bring good luck on the wearer.
  • Christine A. Moore Millinery is known for her Derby hats but not so friendly on the prices…
  • You could also go with a fascinator! Didn’t watch the Royal Wedding? This is what a fascinator looks like:

• A mint julep is a must if you’re attending the Derby. Churchill Downs sells almost 120,000 over the weekend. It has bourbon, syrup (~3/1 ratio) and mint leaves.

Kentucky Derby Trivia:

• Only 3 horses competed in the 1892 Kentucky Derby
• No woman jockey has ever won the Kentucky Derby
  • Diane Crump was the first female jockey to race in the Derby – she was also the first woman to ride in a pro horse race in the US
• The Derby is also called the ‘Run for the Roses’ as the winner gets a blanket sewn with over 400 roses, which weighs ~40lbs
• The founder of the Kentucky Derby was Lewis Clark Jr, was the grandson of William Clark from the historically famous duo – Lewis and Clark.
• 19 previous winners of the Derby have started with the letter ‘S’
  • There is only one this year with that letter – Spinoff

Other Horse Racing terms you should know:

• Ante Post – bets placed predicting the outcome of an event in the future
  • Anyone who had already placed their bet on Omaha Beach
• Backed horse – a horse that has lots of bets
• Backstretch/back straight – straight part of the track opposite of the finish line
• Blinkers – the device over the horses eyes to limit their peripheral vision

• Boxed In – when a horse is trapped by other horses and cannot move
• Breeder’s Cup – Year-End Championship for thoroughbreds
  • 8 races on one day on a different track every year with a purse totaling $13MM
• Colt – a baby boy horse
• Crop – (aka Bat, Stick) a jockey’s whip
• Dead Heat – a tie
• Even Money Bet – You bet $1 and get $1 if you win
• Exacta – a bet where the better attempts to pick the 1st and 2nd place horses on one ticket
• Exotic – a bet for any place other than 1st – 3rd
• Filly – a baby girl horse
• Furlongs – 1/8^th of a mile (220 yrds)
• Gelding – a boy horse that has been spade/neutered
• Hand – measurement of how tall a horse is (~4 inches)
  • Thoroughbreds are usually 15-17 hands tall
• Inquiry – review of the race tape for a possible infraction
• Length – short for horse length (~8 ft) usually used to describe how much a horse wins by
• Nose – smallest margin a horse can win by (based on the length of a horse’s nose)
• Paddock – where the horses are kept and saddled up before the race
• Perfecta – a bet that picks the 1st and 2nd place horses correctly in that order
• Post – starting point for the race
• Quiniela – a bet where the first 2 finishers must be picked in their order
• Scratch (‘SCR’) – when a horse withdraws from the race
  • See: Omaha Beach
• Stallion – a boy horse that is ready for breeding
• Superfecta – a bet on 4 horses to cross the line in an exact order
• Trifecta – a bet on 3 horses to cross the line in an exact order
• Trip – the way a horse and rider handled the course. 
  • I.e. if the horse had a good trip, they raced well and had no unusual activity (racing wide or being boxed in)