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Dismal Derby? Not this year.I’m here to tell you the Kentucky Derby was not dismal this year as Andrew Beyer put in his recap Derby article. Yes there were disappointments. Only 1 of every 50 people cashed in a win ticket on Giacomo, and even less winners for the exacta, trifecta, and super (which had 7 winning tickets nationwide). Afleet Alex misfired as did the other betting favorites. I know this disappointment as well as anyone. Alex was my primary horse, the only one I bet across the board and in all exotics. I was disappointed with myself for not throwing down a few clams on Closing Argument, unaware he was going off as the longest-shot at 71-1. This was a horse that finished with a 107 speed figure in a 9f prep race named after the winner’s sire, Holy Bull. The $2 show paid $24.80, which is more than not bad: it’s great for a show payout. Then there were the disappointing speed figures. I come home to find out it was apparently one of the slowest Derbies ever. The winner, Giacomo, finished with an ignominious 100 Beyer figure, 5 points better than his previous high. The BRIS speed figure was an equally shameful 100, matching his 100 for the Santa Anita Derby. The Derby winner typically gets a figure from 105-110. In fact, usually he MUST attain such a figure simply to come out on top of a classy group. The previous low over the last 10 years was when Charismatic got away with a 104 BRIS figure, however he did achieve a 108 Beyer for that race. Now that we have agreed that there were plentiful disappointments, let’s look at the positives. First of all, it was a beautiful, sunny day at Churchill Downs. The ladies looked great in their Derby dresses and cute little hats. I looked fabulous in my striped seersucker ensemble. Matthew Fox and Terry O’Quinn from the cast of Lost were on hand. Excitement and tradition were in the air. The horses all broke cleanly and the race went on without serious injury. Spanish Chestnut assumed his position as a rabbit and sped to 22.3 and 45.4 opening quarters as planned. Several horses gave chase, like crowd favorite Bellamy Road and runner-up Closing Argument. Others like my favorite, Afleet Alex and the eventual winner Giacomo, laid way back off the pace ready to pounce for a stretch run. When the pace finally collapsed around the final turn, so many horses were bunched up that any of them could have won. Six horses were abreast coming into the top of the stretch. This is in stark contrast to 2002, when War Emblem came into the stretch alone after setting pansy fractions, with one horse dutifully chasing but with little chance of actually catching him. No, this year’s Derby stretch run was one for the ages: horses passing tired rivals, long shots teeming at the wire, and a photo finish. It was a beautiful sight. The crowd was gasping in bewildered astonishment after realizing that none of the horses they bet on finished 1 and 2. Looking at it from our box behind the finish line, it was tough to tell who won. “I think it was the 10 horse… 10 may have got it,” I shouted with uncertainty while hoping the teller made a mistake on at least one of my tickets. The unofficial results were soon posted on the giant tote board, and people began throwing their losing bets in the air. (Of course I retain mine just in case I have to fill out a W2G later on in the year.) Fifty to one?! Seventy to one?! The crowd disbelief continued as people began to tear their hair out. The only Triple Crown moment I witnessed that was quieter than this was the one after Smarty Jones lost in the stretch of the Belmont as a 2-5 favorite. As the results became official and the payouts were posted, we began to realize that we had just witnessed history. These were the highest exotic payouts in Kentucky Derby history. Only one long shot had won with higher odds than Giacomo’s 50-1. Never had two horses of 50-1 or greater come in 1st and 2nd. This is something that happens once per century, and I was grateful for having seen it with my own eyes. Despite the fact that favorites ran off the bottom of the chart and that it was a slow Derby, with slow times and speed figures, this was one for the ages. Anybody who says that Kentucky Derby 131 was one of the worst ever, was not watching the same race that I was. I saw one of the most exciting races in the history of horse racing. This race is not just about winning bets or picking the right horses; it's about tradition and history.
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