140th Kentucky Derby

In Preparation For The 140th Kentucky Derby

It’s been 36 years since horse racing has witnessed a triple crown winner. Each year brings new hope, and this year the 140th Kentucky Derby may bring us a horse to end the drought. On the first Saturday in May of 1978 Affirmed stepped onto the track at Churchill Downs as the second favorite pick, with odds of 9-5, won the Kentucky Derby and later went on to make history by becoming the 11th horse EVER to win the Triple Crown.

Unlike these last several years, the 1970’s saw 3 Triple Crown winners. Just one year prior to Affirmed’s win Seattle Slew galloped to the top of sport in 1977 and Secretariat defied all odds in 1973.

Past Triple Crown Winners

YEAR	HORSE	DERBY TIME	WINNING MARGIN
1919	Sir Barton	2:09 4/5	5
1930	Gallant Fox	2:07 3/5	2
1935	Omaha	2:05	1 1/2
1937	War Admiral	2:03 1/5	1 3/4
1941	Whirl Away	2:01 2/5	8
1943	Count Fleet	2:04	3
1946	Assault	2:06 3/5	8
1948	Citation	2:05 2/5	3 1/2
1973	Secretariat	1:59 2/5	2 1/2
1977	Seattle Slew	2:02 1/5	1 3/4
1978 Affirmed (2	Affirmed	2:01 1/5	1 1/2

So it appears that Triple Crown winners come in spurts of 3’s and 4’s – with the exception of Sir Barton – and the pauses between spurts are certainly not predictable. There are many factors that can affect a horse’s performance on race day, and while having stellar bloodlines as a solid foundation is a bonus, bloodlines alone do not guarantee a winner. Weather, track conditions, anatomy, strength, nutrition, health, attitude, focus and heart all play key roles in the success of these 4-legged athletes.

But still, horse racing fans will agree that the unpredictable nature of this sport is what makes it so exhilarating.

The 2014 Contenders

PP	HORSE	JOCKEY	OWNER	ODDS
1	Vicar’s In Trouble	Rosie Napravnik	Mike Maker	25-1
2	Harry’s Holiday	Corey Lanerie	Mike Maker	50-1
3	Uncle Sigh	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Gary Contessa	35-1
4	Danza	Joe Bravo	Todd Pletcher	8-1
5	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	Art Sherman	21-1
6	Samraat	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	16-1
7	We Miss Artie	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	33-1
8	General A Rod	Joel Rosario	Mike Maker	18-1
9	Vinceremos	Joe Rocco Jr.	Todd Pletcher	50-1
10	Wildcat Red	Luis Saez	Jose Garoffalo	18-1
11	Dance With Fate	Corey Nakatani	Peter Eurton	14-1
12	Chitu	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	22-1
13	Medal Count	Robby Albarado	Dale Romans	22-1
14	Tapiture	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Steve Asmussen	20-1
15	Intense Holiday	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	12-1
16	Commanding Curve	Shaun Bridgmohan	Dallas Stewart	33-1
17	Candy Boy	Gary Stevens	John Sadler	18-1
18	Ride on Curlin	Calvin Borel	William G. Gowan	18-1
19	Wicked Strong	Rajiv Maragh	James A. Jerkens	8-1