The Derby Field

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Louisville, KY - A full field of 20 three-year-olds has been entered for Saturday's 130th running of the Kentucky Derby. The 1 1/4 mile race has a guaranteed purse of $1 million.

The morning line favorite at 4-1 is Blue Grass Stakes winner The Cliff's Edge. Ridden by Shane Sellers, The Cliff's Edge will start from post 11 for owner Robert La Penta and trainer Nick Zito. The colt has won four of eight starts for $835,258.

Zito also trains Birdstone for Marylou Whitney. Birdstone is 50-1 in the program and will break from post 13. Edgar Prado has the riding assignment. While Birdstone has won three of five career starts, his only win this year was in an allowance race. He finished fifth last time out in the Lane's End Stakes. Zito is looking for his third win in the Kentucky Derby after winning in 1991 with Strike the Gold and again in 1994 with Go for Gin.

Arkansas Derby winner Smarty Jones is a perfect 6-for-6 coming into the Run for the Roses. He has earned $878,355 and can grab a $5 million bonus with a victory Saturday. Smarty Jones is owned by Someday Farm and trained by John Servis. Bred in Pennsylvania, the colt can join Lil E.Tee, winner of the 1992 Kentucky Derby, as the only Pennsylvania-breds to claim the prize. Smarty Jones is the second choice in the program at 9-2. He will be ridden by Philadelphia Park leading jockey Stewart Elliott and will break from post 15.

Wood Memorial winner Tapit is 8-1 in the morning line and will break from post 18. Tapit is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Michael Dickinson. Leading Maryland jockey Ramon Dominguez has the mount on the gray colt. Tapit has won three of four career starts for $549,800. His only loss came in the Florida Derby where he was sixth.

Borrego, the runner-up in the Arkansas Derby, will start from post 12 with Victor Espinoza in the saddle. Espinoza won on War Emblem two years ago. The chestnut colt is trained by co-owner Beau Greely and is 20-1 in the morning line. Borrego has finished second in his last three starts and is winless in stakes races. In seven career starts he has won $399,580.

Santa Anita Derby winner Castledale is 15-1 in the program and will start from post 16 with jockey Jose Valdivia. Castledale is owned by Frank Lyons and Greg Knee, and trained by Jeff Mullins. The longshot winner of the Santa Anita Derby has raced three times in the United States winning twice. Overall Castledale has won three of ten career starts for $561,836.

Another three-year-old coming off an upset win is Friends Lake. The longshot winner of the Florida Derby will start from post six with Richard Migliore riding. Friends Lake is 15-1 in the morning line for owners Mary and Chester Broman and trainer John Kimmel. The colt has won three of five starts for $695,600.

Trainer Richard Mandella has two colts entered in Saturday's Run for the Roses. Champion two-year-old Action This Day and Minister Eric represent the hottest trainer since last year's Breeders' Cup.

Action This Day has not won since capturing last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In fact he has won only twice in six career starts. This year he has finished 4th, 7th and 6th. Action This Day will be ridden by David Flores and will start from post 4. Owned by Billy Hughes, the bay colt is 30-1 in the morning line.

Minister Eric is still looking for his first stakes victory. He is 30-1 in the program and will break from post 7 with jockey Pat Day. Day's only win in this race came aboard Lil E. Tee in 1992. Minister Eric is owned by Diamond A Racing and has earned $437,971.

Another trainer with two horses in this year's Derby is Todd Pletcher. Pletcher will saddle Illinois Derby winner Pollard's Vision and Tampa Bay Derby winner Limehouse.

Pollard's Vision is 20-1 in the morning line and will start from post 17. The colt will be ridden by John Velazquez for owner Edgewood Farm. Pollard's Vision has won three of ten starts for $445,811.

Dogwood Stable's Limehouse is coming off a third place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes. He is 30-1 in the program and will start from the inside post with jockey Jose Santos. Santos was the winning rider in last year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness on Funny Cide. Limehouse has won five of nine starts for $575,435.

Two time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Kent Desormeaux has the ride on Imperialism. The gay colt is 15-1 in the morning line and will start from post ten. Imperialism is trained by Kristin Mulhall and owned by Steve Taub. In his career, Imperialism has won five of 15 starts for $437,605. Last time out the colt was third in the Santa Anita Derby after winning the San Rafael and San Vicente Stakes.

Lion Heart with Mike Smith riding will break from post three and is 10-1 in the program. Trained by Patrick Biancone, the colt has finished second his last two starts after beginning his career with three straight wins. Lion Heart is owned by Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor for whom he has earned $500,800.

Bob Baffert, who has trained three Kentucky Derby winners, has Louisiana Derby winner Wimbledon this year. Wimbledon is 15-1 in the morning line and will start from post five with jockey Jerry Bailey. The Hall-of-Fame rider has two victories in the Run for the Roses. Wimbledon is coming off a disappointing fifth place finish in the Santa Anita Derby. He has earned $430,980 while winning twice in seven career starts. Wimbledon is owned by James McIngvale.

Master David is trainer Bobby Frankel's last est hope for his first Kentucky Derby win. The chestnut colt was second in the Wood Memorial after winning the Sahm Stakes. Master David is 12-1 and will be ridden by Alex Solis from post eight. The three-year-old is owned by Georgia Stable, Stephen Mack and Andrew Rosen. Master David has won two of seven starts for $268,789.

Song of the Sword is 30-1 in the morning line and will start from post two. Trained by Jennifer Perdersen, the bay colt will be ridden by Norberto Arroyo and is owned by Paraneck Stable. This year Song of the Sword was second in the Illinois Derby and third in the Lexington Stakes. He has earned $211,100 in five career starts.

The winner of the Lexington, Quintons Gold Rush, is 20-1 in the program and will break from the outside post. Quintons Gold Rush was fourth earlier this year in both the San Rafael and Santa Anita Derby. Corey Nakatani has the riding assignment for owners Padua Stable, Jay Manogian and Kimberly Riches and trainer Steve Asmussen. The colt has won $295,500 with two wins in five starts.

Read the Footnotes will start from post 14 with Robby Albarado in the saddle. The winner of the Fountain of Youth stakes is 12-1 in the morning line. He was fourth in the Florida Derby for owners Klaravich Stables and trainer Richard Violette. Read the Footnotes has won five of seven career starts for $450,660.

St Averil, the winner earlier this year of the Santa Catalina Stakes, will break from post nine and is 30-1 in the morning line. He will be ridden by Tyler Baze for owner Stan Fulton and trainer Rafael Becerra. After the Santa Catalina win he was second in the San Felipe and sixth in the Santa Anita Derby. St Averil has earned $238,000 in five starts with two wins.

Pro Prado, ridden by John McKee, will start from post 19 and is 30-1 in the morning line. The gray colt has finished third in his last three starts, including the Arkansas Derby. Trained by Robert Holthus, Pro Prado has earned $213,784 for owner Mrs. James Winn.

1 Limehouse 30-1 Jose Santos Todd Pletcher 2 Song of the Sword 30-1 Norberto Arroyo Jennifer Pedersen 3 Lion Heart 10-1 Mike Smith Patrick Biancone 4 Action This Day 30-1 David Flores Richard Mandella 5 Wimbledon 15-1 Jerry Bailey Bob Baffert 6 Friends Lake 15-1 Richard Migliore John Kimmel 7 Minister Eric 30-1 Pat Day Richard Mandella 8 Master David 12-1 Alex Solis Bobby Frankel 9 St Averil 30-1 Tyler Baze Rafael Becerra 10 Imperialism 15-1 Kent Desormeaux Kristin Mulhall 11 The Cliff's Edge 4-1 Shane Sellers Nick Zito 12 Borrego 20-1 Victor Espinoza Beau Greeley 13 Birdstone 50-1 Edgar Prado Nick Zito 14 Read the Footnotes 12-1 Robby Albarado Richard Violette 15 Smarty Jones 9-2 Stewart Elliott John Servis 16 Castledale 15-1 Jose Valdivia Jeff Mullins 17 Pollard's Vision 20-1 John Velazquez Todd Pletcher 18 Tapit 8-1 Ramon Dominguez Michael Dickinson 19 Pro Prado 30-1 John McKee Robert Holthus 20 Quintons Gold Rush 20-1 Corey Nakatani Steve Asmussen

The weather forecast for Saturday in Louisville calls for thunderstorms with a post-time temperature around 75.

 

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The 130th running of the Kentucky Derby appears to be the most wide open in recent memory with a full field of 20 likely to enter the starting gate on Saturday. Six of the entrants have earned Equibase Speed Figures of 90 or better in their most recent races. Considering that Funny Cide earned a 94 Equibase Speed Figure in winning the Derby last year, any of the six can be considered contenders to win, with a number of the other 14 within striking range if they run career best races.

Here is the field for the Kentucky Derby in alphabetical order, with the best representative Equibase Speed Figure for each horse in parenthesis.

Action This Day (84) – Last year’s champion 2-year-old colt and winner of the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with an Equibase Speed Figure of 84, Action This Day has not demonstrated that type of top form this year. Action This Day was beaten one and one-quarter lengths in the Sham Stakes, duplicating that Breeders’ Cup Juvenile 84 Equibase Speed Figure, and could have had an excuse in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes thereafter when bothered by a horse that had lost its jockey.

Birdstone (85) – The winner of the 2003 Grade 1 Champagne Stakes in October with an Equibase Speed Figure of 85, Birdstone has not shown that type of form this year in two starts. Birdstone’s allowance score in February after four months off earned a 79 Equibase Speed Figure, as did his fifth place finish in the Grade 2 Lane’s End Stakes, his only other race of the year.

Borrego (96) – Having not missed a beat since debuting last October, with no real breaks in training or in racing, Borrego improved his Equibase Speed Figure 13 points from his previous start when second to Smarty Jones in the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby. Borrego earned a 96 Equibase Speed Figure in the Arkansas Derby, one of the top last race speed figures in the field.

Castledale (89) – Upset winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby at odds of 30-to-1 in only his second start on dirt in his career and his third start in the United States since coming from Europe, Castledale earned an 89 Equibase Speed Figure, an eight point improvement over his previous figure.

Friends Lake (82) – Winner of the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 13, the decision was made thereafter to train Friends Lake up to the Kentucky Derby, bypassing the remaining major derby preps. Friends Lake’s win in the Florida Derby earned an 80 Equibase Speed Figure, a decline from the 82 Figure earned in winning the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes. On the other hand, The Cliff’s Edge (third in the Florida Derby) and Tapit (sixth in the Florida Derby) both came back to win graded stakes in their next starts after the Florida Derby, suggesting that it was a more productive race than it appeared based solely on the speed figure.

Imperialism (88) – Imperialism earned Equibase Speed Figures of 87 and 88 in his last two races, both since being privately purchased in January and shipped to California to the care of 21-year-old Kristen Mulhall, who would be the youngest trainer in history to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner should Imperialism cross the finish line first on Saturday. Imperialism rallied from far back in each race, with traffic trouble in the Santa Anita Derby resulting in his being moved up from third to second after he was forced to steady on the rail late in the race.

Limehouse (94) – Limehouse has earned more than $575,000 while winning five of nine career starts. Limehouse received a 94 Equibase Speed Figure when third in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes in his most recent start, 11 points better than his win in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby prior to that. Limehouse runs best from just off the pace, the style that resulted in both of his 2004 victories.

Lion Heart (98) – Making just his second start of 2004, Lion Heart ran very gamely when beaten a half-length by The Cliff’s Edge in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. With three victories last year and two second-place finishes this year in five career races, Lion Heart’s 98 Equibase Speed Figure earned in the Blue Grass was a 10-point improvement from his 3-year-old debut in the San Rafael Stakes.

Master David (88) – Master David was game in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial when second, beating Eddington by a neck and earning an 82 Equibase Speed Figure. Master David rallied from fifth to lead briefly in the Wood before losing to Tapit, with the two month rest since his previous start perhaps getting the better of him late. Master David won the Sham Stakes before that, defeating Borrego by a length.

Minister Eric (88) – Minister Eric showed improved Equibase Speed Figures in his two most recent starts, including an 88 Equibase Speed Figure when winning an allowance race on April 14, and gets the service of Pat Day for the first time in the Derby. Minister Eric ran second to Action This Day in the Grade 1 Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year.

Pollard’s Vision (95) – Pollard’s Vision comes into the Kentucky Derby having earned an Equibase Speed Figure of 95 in winning the Grade 2 Illinois Derby in wire-to-wire fashion, a 12-point improvement from his previous speed figure. Although that effort was completed on the lead, Pollard’s Vision has also won from off the pace. Pollard’s Vision is blind in his right eye just like his namesake, Red Pollard, jockey for the legendary Seabiscuit.

Pro Prado (95) – Pro Prado finished a fast-closing third to Smarty Jones and Borrego in the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby and earned a 95 Equibase Speed Figure, an 11 point improvement from his previous effort. Pro Prado is a horse that could be on many handicapper’s lists of horses to include on exacta and trifecta tickets at the minimum because of his sustained running style of starting well back much of the time and picking up speed as the race progresses.

Quintons Gold Rush (88) – Coming off a sharp victory in the Grade 2 Coolmore Lexington Stakes and earning an 88 Equibase Speed Figure, Quintons Gold Rush enters the Kentucky Derby on an improving pattern of speed figures.

Read the Footnotes (91) – Winner of the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes as a two-year-old, Read the Footnotes won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes in his 2004 debut in February, then regressed when fourth in the Grade 1 Florida Derby one month later. Like Florida Derby winner Friends Lake, Read the Footnotes has been trained up to the Kentucky Derby, bypassing other Kentucky Derby prep races. Read the Footnotes’ two 2004 Equibase Speed Figures of 86 and 77 are less than the 91speed figure earned in the Remsen Stakes.

Smarty Jones (97) – The 18th horse in modern history to enter the starting gate in the Kentucky Derby unbeaten, Smarty Jones would join four other unbeaten Derby winners should he win the race, the last being Seattle Slew in 1977. Smarty Jones not only is six-for-six in his career, his Equibase Speed Figures have continued to climb in his last two starts, culminating with a 97 Equibase Speed Figure when winning the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby.

Song of the Sword (93) – Unbeaten in his first three races, Song of the Sword ran second to Pollard’s Vision in the Grade 2 Illinois Derby on April 3, earning a 93 Equibase Speed Figure. He followed that effort up with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Coolmore Lexington Stakes. Trainer Jennifer Pederson plans to make a change in Song of the Sword’s blinkers (a plastic cup worn over his right eye) to help him see horses better, which hopefully will better enable him to dig in and run harder in the late stages.

St Averil (88) – Even though a fast workout at Santa Anita on April 24 might demonstrate that recent hoof problems are behind him, St Averil enters the Kentucky Derby with declining Equibase Speed Figures. St Averil earned an 88 Equibase Speed Figure winning the Grade 2 Santa Catalina Stakes in January, beating Master David in the process, and ran very gamely when second by a nose to Preachinatthebar in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes thereafter.

Tapit (87) – Tapit was impressive in winning the Grade 1 Wood Memorial, especially considering trainer Michael Dickinson didn’t think he was 100% fit. Tapit earned an 83 Equibase Speed Figure in the Wood, a figure that can potentially be improved upon in the Kentucky Derby, considering Tapit earned an 87 Equibase Speed Figure in only his second career start when winning the Grade 3 Laurel Futurity as a two-year-old.

The Cliff’s Edge (99) – Earning the best Equibase Speed Figure of any of the Kentucky Derby prep races, 99, when winning the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, The Cliff’s Edge enters the Kentucky Derby on top of his game. The Cliff’s Edge is a perfect two-for-two at Churchill Downs, having won both the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes and the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club last fall. The Cliff’s Edge closed into moderate fractions in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, gamely getting up in time. Named for longtime Equibase chart caller and journalist Cliff Guilliams, The Cliff’s Edge figures to be the first or second betting choice for the Kentucky Derby.

Wimbledon (85) – After winning the Louisiana Derby with an 85 Equibase Speed Figure, Wimbledon regressed without any visible excuse when finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. However, Wimbledon has the riding services of one of the leading riders in the country in Jerry Bailey.