Louie & Barry preview Derby 152 at Churchill Downs.
Guests include Steve Kornacki, Carlos Morales, and Danny Brewer.
Louie & Barry preview Derby 152 at Churchill Downs.
Guests include Steve Kornacki, Carlos Morales, and Danny Brewer.
Well, let's get after it. A Flemi Stark to Derby dance.
It's the horse racing gap. Yeah, I rang it out with Barry
Spears. My name's Lou Revo.
Danner. Bruna Best.
So by the glass, hanging out with us, making sure everything
stays on the air for us. 437-9680, 502-437-9680 is our
UPS jobs tax line. Would love to hear from you.
No matter where it is that you are listening to us from around
the country, around the world, wherever it is that you're
spending your Derby day. Thanks for starting up with us
here at ESPN Louisville. We've got you For the next three
hours. We'll be joined by our friend
Danny Brewer, the the stud from Smyrna.
I don't know how appropriate that is and I don't know that
his wife likes me calling him that, but he'll join us at
11:20. Get a little of that Tennessee
twang. He's the finest turf rider in
the state of Tennessee. Steve Kornacki, NBC Sports at
noon today. And of course, our guy from the
Three O 5, Carlos Morales will join us from agentes Tres Cerro
Cinco. That'll be at 12:40 today,
Barry. And I'll take you home in the
final hour of this one as well. Again, 437-9680 would love to
hear from you. Not a very not warm Derby day.
Barry, how are you? Hanging in there, it's freezing.
Such a Florida guy, I love it. Yeah, man, you can take the the
sniper out of Florida. Can't take the floor you.
Can't take the. Floor your blood at this point
is very thin cables tomato salad like he just really is.
You just have no chance. At least Tanner has some some
modicum of of the northeast still left in his body.
He still hangs out in ice rinks like he's still got some of that
stuff. But Barry, you're done like
you're done done. If it's low 80 I don't hear from
you like it's. Oh yeah, I stopped moving.
I'm like the opposite though. If I go to floor like you go to
Florida, you're left in Charleston.
Like not too long ago, not even Florida weather.
And I was still like, OK, so here's the thing.
I think Barry would even say this.
Like there's a humidity thing in South Carolina that just doesn't
exist in other places. Like it's offensive.
Like it it sticks to you like it's not OK.
I do remember one time, like I was exiting an airport with my
wife. I think it was Fort Lauderdale.
And it was, it was July, OK. And I said, I need you to know
it's not just going to be hot. Like the ground is going to be
hot. And she was like, sure,
whatever. And we get outside and she's
like, why are why are my ankles this warm?
I'm like, oh, yeah, no, it's, it's stupid.
Like none of this makes sense at all.
Barry, you and I took of the races yesterday.
Of course. Man oh man, I we thought it was
wide open Oaks. Yeah.
I thought we got 3 logicals at the end.
Yeah, but look, I in a in a wide open field, Chad Brown, third
time starter, always a runner, will try to turn around and do
exactly that with emerging market in the Kentucky Derby
today. Her win yesterday, I thought, by
the way, a really nice addition to the yolks, really well
learned race. Yeah, that that was a really
good rendition a a nice race. It was very competitive.
I I think always a runner got the trip of a lifetime and
capitalized. She was really good, ran down a
a really nice horse in Meaning and Explorer, so things are
looking up for a horse like that.
Lots of people asking about the bet share.
Let me shoot some text and see what's going on.
But I would just keep following at ESPN 680 at 93.9 Deville just
ahead of those things. I'm sure the guys will get those
tickets up there. There's way too much bragging
with Ed Derosa on the line for them not to do that.
So they go. The texture isn't this great
Derby weather, though. Get to stay outside all day.
The sun will be out today. I will.
I will take hold of not raining. Barry will just not take cold.
Like there's just a line for Barry that just it can't be
done. But I appreciate everybody
taking. The time rain is is, yeah.
You left Boston for a reason. And Boston, by the way, is a
special kind of cold. Yeah, February in Boston is So
what I did, I did a grad grad school visit in in Boston in
February by a senior of college. No, thanks.
Yeah. It was very click.
I was like, oh, we can go to Bloomington instead.
All right, we can do that. Let's go figure that out.
Oh man, 437-9680 keep coming on the UPS jobs tax line.
But she does win the Oaks again. Barry, I think a lot of the
stuff we talked about before the races went off yesterday as far
as how the track was playing and whatever else, all that came
true. The only thing I haven't seen, I
don't think yet Barry is a front runner in on the turf course of
any kind winner race, whether it be a Sprint or a route runner.
That's fair, but. Otherwise, I think you can you
can win your way. Like if you're, if you're a
Knights Bridge today, go to the front.
Like don't change your tactics because of how you think the
track is working. Just go to the front.
That's that's exactly right. So I don't think much of that
will change for today. Who won Race 1, Barry?
And go ahead and pull that up on the computer as well.
Make sure we've got that ready. For power shift the 11.
Oh, good. Am I on top pick there?
Yeah, well, that'll do. 3 was second in a photo for the third
between the six and the four. What number was second?
3. Oh, my third pick.
Interesting. In your top pick?
Yeah. Oh, it's interesting.
It's almost like if you had started with me, you'd be live
in the pick three right now. Yeah, such as you went if you
went left to right. You can't sweep the card, Barry,
without getting the first race, right.
You understand me? Yes, Sir.
That's how you start Derby Day. That is on top Winner with Power
Shift. Yeah, even from the outside a
mile of 16th, which is why I know you had him third.
That's correct. He got good position.
I I saw the race, he. He's a nice horse, actually.
Yeah, no, he's a good. Horse, by the way, I want to be
on record and Barry and I were talking about this coming in.
I think this second race will produce a runner in one of the
Triple Crown races. It's possible. 3 year olds which
have never run away, won a race, blah blah blah blah blah.
So you've got Steele in here, who is Triple Crown nominated
Memory, a Baffert runner who just broke his maiden at Santa
Anita. If he runs off the page today,
Barry I I'll call it right now. That horse is either in the
Preakness or because it's a Starlight horse, it's either in
the Preakness or in the Belmont. OK, so everybody next race, odd
Derby day, you might see a horse that runs at a Triple Crown
race. Make My Day is also Triple Crown
nominated. There was one other I thought,
yeah, a spirit of Royal on the outside.
Probably not a winner here. But look, man, this is I think
where you find that next level of kind of horse because all
they're doing Barry is running for $127,000.
That's. It a mere 127.
That's it. So in California we call that a
grade 3 plus 437968 UPS jobs tax line for sure.
Anyone else stand out? Yesterday I I thought some
interesting performances. Nice to see in the last couple
of days. Horses like Cyfair get back to
form. Anyone else that caught your eye
yesterday? Yeah, Cyfair definitely stands
out that that race was really good yesterday.
Yeah, not so much. I think there was some good
performances. Nothing that that wowed me per
SE, but. What do you make of corporate
power winning the alley Shiva? I thought that was a really
tough effort. He, he's supposed to do that.
Honestly, he, he ran his race, got the trip he wanted and, and
finished it off. That was a, you know, a little
bit jostling there at the end with, with Skippy and I, you
know, I, I thought they were bumping each other and they made
the right call. Right what continues?
Just an excellent year for Skippy, even with the second
place finish. Just another spot for a. 7 year
old, he's really. Top 2 and and and the greatest
stakes still going at that point, by the way, in the
modesty yesterday. You have to feel pretty good
about that one. Yeah.
I mean, Catherine Mercer, right? Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely.
So Gazora gets upset there. What do we make of Gazora moving
forward, though? Just when you think she'd get
back to more distance and more of her kind of races, I think.
Longer is better. I think so too.
Not that that got her beat yesterday, I I just think she
probably needed she. Race.
She was second best yesterday, right second.
Thought about that's it, you know, she ran really good and
just got beat by her stable mate.
We'll talk with Danny Brewer up next the the stud from Smyrna,
the smartest stud. What do we call these days?
What are we working on? I don't even know I.
Don't know man. Smartest Smyrna grill man.
Does many things, I said sports bro on the socials if you want
to go find him with his coverage there.
But yes, it's a an interesting race coming up in Race 2, but of
course getting into the card later on.
Is there an undercard stake that you're especially looking
forward to? Barry?
I'm fascinated with the trio of runners coming back in the turf
Sprint today that all were in the top three of the Shakertown
last out at Keeneland. I have all three of them
repeating that performance, Barry, believe it or not, in my
handicapping. I just thought that much of that
race and I think all those horses are in great form.
Is there another race on the early card this?
Day I thought the Knicks go might be an interesting race to
to watch the sixth race and. We'll preview that race at 1:00
today. I, I'm, I'm interested in seeing
crude velocity run. I, I, I mean, I'm not really
interested in that race per SE, but I do want to see crude
velocity. Just see him go, right?
Yeah, yeah. You know, brother Kenny breaks
from the inside and that Knicks go.
He's an interesting horseman. Yeah, remember we saw that horse
up at Horseshoe last year and and he ran a great race that day
behind. 3rd 3rd in the Indiana. Doug Thomas and.
Coal Battle, Well, they came here and they ran him in that,
that three-year old Bourbon flight, the mile on a 16th or
about 316th. Excuse me, He picked that one
off. Then he went to ZA Park, picked
off the ZA Park Derby, and then they tried him in the Pan
American over the turf because he moved to the D Angelo Bar and
no dice. Yeah, I, I don't know if you saw
it, they they put out a video of when they paraded that horse for
that race, the owners and they said it was an experiment.
They were just trying to see what it was so.
What I'm saying, he's getting back to it today and I mean, 15
to one, that's that on big days, that's the kind of horse we
wanna see is drop it back into these.
Something with a question mark that could go either way.
That's that's usually a good sign there's there's a potential
for a nice long shot. Pay off, texter Louis, I think
an ironic statement is I'm feeling good about the modesty.
It's pretty. It's a little bit of ironic.
Yeah. No, it's a good job by you. 437
I am now, but yesterday I was fairly modest about it.
You were fairly modest about it. Fairly.
All of our stuff is up at horseracinghappyhour.com,
totally free to you. You could also follow along with
all of the programming that we do around that around horse
racing, Frank, She ends up at that spot.
Kind of an easy catch all for the things that we work on.
Anybody else stand out yesterday for you, Barry?
I thought the Lachuan, for example, shred the NAR boy, oh
boy. Just a breakout performance for
her. Maybe the one that we look back
on and go, OK, we have a new, a new member, a real one of that
distaste. Division.
I like that performance. Visually it was very exciting
and and pleasing to the eye, but I don't know how much that horse
can run like that and still win a lot of races.
She runs very, very hard up front and I I think that's going
to catch up with her. Her running style.
I don't know if they're they have plans to cut her to like
one turn miles. I'd like to see that too, but
we'll see. She's she's definitely a, a, a
real tough, tough foe on top. Yeah, I'm trying to find the
speed figures from yesterday, see if Shredenar took a step
forward. I gather she did that was that
was a pretty quick race. Well, and frankly, the day, the
last race she was in, in the Royal Delta, she was way, way up
the track there at Gulfstream Park.
You know, it's interesting, man, watching these horses that we
think are going to be good at Churchill Downs, who just didn't
love it at Gulfstream recently. And, you know, credible stands
out in the Derby as one of those for sure.
But Royal Delta, man, she was doing all kinds of things.
And and the the reason that that race was so impressive to me is
I just usually I think of Gulfstream Park as translating
really well here. So that Royal Delta was just so
bad. I threw her into my ticket,
Barry, because it was one of those everyone else sees
something I don't and once in a while I have to bet on those
horses. That just is what it is.
Yeah, brother, Kenny's scratched.
Of course he is. There it is.
Thank you. Yeah, I bet everyone else is
scratched too, Boo. Luckily he's not my
handicapping, but I do like that horse.
Yeah, we'll get him. We'll get over there.
We'll get him. Yeah, we'll get over there for
sure. Hey, let's do a quick stakes
preview. Let's look at race 4 today,
Barry. Early in the card will be the
the Derby City Distaff. Sort of sort of a short field of
6 here for this one. You and I landed in the same
spot, but we get to see the return of Ways and Means Grade 2
winner last year won the Grade one test as well in the mud at
Saratoga. If it were a wet day at
Churchill Downs, I think she might be one of the early keys
that you would look at for the early part of the card.
You sure about that? Man, who else in this field
would be good in the in the slot?
Besides, I don't know our disaster.
I I wouldn't think some Splendora wouldn't like the the
wet track. I I think she'd be OK.
I think we learned last year to stop discounting California
horses in the slob. Yeah, because they they never
run on it. But I I would think there's some
monsters out there that actually could run on it.
You and I both landed on Splendora in here.
Why did you do that? Her performance in that beholder
mile was absolutely fantastic. We haven't seen her since, but I
gather she was just so superior than all of those horses.
I, I think she can translate out here.
This isn't a huge field by any means.
Four horses because I believe Hall and I scratched.
So it looks like a dominant affair between the the five
Splendora and Ways and Means. Splendora's just spectacular.
I I think she can do it again. Scratched out of this race you
point out is Holland Ice and so do not use the two horse in your
handicapping for that race. I went 546.
Barry went 5-4 and won Ways and Means second.
Watch Usha scoop them both and and win this race.
Can Usha win this race? Yeah, she just certainly can.
She just needs a trip. And she might be able to get it,
depending on how fast Ways and Means wants to go up front and
how much Splendora wants to pressure that lead it, it could
set up for Usha Usha. Was really good in the La Brea,
but that field stunk. Yeah, it really strongly Larosa.
Couldn't compete in this field. No, Oh my goodness, no, no, go
win that thing by 5, which is what she did.
But at the same time, I mean, that's more of a workout than
anything else. And so not, not the not the
competition level that she's going to get here.
If someone told you they were going to lean on Ways and Means
based on Chad's performance yesterday, you would say.
It's not a bad idea, I just want.
A good idea? I just want to make sure because
I had a buddy text me yesterday. He was like, I think I'm just
playing Chad Brown tomorrow. I'm not bad at that take.
I just. You can't.
Big weekends, bro. Like that's what it is.
His greatest stakes number is now back up over 22% for Chad
Brown, who commonly in graded stakes on the turf at least will
have upwards of three runners in the same race.
Barry hurting his own percentages and still winning at
over 20% with that. Took the exact yesterday in the
modesty of all places. How, How very advantageous of
him in the modesty. What words are we trying to use
instead of honesty? Advantageous.
How selfish of him. In the modesty self-serving the
Finnish 1/2. By the way, Barry Spears and
Tanner, you need to know this. So it's, I think you're going to
be producing some shows for us moving forward and you're going
to have to deal with Barry. By the way, it's time to check
in to your flight if you haven't done it yet.
I have not so do it right. Yeah, I was at the, I was at a
bar last night and I had the news on and it was like Spirit
Airlines shuts down. I go, Oh no, Barry, Barry's
flight for tomorrow. Go on.
Barry texted me about 10 days ago and just said, hey, man, I'm
worried about my flight home. And I was like, you know what?
That's reasonable. Let me look around.
And I found a flight out of Cincinnati tomorrow for like 100
bucks to back to Orlando and I was like, you know what?
100 bucks buries my guy, click and now we need it.
There you go, we need it. And actually we get the discount
because we get the money back from Spirit.
So there you go. I think allegedly, I'm kind of
not counting on that 200 bucks. I just kind of assumed that
money's gone. But man, I was like, oh, you
got? To send me my confirmation.
Oh, I got to send it to you. OK all.
Right. And then I can check in.
Got it. Let me try to do it from here.
437-9680 UPS jobs text line keep them coming on there.
We will talk to we'll talk to Barry Spears.
Barry Spears. We'll talk to Danny Brewer.
Up next, our stud from Smyrna get his thoughts on the day for
sure. Carlos Morales is going to join
us in the 12:00 hour. 1240 Barry.
And he's a guy I bet he has seen if you take out the foreign
runners in this field and you have the 16 that are left,
Carlos has probably seen 10 or 11 of these run, right.
I mean, he's just that kind of guy.
He travels. I mean, he's at all these races.
Yep. And we'll have seen other horses
on the cart as well. And so interested in his
thoughts as well. And of course, Steve Kornacki, a
friend of ours from the Horse Racing Happy Hour will join us
NBC Sports, of course, he'll be part of their TV coverage today.
Let's take a quick break here. Let's get Danny a little bit
early. I think he'd like that. 437968
our UPS jobs text line again, we're presented today by a bunch
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with us during our Derby coverage here on ESPN 681057
Horse racing Happy hour. We do more of a talk to Danny
Brewer next. All right, welcome back in horse
racing Happy hour Kentucky Derby day edition of the program.
Thanks for hanging out with us here on ESPN 680 and 105.7
alongside Barry Spears, Lugermo Cater B back at the studio,
making sure we are on the air. Appreciate him hanging out with
us. 437-9680, Appreciate you hanging out with us.
That's our UPS jobs text line if you would like to get in on the
show. 502-437-9680. Thanks for making us part of
Kentucky Derby Day 152. Danny Brewer joins us from the
track. Of course, our guy from, you
know, look, the smartest stud, the stud from smart.
I don't even know what we're calling him these days, but back
a horse to get paid. Danny, how are you?
Hey, man, I'm doing great, Louis.
Man, I appreciate you boys having me on.
That's no. Problem at all?
Danny, of course. Find him at
horseracingscoop.com. He's a contributor to Forbes as
well. So if you're reading any of
Forbes is Kentucky Derby coverage, that is coming from
our guy Danny Brewer. You were out there yesterday.
Any impressions from yesterday? I thought a really fun rendition
of the Oaks. Happy Saturday.
Outstanding races all day. You know, if you think about the
76 races, the largest margin of victory was a length and 1/2.
That was by all time girl Brad Cox elected a lot of close
races, a lot of very competitive races.
The six races were fantastic and always a runner was very
impressive because she closed and the the the closing speed
was not there. The the front end speed held.
She was one of the horses that closed, one of the only horses
that closed from back. She was like 8 or she she was
further back and she closed in very nicely.
Impressive run. For sure.
I was telling Barry earlier that the only thing I haven't seen
yet this weekend and frankly throughout the week, and it's
one of the things that I appreciate about Churchill
running all week during Derby week, is we get to see the track
set up is I have yet to see a single front runner on the turf
take down a race. Do you think that changes today
or do you think that kind of continues Because I'm bad boy, I
am reticent to to bet a front runner on the turf right now.
I think that that the closers, I think that that more the
stalkers in the closers do have the benefit because it however,
you know, this, this new quote UN quote new turf course, it
looks really fantastic and it's a huge improvement because they
had a few problems with it. But no, the the the front end
speed has not been holding on the turf.
So now I'm I'm with you. Stick to the stalkers and the
closers on the turf. Yeah, the turf for sure.
Danny wanted to ask you about a couple of different stakes races
today, but didn't want us take away any that you think are
especially interesting or maybe you have a long shot play today.
Do you have a favorite undercard race today?
I think that the Churchill Downs is magnificent.
When you look at that race. It's got Knights Bridge in it.
It's got a cornucopian. The Bob Baffert barn, another
Bob Baffert Barner, who I think is one of the best in the
country, is imagination. You know, he went over there and
to the Middle East and was just knocked the lights out of it on
the Saudi Cup day. So, you know, you've got
imagination there. It that race to me is flat
loaded Knights bridge. I mean, you know, good Lord,
what that force has done. So I think that it's it's really
really a stacked race and and you know, disco time.
How about disco time? You know, we there's all kinds
of that are logical plays in this thing.
So I think that that race probably has the most top five
horses talents as far as the top five, probably the most talented
are in that race. I mean, Hall of Fame's in the
race, he's a great at stakes winner Bear.
He's 20 to 1 and you'll get every bit of 20 to one on him.
Yeah, it's amazing because that horse is really, really good and
they they got their hands full. That's a really good field,
really good race. I can't wait to see.
This Danny, were you surprised? Yeah, that Todd Pletcher left
Disruptor in this one. I mean, you know, you just you
want to take a swing. I mean, you know, it's one of
those things where, you know, I mean, yes and no.
I mean, the horses is, you know, 2 for two this year.
So why not take a swing, especially when you get Irad
Ortiz in the irons. So, you know, and the same way
with, with, with some of these other runners, you know, you
think, wow, would you run Cornucopian and imagination in
the same race? But they are, it's a Grade 1.
I mean, it's a Grade 1 and, and it, it carries a lots of
prestige. So, you know, when you think
about the the history of this race in the last few years,
we've seen a bunch of good runners come out here a bunch.
No doubt about it. I'm really happy that one horse
is especially in that race, Danny, and that's point Doom on
the outside won the Carter beat Bucham Dano in that race has now
won three in a row since January.
And I just, I'm so glad that Tim Kreiser brought him here because
this is but like you said, you know, once in a while we, you
know, we're so focused on the Derby and that kind of stuff.
This is a guy trying to get that grade one with his best horse.
Yes, and and this is a fantastic because if you beat this field
and point this, he's he's alive, he's alive, he's very alive.
If you beat this field on this day, wow, what an achievement.
Let's get your thoughts on the Turf Classic right before the
Derby race. 11 here, Barry as well.
Get your thoughts here. You know you've got a favorite
here is program. I know rhetorical's going to be
the favorite here yet to race at Churchill Downs.
You get a four to one second favorite in program training who
hasn't won in a couple years, Danny.
So I'm just kind of wondered when that horse might break back
through. I think there are a lot of
different scenarios that you could play out in your head and
one of them, Danny is and you know me long distance race.
Your boy loves to try to get a front runner in these things.
Corruption makes a lot of sense as far as being a front runner,
but we just haven't seen those horses.
What do you like at Race 11 today?
I'm with you, Louis. I think corruption is one that
I've looked at at a price, you know, gold.
Phoenix is a horse that I like. He's he's a veteran.
I mean, the guy's been out 31 times, you know?
He's so honest. He is so honest, Andy.
What a great horse. Yeah.
You're right, Irish bred out of field, Amato Barman.
He he runs his eyeballs out every time.
You know, is he somebody who might could get there?
Maybe you know, Hector Barrios, a very underrated turf rider.
So I really love Hector and you know what's he going to do here
at Churchill? Don't know we'll find out.
But but gold Phoenix is another potential price play in that
race. That that, that Mike will do a
little something something. Hector Barrios, of course,
riding the seven in Race 11 and then he'll be aboard Intrepido
in the Kentucky Derby in the next race.
Corruption will break from the 1 hole in the race, but looking at
Hector's ride, he will be in the excuse me, I lost him in the
seven with Gold Phoenix, 12:50 on the morning line here.
We'll see where he ends up as far as the betting goes.
Got to get into the Derby with you, Danny.
Which preps did you get to attend in in person this year?
I know you were at the Bluegrass.
Yeah, and that that was it. I, I, the bluegrass was it for
me. So, so that that was it.
I, I, you know, I wanted to make a Jeff Ruby, but I couldn't
quite get there. Just had some family commitments
and whatnot, but the bluegrass was it.
And of course, what a performance we.
Thought, yeah, you may have seen the best performance on the
Derby trail. Obviously Barry was alongside us
for those shows. I mean, how much are you like me
and you can't you get tainted. I shouldn't use the word
tainted. You get affected by watching
horses you know, do a good, you know, run a good race in person
and you kind of glom onto them. Oh, absolutely.
I mean, you know, because you feel connected to them, because
you've seen it. And the thing about it is you
can look at numbers and you can watch replays, but when you sit
with your own eyes live, it makes a difference.
It really does. What do you make of his chances
today? I think he's obviously very
live. Oh, he's, he's my top pick, You
know, I mean, I was on silent tactic a couple weeks ago.
And then of course, the injury and I was just kind of taking a
swing of silent tactic just because of his closing ability
and his big turn of foot. But I'm I'm a further ADO guy
that that's who my top pick is in this one.
Barry, you were saying this morning and Barry was on the
Puma all week and yes, we, we can make all the jokes.
And I told I, I told him Danny, that this, that he's finally
having a real Derby experience, which is you tell a couple
thousand people in, you know from your media spot that you
like a horse and that's who you're going to bet in the
Derby. And they scratch the morning of.
That's the full Derby experience.
Everyone has had that moment before.
But then I also pointed out, Barry, that I was on Rodriguez
last year. He scratches out.
I picked Sovereignty. Here we are today.
Puma out Puma. Did further ado move up in your
book? Yes, absolutely.
I I thought or think that those two horses were probably going
to try to vie for the same kind of trip and having one of them
out definitely helps Further ADO and and also moving in a little
bit, a couple of spots also helps further ADO.
So I think that horse can get in the number.
You know, I've moved Chief Wallaby up to the top of the
grid there and using Further Ado, Potente and Commandment
behind them. OK, there you go.
Danny, who else do you like in the field?
And before we actually, before we get to that, how much are you
putting a line through Renegade by drawing the one in this
Kentucky Derby? You know, I don't think that the
one hole is a complete disaster for him because of his running
style, you know, because he likes to come from from, from
further back. Now the he can get squeezed, you
can't get bumped. There's all kinds of bad things
that can happen to you from that rail draw.
But with his running style, I don't think it's maybe as much
of a factor for him. One of the questions I do have,
though, is, Barry, did you have Puma baskets when you were
hooping when you were playing basketball?
It's it's the Puma. And yes, Pew P/E W because it
stinks. All bad.
His dad was a converse guy. Come on, be better.
Yeah. Oops, sorry man, it's a good
stuff for. My weapons.
I was wearing the weapons. Yeah, 'cause I know I had some
Puma baskets and so I, I, I know I did back in the day.
So you know. Danny, I wanted.
For Converse. I've kind of been asking people
at Danny Brewer with us at Sports Brew, all the socials you
can find him as part of our pretty regular horse racing
happy hour programming. Danny's probably on between 6
and 10 * a year. I've I've been telling people
all week that something that really stands out to me about
how the Derby's being talked about is that I think 10 years
ago Danny Commandment would have been the favorite and we just
would have moved on from conversations about the field.
Wins as a 2 year old here at Churchill.
Goes down to Gulfstream for the Florida Derby route, wins the
Mucho Macho Man at a mile, tries two turns for the first time,
gets that done in the Fountain of youth.
Wins the Florida Derby at a mile and an eighth.
The gallop out is good. He's by into mischief out of an
orb dam. And then you've got the 14 and
the 15 in this race and Patente in his fourth ever start in
emerging market. My pick in the Derby in his
third ever start, we see Chad Brown do it yesterday in the
Oaks. I I think there's it's not a, a
forever change Danny, but I think it's a trend that we need
to watch. If a horse like Potenza Emerging
Market wins the Derby after Mage and after justifying all the new
trends that we've seen, I I think we kind of need to
acknowledge that we're just fully into a new era of
three-year old racing. I think there's without
question, you know, for, for many, many, many years it was
like, well, you, you can't win if you don't start at least if
you don't run at least four times before the Derby.
Well then it was, well, you can't win if you if you don't
run as a 2 year old, you know, so there's all these kind of
things, all these cants have been dispelled.
And I think in this day and age, anything is possible.
And you just have to know your horse and be able to navigate
the proper path for him, whatever that date may be,
depending on his talent level, his health, his endurance, all
those kind of things. And nobody knows that better
than the conditioner. And I think that obviously Chad
Brown knows what he's doing. We found that out yesterday.
So maybe emerging market because you know, that was a question
that I had. Well man, you know this joker,
he run enough. Maybe he has.
You know what I mean? Commandment, though, from the
six, I mean, how he's, he's a serious contender, yeah.
Oh, no doubt about it. I mean, like you said, you just
laid down his his PPS and it tells us that, you know, like
you said, if this were were five or six years ago, he's a slam
dunk favorite here. You know, I mean, Luis Saez,
Brad Cox, you know, wins the Florida Derby, wins found to
youth. I mean, come on, What's not to
like about this guy? I think it's because he hasn't
been super flashy in his win. He's just one.
And I think that contributes a little bit to people maybe not
being, you know, as as high on him.
But I think there's no doubt that commandment is a very
serious contender here. Danny Brewer with us.
You find him in Forbes and of course at horseracingscoop.com.
Does anybody off the also eligible list catch your eye
between the gigantic great white?
That horse, My God, Danny, I've been around that horse a couple
times. I, I keep a distance.
I'll be honest. Like that's a guaranteed injury
to your boy. If that thing gets anywhere near
me. The maiden in Osali will break
from 22. Robusta did much of the work in
the San Felipe before you before before being caught by Potente
in that one. Any of those stand out as ones
that might hit the board for you.
Well, I I think great white and and you're you're absolutely
correct. The joker is massive.
He's a very large horse. The the size doesn't do.
It's because my daughter called me yesterday and say, dad, I
heard great whites in we need to bet him.
And back in the day when she was a little girl.
She's she's she's 25 now. When she was when she was a
little girl, man, she was, she was, she could pick them like
nobody's business. So she says Great White.
There you go that's good enough for me.
I I don't need anything else than than Danny's 25 year old
daughter deciding that we're putting great white in our super
factors. I'm into it.
No, it makes sense to me. Book it.
What else are we doing? Yeah no, that's exactly right.
Danny Peru. That's fine.
Forks and of course horse racing scoop.com.
Is there a long shot otherwise that that you do like it you
know at least like a 15 to 1 morning line.
You know, someone like maybe a Dan in bourbon is so happy an
incredible to wonder Dean. I was also pretty high on silent
tactic going into the weekend, obviously with his scratch
things changing there, but anyone else?
Maybe a golden, a golden, you know, a golden tempo, something
like that. I think Golden Tempo can get a
piece because of his running style and I think we're going to
have a hot pace because we always have a hot pace.
What about incredible? Let me get you boys thoughts on
incredible. You know, he's a guy that's two
for two here. He he looked really good in the
Virginia Derby, had a big move there.
His work, he had a work early in the week where he was like
second out of 73 at the distance.
I think a 47 flat for four furlongs.
What do you think about incredible?
Because he's a horse that I find very interesting.
Jerry, what do you think of Incredible?
I don't like that race. The the Virginia Derby I thought
was a little bit soft, incredible did bounce back,
which I I really appreciated. But you know, him not running
well against nearly who who didn't make the Derby.
It it just put a little damper on what I think his chances are.
I mean, I still think he's a good horse, maybe underneath
might be a minor award, but that's all I can think.
About, you know, his his line matches a bit what counting
stars was coming into the oaks having done where you had to
draw a line for a terrible race and accept the results of others
to get him or get her there. Excuse me and frankly, that's
what I did right. So I should make the case from
incredible. So maybe it's you know, once
bitten twice shy whatever here, but I I'm going to leave this
one out. I question if this horse,
frankly, on two turns at Churchill and this kind of crowd
is going to be fast enough. Was that a great white pun
there? Did I?
I think so. Help.
You know, Kevin, two horses in the Derby, huh?
See what I did there? Switched it up two and 11.
Elvis. How about that?
But incredible is Sean Collins's pick and I.
I don't. Interesting.
Yeah. I don't know.
I'm not going to. I'm not going to dog that guy.
By the way. He won the street sets.
You know what the street sets last year?
Sovereignty. Sovereignty.
Yeah. There you go.
I, I, I. Look, if you told me you were
out of credible, I wouldn't fight you, man.
Yeah, well, then, then this one, I think he's I think he's worth
a play. I will play him.
I think that he he's a horse that likes it find interesting.
Another one Pavlovian you know now.
The. Speed, the speed made.
But the thing I like about Pavlovian, 10 career starts and
the joker, he's like Joe Frazier.
He will get in there and he will fight you to the finish, you
know. So I think Pavlovian is another
very interesting horse. Edwin Maldonado, great gate
jockey, I don't think he needs be on the lead, but if he can be
up there in the first flight and if they turn for home, you know
he's going to give you all he's got going down the stretch.
Edwin Maldonado into ride from California.
And Barry, this is kind of a reminder Danny too.
Just because you're a Cal bred doesn't mean you want to run in
California. It doesn't mean it always is
good for you, right? No, but you know you and I do
you and I look at you know you and I look at the past
performances in California every week.
It's amazing how often a Florida breds win in the races out
there. Whatever else, right?
It doesn't mean that a Cal bred has to run well in those Cal
bred races. Gets out of the gets out of
California, wins the Sunland Derby, run 2nd and Louisiana
Derby and everybody thinks a ton of emerging market.
Why can't you think a bunch about Pavlovi?
And of course Doug O'neilly, 2 time winner of the Kentucky
Derby as well. Edwin Maldonado gets them out
here for him. So you are on the 18 today.
Further ADO, are you happy he got out of the 17 hole?
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think it's all good,
you know, it's all good. It's all good indeed.
Well, Danny, have a great day today, buddy.
I hope to run Indy out there and then give everybody a little bit
more. You're at Sports Brew and horse
Racing Scoop. Yeah.
Yeah, at Sports Brew on Twitter, horse racing, scoop.com is my
website. You can catch me on forbes.com
and you're you'll just guys remember if you got a hunch, you
bet a bunch you're back a horse and get paid.
There it is. And I want to, I want to find
out where your your grill master show is.
Yeah. What are we doing?
Where are we doing that? So that'll be on my YouTube
channel, TuneIn. That'll be a sidebar off of the
Horse Racing Scoop channel. So, so here we go have our our
Green Egg feature. They'll be coming up for for
Preakness because I can't, I won't be able to join you some
family commitments and stuff like that, but I will have the
Green Egg feature on the horse racing scoop so y'all can check
that out. Horse racing, smoking hour.
I'll do cigars, he'll do meats. I think that sounds good,
actually. There you.
Go yeah, let's do. It, I'm just telling you.
All right, we'll get it together.
Danny, you're the man. We appreciate you very much.
Have a great Derby. Thanks guys all.
Right there you go, Danny Brewer down there in Smyrna, TN.
But of course, up here hanging out considers Churchill his home
track. I like that.
Similar from any of us. Yes, well, there you go All
right, 437 not you, but people 437 that's.
In between 2 tracks you. Really are on the other end.
We'll wrap up the hour, talk a couple more races, get you ready
for race. Where am I, out of my show
sheet. Here we are.
I'll get you ready for a race of race 3 as well, which will come
up right around noon. We'll do a quick pick for that
one. We'll talk to Steve Kornacki
from NBC Sports at noon, Carlos Morales from Ahente, Trey
Cerocinco at 12 O 40 and roll along through the one O clock
hour with you as well. We've got you till 2.
This is the Horse Racing Happy hour Kentucky Derby preview show
on ESPN. 680-1057 Taxer Republic paid 1.1 million for the six
horse in that race. Yikes.
And I feel I feel bad when I lose a $10 bet. 437-9680 UPS
jobs tax line. So let his third start.
He'll be fine. He's already got to win.
What are we doing here? 437-9680, 502-437-9680 UPS jobs
tax line. Make sure you get it in with us
that way. Noon, we'll talk with our guys,
Steve Kornacki from NBC Sports and of course at 12:40 with our
friend from down there in the three O 5, Carlos Morales, the
hardest working man in a horse racing.
That's probably actually in media, cuz look, I'm not putting
a backside worker down. We're not doing that today.
But as far as media, no one's more everywhere than Carlos
Morales. Yeah, like I don't think it's
close. Nope.
I met his lady, by the way. That's an understanding human
being. He's got to be.
That's an understanding human being.
Yeah, my guy Carlos is underwear.
It's ridiculous. ANYWAYS, literally everywhere.
Literally everywhere. I'm kind of convinced there's
actually two of them and he's one of those guys.
Say that to me and I go, how about that guy?
How? About that guy, that's exactly
right. Race 2 in the books at church
Rachel Downs and I said that I thought we might get a Triple
Crown race runner out of it and I think out of the woods
absolutely fits into that. A son of constitution 3 year old
gelding John Velasquez rides here.
You were saying, man, go to the Preakness.
I think we'll see this one. I I don't know why Phil the
model wouldn't try the bell model with that horse if it it
because this field is good right.
This is a good secondary 3 year old field of later developers.
I don't know that watch, just remember the name.
Out of the woods constitution, I mean.
I'm just saying all of the things are there.
Yeah, that's 100 and whatever $20,000 race.
I mean, like that. It's not a schmuck race, man.
That's all I'm saying. And so.
You can some good horses. Fantastic.
Was basically on. Essentially a great 3 minus
there and so go try the Belmont after that would not be so
surprising if they ended up doing that before 37968 UPS jobs
text line. Let's go ahead and give out a
pick for Race 3, Barry, which is one of the better races on the
card. 14 field of 14. I like this race.
I like this race too. They're going the mile, one turn
mile I should say here and they're running for $134,000.
You and I both have the four and the tenant are handicapping, but
in different orders. You landed on the 10 on top here
in Vibe. Yeah, that's a by the way,
that's a word not allowed on Rabo and Co.
OK, I note to self. The vibes are Immaculate.
Like thing I can't do. It's not, it's not a.
That's not my. I may just be a little too old,
Barry Spears. It might just be one of those
things. I'm not sure.
That's not my vibe, but whatever.
One of those things. Oh man.
Vibe is 2 for two or two for his last two, two for three overall.
Brooke has made an at Gulfstream going a mile after being
transferred to Todd Pletcher. Yep.
And then built upon that. Came back off that layoff from
April 20, April 19th, 2025 to March 14th, 2026.
Came back again, came back running.
I like that. Yep, he sets himself up.
This. This horse is going to run
today. I've got vibe second in my
handicapping. We're talking Race 3 coming up
next. 12 O 5 out there at Churchill Downs.
Kaport is going to be my top pick.
It's my long shot play for the early sequence.
Barry is a horse that we saw early in its two year old
career. Really great across the street
at Churchill Downs, Bashford Manor and all of that.
The Juvenile at Ellis Park was the breakout race for this
horse. Try the Iroquois in the fall
before trying the Breeders Cup. Juvenile just wasn't ready.
Slop at Keeneland was not a good thing for this horse.
Gets Lasix for the first time, which I love.
We're throwing the blinkers on. Try to get this one to settle
into a better trip. I'm going to try to get a shot
with with Jose Ortiz here and Eddie Canneilly, who's off to a
really good start this. Yeah, I I think this horse has a
really good shot, especially with the class relief here.
Didn't like the the mud over at Keeneland April 3rd.
I'll forgive that. Getting blinkers, getting Jose
Ortiz, it spells like this horse is going to do some running to.
This to me is a Derby day kind of race where you've got
fourteen horses. You can look at a 15 to 1 and
feel confident and frankly, if you're a casual better, you
could bet the four across the board today.
It's still make money. It's still make money.
A show bet on the 4:30. By one right now.
There you go. So I'm just telling you like,
you know, if you're a $10 a race player, 3 bucks across the board
and comport is not a ridiculous play today at all.
That is a lovely one. It's frankly why I love this
day. Yeah, exactly.
You could have a lot of fun trying to pick off a couple of
those horses today. Again, we'll talk with Steve
Kornacki, NBC Sports up next. I I got, I got some for Steve.
We got a problem. Not a problem I don't like.
I. We got a problem.
He said meeting all this week. Yeah, we got a problem.
We got, I got, we got a problem with Steve Kornacki.
It's OK. We'll talk about it next.
We'll get there. I'm not happy about it.
I don't like it either. We both like Steve.
I don't like it. He was on the Derby draft this
year. By the way, I should pull up the
results of the Derby draft right now.
That's actually what we should do.
So on Sunday we had the Derby Draft, our 6th annual Kentucky
Derby draft with our on the horse racing.
Oh, my horses are out. So you had the Puma?
Puma. OK, well, Chief Wallaby's
running, Pavlovian's running, Dan and Bourbon's running.
Right to party is back. Oh, Sally's running.
Boy, you got a bum draft, dude. Now I was looking good draft
day, you know what I'm saying? Steve has further ado.
So happy. Full effort litmus test golden
tempo in Corona del Oro. So he's really leaning on
further ado and so happy. Fell into a good trip here.
Mac, our friend Mackenzie Pfeiffer at Maryland Jockey
Club, Renegade, Incredible emerging market.
Wanderdean Robusta at 6 speed all of the race.
I needed those those those glasses.
I feel like she had. I needed those glasses.
She had to see into the future. I've got commandment patente.
You guys take an emerging market from me.
I thought I was going to get him later.
Silent tactic. Bach.
Intrepido. Let's call it Bach.
Elvis, let's call it Bach. But I got great white.
Great White's the rich striker this year.
He's the rich coming off the synthetic.
I just went in the number honestly.
I do too. John is such a good guy.
John Ennis is such a good trainer.
If he's in the top four, that's fantastic.
If he's top three, it's life changing for John Ennis, It
really is. It's just John.
It's life changing, it really is.
So I wouldn't hate that at all. John's really good guy.
Literally you were here and you know, we hear you know.
Hey. Oh, who scratched out then?
Oh, it was it was silent tactic. Silent tactics scratched out
great whites in the field. I text John.
Can you jump on radio? And he's like, yeah.
I was like, is is is 11 OK. Yeah.
Could you do Would you prefer Ted 40?
Yeah, I'd prefer Ted 40. Both jumped on called him great
stuff. So I appreciate him jumping on
one of our guys based year round here in Kentucky.
We even talked to him the other day.
Barry. And this is when you realize
what the Kentucky Derby really does mean to trainers.
And he's like, yeah, well, yeah, you move here to win this race.
Yes, absolutely. That's awesome.
That's a good stuff. That's.
A really good, you know, quotable line there.
But it's it's very, very true. You talk to anybody on the
backside. You know, honestly, a lot of
people have either gotten into the sport, especially betters,
and you know, just with the idea of winning the Kentucky Derby
for betters is is placing that bet.
For trainers, it's getting that horse ready for it, for jockeys
riding the winning horse, and for horses it's all the
peppermints you can handle. Being screamed at by about
125,000 people. Yeah, that's exactly right.
Oh man 437-9680 UPS jobs tax line.
Steve Kornacki will join us in about 10 minutes.
Our picks in race three are also up at horseracinghappyhour.com.
All of our picks are up there for free.
All week long we've been doing that a bunch of pick 3 plays
from me. Barry's got a pick 3, three win
place bets at a daily double for you to check out at the site as
well cost you nothing like I said, so if we're wrong, deal
with it. That's funny.
That's funny. And that was actually for my
buddy David, who I know is listening and is is like, wait,
are people complaining about you doing free work like?
Need to get out. We we gave out some winners
yesterday. Where's the Where's the guy?
Where is he? Where are you?
Where's the guy? Where are you gave out the try
on the oaks? Didn't we?
You did. Oh, you did.
You personally did. Yeah.
What are we doing? I don't give me any credit here.
We were going through earlier stakes early today, Barry, but
you know, going through the the fifth race here in the turf
Sprint, we didn't really get into it too hard.
I said I'm interested in those Shakertown runners.
Did you land on somebody though ear in Race 5 coming up in just
about an hour? Well, Race 5I mean these early
races are actually really good. Usually you kind of get these
lopsided events. Yeah, some superstar just shows
up and yeah, right goes. Yeah, like race.
Well, that happened yesterday. Too because our showed up didn't
win so. Race 4, for example, is kind of
one of those races where Ways and Means and splendor kind of
dominate that event. Fair enough.
OK. But the.
Techs are the guy abides. He's right there.
Yeah, the. Turf Sprint is wide open man.
Like we saw a lot of these horses run in in the Shaker town
over at Keeneland. But I'm going to go with the
horse that I like that day that just didn't get out of the gate.
And it's it's Bourbon 30. I'm going back to this horse.
I liked him that day. He didn't get out of the gate
and really just lost all chance at the at the start.
May have needed that race anyway.
Getting back on the turf after the synthetic, Yeah.
Yeah, and and. But this is one that's won at
Churchill over the 5 1/2 minute 3.
He's 2 for four at the distance. I I think he's gonna be flying
way under the radar. Here this horse before it got to
the Shakertown was running lights out and it made sense why
they entered this one in that race.
Go second in the four go. That was a loaded 4 go.
It was. A loaded GT500's in there banjo
Chris is in there that's a loaded version of the four go,
which is a weird thing to say out loud but yes it was a great,
great version back in February right before Valentine's Day but
the yeah the comeback in that race second essentially up off
that layoff here see if Jeremiah Ward can get it done well
Machado. Hey man, he's he's as good as
anyone on the. Support No, they just didn't get
a great start and that's what compromised their chances.
I I liked them that day and I'm going to like them here again.
Yeah, 69 and eight for Barry. In the Shakertown, I went 3-9
and seven. So we agree on the 9 horse
there. I landed on the three.
I'm going back to that Shakertown.
I think the horses that ran best there will do it again.
Jose Ortiz has enjoyed his mounts aboard My Boy Prince, who
was second in the fourth Star or fourth in the four-star Dave
last year, if you remember him there did a lot of the work in
that race before just running out of gas and what was a very,
very good mile race. But he'll get back to the
distance this year at 5, five and a half and he's been great
in all of those races. He'll come from slightly off the
pace here. Barry, who do you think sets the
pace it race? That's a tough one, too.
There's a lot of speed horses in here.
You got horses like Full disclosure, who's a big long
shot that has a lot of speed. Joe Sheisty is probably going to
be on the end. I think he's trying to get,
he'll try to get the lead. He was really good. the Shakers
out too. Man, he certainly was.
He got we. Were there for that one.
He's a good horse. Man, he got to the front.
I I'm not really sure if turf is really what his bag is.
I I think he's more of a synthetic horse honestly.
But he's a good turf horse, too. Yeah, he's, he's certainly
formidable on turf. He has a lot of speed.
You leave him out there by himself, he'll he'll make you
pay. No, it's exactly right for
Fernando de la Cruz. Almost, said Francisco de la
Cruz. That's not his name.
Fernando de la Cruz keeps them out here.
Hasn't been to Churchill for a race yet, but that is for Eric
Foster. Eric Foster, trainer of.
Rich Strike. There you go, Rich Strikes
trainer back in here on Derby day in Race 5 with A10 horse Joe
Scheiste. We'll talk to Steve Kornacki
next from NBC. Get his thoughts on the Derby
field itself. Barry.
Let's go back though. Back going back to the future,
we Doc Brown and Marty. Horses on the Derby trail that
you have seen in person? We go to Renegade first.
You saw him in the Sam? Yes.
How good is this horse? He's very good.
I mean, he finished up so strong and it it got my attention.
Like literally, I was standing at the at the wire and I was
like, wow, that horse flew home. And then sure enough, he goes to
Arkansas and you saw it. You see it?
I seemed to. Yeah, think I.
Said I heard it. I heard it from our guy Matt
Dinnerman as well. Called the race down there.
I am the thing with running. Express reference.
I like that. I like that.
I wonder with Renegade Man, especially the one hole.
So something we talk about a lot at sports talk radio is winning
cures everything, right? And so, you know, you know, Bill
Belichick could be prickly as he wants in Boston as long as the
the Patriots are winning, right? And David can yell at people at
Alabama, as long as they're winning, whatever it is, right?
And, and I'm not saying that those are they're bad guys or
whatever else. It's just, you know, you could
be whatever you are. Danny Hurley's a psychopath, but
his teams go deep in the tournament all the time.
So we just let it go, OK? Dude's a psycho.
It's OK. Clearly.
Are we, are we making the one hole excuses this year in the
Derby because we think Renegade's really good?
I think we are, yeah, of course, I think that's why, because
before this we would have just been like line, line.
Every other pleasure loved him for every.
Other pleasure 3 out of 6, whatever he's giving us the stat
that's been in the one, we've just been like we're done.
Renegade, I feel like is the first horse in the Derby that
we've really given a shot coming out of the.
Yeah, yeah, a real, a real chance.
But I love it because of the fact that I don't think they
have a shot. I told you I learned my lesson
with known agenda a couple years ago.
They either have to try what explorer did last night and go
to the front and get cooked that way or try to loop the field.
Just two terrible options for a short priced horse.
No thank you. He could beat me.
I mean he's talented enough to overcome this and if there is a
horse that could it's definitely renegade.
But not with my 2. Dollars, all right?
Not with your two dollars 437-680 our UPS job site.
Remember that I want my $2.00. Let's take a break here on the
other end. Better off dead there's.
So many references. It's OK.
Like I just have you. Seen that movie Better Off Dead?
How? Long does that go?
Did that come out? Oh man, Oh, before you were
born. Pull.
Thank you. It's German.
I'm trying to have a nice day. What are you doing?
More references next in this field.
And so maybe this one could try to work out a trip here.
And do you know why I like the spot Barry is because think
about Point Doom trying the Churchill Downs.
That horse is 15 to one in the in the Churchill Downs.
I think that's the right number for that horse, right?
And that's not putting down Point Doom at all.
I just think that's where they're at.
I think this spot being the restricted stakes, that kind of
thing makes a lot of sense for being here.
Yeah, they definitely do. They're they're going to be
tough in this is race, but I think this race in general is
tough. I just don't like that running
style that BU employs because I think they're just going to be
too far out of it. A little bit off the layoff for
Chris Block here in Moonlight. Barry on the outside.
Jose Ortiz keeps the mount one on this one in the Cherokee Mile
right here at Churchill after Thanksgiving last year, going
that one turn mile. I think getting back to the
distance makes a ton of sense. 3 for five at Churchill Downs
Moonlight, I think a real, real competitor.
Yeah, a lot of class relief here.
This this horse drops in to a very winnable spot.
You can see in the past performances that this horse
comes from way out of it, but that was at a tougher class
level. They're going to be a little bit
closer to the pace this time. Again, it's tough to be out
there trying to close, but Jose Ortiz is just hot as a pistol
so. It's unbelievable how good he's
been this meeting. Don't.
Coming into Oaks Day, he was 5 for 12 with four third place
finishes. He was in the money 9 of 12
races to start the week here at Churchill Downs.
We're talking race 6 right now. I've got the in race 6 I went
411 and 10. Barry, the tennis capital idea
Junior Alvarado for Bill Mott, Go Zappers second place
finisher. I think getting back to the one
Turner here will be really good one for one lifetime at
Churchill as well. I just think getting back to the
mile itself where the horse is 3 for six makes a ton of sense.
After the 6th horse you had the 11, but then you went to the two
horse toward the inside in Dragoon guard.
Like I said, I agree with you. This is 1/4 of my handy.
Capping, yeah. I mean the way the track is
playing Dragoon guard should be even money.
People haven't been passing yet but it's still early in the
card. Maybe get a little raindrops and
might change some things but as of right now Dragoon guard might
have the the little bit of an edge.
All of our picks up at horse racing happy hour a.com.
I'm actually using that as a guide through right now.
Race 7 today Barry starts a little after 230 the Distaff
turf mile Distaff. If you hear that term means the
ladies are running. This is for Phillies and Bears 4
and up. It's a grade 2 Barry, a million
on the line and a couple in here that people may you've seen
before, including Sweet Rebecca, winner of the Sand Springs.
That horse, My gosh, I don't know why, but every time that
horse gets done working out, gets a bath, they throw the Sand
Springs winner. You know, the blanket on the
horse every day. So the horse must love the
blanket, which is very funny. Or Brandon Walsh is randomly
proud of winning the Sand Springs.
They're randomly proud or the owner, you know, maybe
Resolute's like, hey, we want a stakes race, keep that.
On there, yeah, Beef Stew, probably, but. 2 for two this
year, both of those at Gulfstream Park and I gotta say
the turf form has travelled well out of Gulfstream this year and
has been good at Keeneland, it has been good at other places.
I expect Sweet Rebecca to run really well here.
Yeah, and the dirt form hasn't, honestly.
Isn't that interesting? Yeah.
And we've talked a lot about that Florida Derby.
A lot of people are gonna have a lot of money based on that
Florida Derby today. Yeah.
So it's, it's really tough read, but you're right about the turf
horses. Although I I do like Sweet
Rebecca as a horse in general, I just don't like them in this
spot. And almost certainly in your
case at 5:00 to 2:00, you wouldn't like that kind of
number. Definitely not OK, not not
coming off that kind of a win. It it, you know, I was there
that day she won the Sand Springs and she was completely
exhausted. I actually put up a video of her
coming back and you'll see that horse was just huffing and
puffing, which didn't really I I was kind of put off by a little
bit, but she she definitely, it's not like she's not fit.
She could win this race for sure, but I I just just doesn't
seem right. I landed on portfolio duration
here. Every Chad Brown horse today
looks excellent. And I mean this as nicely as I
can. I, I just think he's doing
something different than everyone else is doing right
now. And I this weekend especially,
I'm going to stop. I'm going to stop pretending
that I'm smarter than what's in front of me.
And Chad Brown's having one of those weekends, man, I'm leaning
on the three here in Race 7 in the Distaff.
She's never been in stakes company.
She has two wins and one of them's in a 32 allowance at
Tampa and I'm just assuming she's going to step in here and
be fine. Am I out of my mind?
Well, you know how he's a good judge of talent, especially on
the grass. Unbelievable.
So you got to think automatically this horse can
step up and win a race like this, but he can't win them all.
That's that's my view of it and. So are you tossing the two and
the three? In here I'm not tossing, I'm
tossing the two. I'm using the three.
OK, you landed on the six in here at a Peschitsa piloted Vina
Arana, an Irish bred Jack sisters and trains 5 year old
daughter of make believe eve. That's out of the mock feline
and Teo Filo on the damn side. Grass grass grass grass grass
grass grass grass grass. I assume that's at least part of
why you like this horse. Yeah, absolutely part of it.
But this horse's story since they've been in the United
States really paints the picture of why I like this horse.
They want to race at Churchill going this mile distance back in
November pretty easily at a decent price at 7:00 to 1:00
that day and and beat a a nice field.
Then they went to the My Charmer at Turfway, which I don't think
this horse has won any part of the synthetic.
That that horse has very clearly shown even overseas that they
wants nothing to. Do not want any.
Part I agree. So.
That was at Dundalk, where they like that people hold up that
synthetic. That's that's a tough place to
to win races. So you can put a line through
that one. They laid the horse off, came
back April 10th of this year and ran a nice race off the bench.
Obviously with this race in mind, I think this horse can
step up because that horse came back running in that April 10th
race at Keeneland and and should be running again here.
We'll probably get a better trip because they're not so close to
the rail being right in the middle of everything is, is
probably where this horse wants to be.
I think they're going to be. If you want to know what Jack
Sisters thinks of this horse, don't forget that my charmer is
one of the synthetic championship races.
Yeah, so he put this horse in a race in December on a surface
that it's not great on and lost to Caitlin or Greatness, who by
the way is a synthetic monster. OK, I worry about no Lasix with
this horse. I don't know why, but it's
something I worry about with this horse.
Obviously was fine in the Mukta the the mood of Makena, excuse
me when she ran at Leopardstown in May of 2024, but man, that
was a long time ago. It's been on Lasix since.
The only time she wasn't was in that My Charmer where she
finished 7th by 14 1/2 Lanksbury leaning on the 6th there.
A long shot sort of play of the day.
The four horse though, temptable, I think it's an
interesting one here. What do you like about her?
This was one that Francis Henri Grafar brought over with Gazora
for the Breeders Cup and ran on that undercard in the Goldacova
where she was nowhere to be found.
Why do you think she can bounce back here?
Well, it was caught on the way outside.
They were the 11 of 11 horses that day.
Didn't get the best of trips. Gets way better post relief here
no doubt and has some races to go back to.
Those races overseas were no slouches.
I mean, there were stakes races they were winning, a few of them
very competitive and all of them some against the boys.
They beat the boys back in July of last year.
I think they're going to be really tough in this spot.
Little flying under the radar because you know, the past
performances look like they do from overseas.
You don't know really what you're going to get unless you
kind of dig in and and watch some video. 3rd of my
handicapping is pin up Betty Mike Maker barn.
I thought he did some good work in the Jenny Wiley, especially
being the first race in about 5 months.
Barry. Last out at Keeneland, a Grade 1
I think actually a little bit of class relief in this race of all
things and so I think he'd get back to that good form.
You and I have been singing his praises.
Why would I not go back to Juan Hernandez, who, by the way, was
aboard this horse last year in this race, Barry, I lost my
neck. That was to simply in front who
got up at the very last moment. Pin Up Betty was in this race,
of course, alongside move moving on up, who's also in here.
Once again, I'll take Pin Up Betty in the third spot.
Mike Maker, winless so far in the meet at Churchill Downs, but
his off to a great start, 17% around the country with his
many, many starters there. Move on to race 8.
We're previewing the undercard here at Kentucky Derby Day.
It's a horse racing happy hour. Barry Spears, Luis Rebeau,
Taylor, Bruno Meso hanging out with us as well.
Back behind the glass there at ESPN 680-1057, the Pat de Mile
one day on one day, one mile on the on the on the dirt here,
$750,000. By the way, this is where we
need to pause the show and not so you can say Pat de Mile like
Brian Lynch once again, we're not doing that today, but I need
to be. I need to be transparent on this
show. We had Brad Cox on.
It's one of my favorite things that that's happened to be at
2026. We had Brad Cox on Blood Horse
Monday a couple weeks ago and he was talking about where his
horses would be placed. And you know, it's that time of
year, Barry, where you're like, hey, this horse just ran in this
prep and they ran second. What are you thinking about now?
Instead of obviously go to Oaks and Derby and one of those other
stuff, please come out of the air.
Tell me what's going on. We're going to a post here post
time. Oh, post time.
All right, here's. Them so Full disclosure breaks
right out in stride. Joe Scheiste hustled out of
there from the far outside my boy Prince and litigation and
yellow card. It's Bourbon 30 Wendelson down
inside in tight was Bear River and then it's Mondo gets buckets
second to last early and the trailer is Posi Lamente Joe
Scheiste from the outside post to the rail as they head for the
far turn. Joe Scheiste leads yellow card
is up into second and perched out three wide litigation in
third. Full disclosure broke on top
back forth inside my boy Princess 5th Bear River 4 wide
trying to move up from 6th. It's bourbon 30 in a bit tight
there, 7th and then farther back in the field, Mondo gets
buckets. Angles to the far outside as
Wendelson sticks to the rail. Top of the stretch.
Joe Scheiste confronted by yellow card and litigation and
Full disclosure, trying to hang tough inside.
My boy Prince trying to come through between horses.
Joe Scheiste and litigation and yellow card and my boy Prince
and posi blemente driving finish.
Yellow card, got it. Yellow card up late.
Joe Scheiste right there. Posi blemente litigation, my
boy, Prince and Mondo gets buckets.
Oh, there you go another great finish on the turf Derby day
here the was that the 9 or the seven that got up there?
I saw the seven horse just got up in yellow card third in my
handicapping here was part of the pick three.
Had we gotten to that point. But yes, 7 horse goes ahead and
wins in race 5. What was the final number on
him, by the way, 5? To two.
OK. Five to two in that one, was he
the favorite at the time? We got no litigation choice.
OK, second choice. OK, there you go so the payouts
on that one very likely the double will pay 28 to 1 and the
wow pick 3 will pay almost 400 to one for that one pick 3
plays. So I pay the that's why I play
the pick threes on Derby day. This is really my 50 centers
are. Worth a lot and if you can.
GO-333 in those races, it's 10:50 to play them and you can
kind of roll through that way. Before that race though, Barry,
we were talking about race, Race 8, the Pat Day Mile and I wanted
to go back because in the 8 bells yesterday, Brad Cox wins
the race. OK.
And after and and with a girl with a horse named on time girl,
an on time girl. She she won the forward gal,
which was at 7 furlongs right the grade three event at
Gulfstream end of January. She runs third in the Devona
Dale, which is A1 turn mile. And and I said to Brad, I said,
look, you know, it didn't work out.
Maybe try her the Pat Day Mile, she said.
You know what? The bells will be just fine.
Louis, how about I trade horses and you and you worry about
radio? OK, One of the great moments of
my life. And then you know what she did?
When's the a bell? When's the a bell?
That's the good stuff for sure. I texted Charlotte College
yesterday and all I said was this Brad Cox guy.
But I know a little bit about this stuff, huh?
Just a little bit smidge smidge. Buddy, but there you go, the Pat
Mile. Had to do it today you and I
Very excited to see a third time starter.
His name is Crude Velocity. He'll break from the 6th in Race
8, the Pat Day Mile. Yeah, I'm really excited to see
this horse run just super fast. I like when fast horses run fast
and they show it on the big days.
I mean it's like shred the NAR actually yesterday.
I like when horses cool and they just take it cool yesterday and
and just finish things off. It's just a great thing to
watch. Crude velocity will break from
the 6th. The son of Bo Liam quarter
$1,000,000 purchase at the OBS sale in March of last year.
And I I man not March excuse me but in 2025 this is a horse
Berry. I always watch the Baffert lines
when I see 3 year olds especially doing 6 furlong
works. I know that's a horse that
Baffert really is trying to get more fitness.
Yes. And so this one bullet at 5
pulls back to four. Last work before the ship is a
six furlong bullet at Say. 111. I mean, that's a winning time
today. Right.
And that's just work on run 111, no?
They just don't do it. And so I'm I'm very much looking
forward to seeing crude velocity in that race.
But we get a set of milers this year, Barry, that is actually
had a pretty good miler, 3 year old class, right?
And I'm sure some of them will turn into sprinters and some of
them may stretch out to 8 and a half, 9 furlong kind of horses
here. But crude velocity seems to fit
in that group where we're going to try to figure out.
I think the only question here is does he want to do any
furlongs? Yeah, that's the only question.
Yeah, because otherwise he's very there.
Who's your second spot here in the Pat, Damon?
You know, this was, this was a really strange race because the
horse that I really liked is actually running in the Derby,
which is Great White. I really wanted to see Great
White run in this race, but we're not going to do that so.
Like the only scratch on this one.
By the way, we will have an 11 horse field for the Pat de Ball,
Yeah. There it is, Stop the car and
Secured Freedom. Really other horses that I like
underneath at prices more so Secured Freedom because of the
fact that I like this horse out there on the Derby Trail.
But it just kind of looked like after the San Felipe that this
horse doesn't want to go around the ground and and cutting back
would be the right thing to do. Tim Yaktine, who I personally
think is as sharp as any trainer in the United States, gets this
horse in this spot and I think they they have a good shot to
run behind Crude Velocity here. A third place finish in the the
rubber B Lewis behind the Trepido.
Yeah, and they got a wide trip that day.
For Tark as well, who was the the buzz horse of the Baffert
barn at the time, ran behind Patente, of course in the San
Felipe, but was fourth behind Patente Robusta and so happy.
Guess where those three horses are going to be today?
Derby. Yeah, the Derby.
That's exactly right. Secured Freedom 20 to one on the
morning line, as he mentioned. Tim Yachteen, the move to John
Velasquez. Do you like that for this race?
Kazushi's in town. Which would you have preferred?
Johnny V Yeah, me too. OK, nothing against Kazushi, but
I mean Johnny VS in in in the the rebirth renaissance of his
career and just he, he put a a nice ride on him earlier today.
The Lafayette winner for Greg Foley, trouble calling his in
here broke his maiden at the fairgrounds.
We saw some of that fairgrounds for him really translate
yesterday on the card. Barry up here at Churchill.
What do you make of trouble calling in this spot?
Neither of us have him in our handicap.
It's a tough read because he's going to have to be part of the
pace. I think that's one of the
reasons why Louis Size is a board.
But you got a really fast horse and Englishman inside and I
think this pace might heat up a bit and whoever is in that
second flight is really going to have a good shot to win this
race. But I don't think trouble
calling is going to be that kind of horse because if they let
Englishman go besides that with with crude velocity, who I think
is going to be right on that flank, I don't think they really
want the lead unless, you know, Bob just tells Florent just go
for it, right. And that, that's certainly.
That case exists, right? That's that's possible, but I
think he's going to try to stick to their flank and and and
overpower him in the stretch. But either way, I just don't
think the two really has a good shot to win this race.
Races 9:10 and 11:00. We will preview those in the
next segment. We'll go through the Derby field
and give you our final picks at 140.
Wrap up the show thanks to our friends at Derby Box at
derbybox.com, Kentucky H, BPA, KYHBP, a.com, and of course, our
friend Doctor Chet Mays at Doctor Chet Mays on the socials
in Kentucky, hair transplant, kentucky.com as well.
Three more races in the next segment.
Derby Talk to close it out. We do it next, early returns on
the prime time Oaks. By the way, a total handle on
the Kentucky Oaks smashes the previous record up about 17 1/2
percent, up 19 1/2% versus last year.
Under the lights, probably for a while.
Barry Spears on the oak side of things, 437-9680 is UPS jobs
text line. We're going through the
undercard here. Kentucky Derby Day, Happy Derby
152 to you and yours. Horse racing happy Hour, hanging
out with you for about another half hour.
The American turf, one of the races we always look forward to
every year. Barry, the Grade one event, 4
three-year olds mile on the 16th on the turf here at Churchill
Downs. Stark contrast is in here,
Barry, and a horse that you and I have been lucky enough to see
a couple of different times. A second place finisher in the
Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, frankly, was part of that pace
throughout. Kazushi Kimura loses the mount
here. Flavian Pratt picks it up.
I'm obviously not mad about that.
This is a horse that I really, really like.
I think the only question is does he want the 8 1/2 furlongs?
Yes. And yes.
This is much like Crude Velocity, another horse that I
really want to see run today because I think this horse has
the potential to put on a show. Crude velocity of course in race
A in the pad de mile will move on now and we're talking about
the American turf race 9 stark contrast last seen in the Jeff
Ruby Stakes the aimerman's own this horse Barry so there was
legitimate question if he would go in the Derby or not as they
owned endlessly a couple of years ago.
Frankly, this horse and his results feels a lot like
endlessly. Should be interesting to see how
he runs here and where they move him moving forward.
Because the real question for him if he does win today, which
I think he, well, I want to be clear is how good is he and
where does he go next? Because if he's out in
California, how many races are there where we think of him as
running against other horses in his quality?
Or is a guy like Michael McCarthy going to have to put
him in Saratoga this summer and try to figure it out?
Yeah, I think he's going to have to kind of go with that circuit
with the with the major horses at this level.
I will say if he likes in here, he might run again here in,
right. I mean, that's a real
possibility. Michael.
Just leave him here. Yeah.
Michael McCarthy leaves a string at Churchill so.
He's got a serious part here. You've seen him.
Right, right. So I think this horse would fit
right in. Get a couple prep races and then
look towards the Breeders Cup. If this horse runs anywhere near
that stod race we're gonna he might run away from this field.
Yeah, and that's what I'm hoping for today.
Yeah, it would be fun. That exactly was a very, very
good one for me in the Breeders company now.
But man, he packed it right up in the Eddie Logan.
Burgundy. I love that they brought him
back in the Eddie Logan. They were like, he's ready to
go, It's January. We know it's a list of stakes.
We don't carry, goes ahead. He wins that one easy, and then
he comes back in that Jeff Ruby Stakes, finishes behind Full
Effort, who, if he were running in the Derby today, I think
would be what, 6th, 7th favorite, eighth favorite,
something like that, and he'd be right in that.
Group half of the field. For sure, My goodness, yes.
And frankly, I think by the time we got to post, if a bunch of
people saw him around 2224 to 1, you might see some money coming
in on him. Like if I get 20 to one on a
Brad Cox trainee who finishes who finished as well as he did
on synthetic might be able to, you know, get a.
Value. I mean, you would think that a
horse like Stark Contrast wouldn't really enjoy the
synthetic enough to win over it in a in a race like the Ruby,
and they didn't, but they ran awfully good.
And now getting back to the preferred surface, this source
should be. 4:10 and 12:00 for me Brendan Walsh trains Vasi in
here. John Velasquez picks up the
mount out of that third place finish in the Transylvania by
3/4 of a length one the goal of the Colonel Liam before that.
I just like that this horse is always there.
We heard our our friend Steve Kornacki in the previous hour
say going to be there at the finish.
You know part of the equation stealing words for me.
But yes, I think I think the 12:50 price makes a lot of
sense. You know daughter excuse me a
son of space Blues here like Vasi makes a lot of sense.
You want a different spot in the number two, You're going to go
to the rail with the horse and St. beast.
Yeah, I thought St. Beast is actually flying a
little bit under the radar here because of the fact that this
horse ran in that synthetic race or two synthetic races and one
one of them. Did win the Leonidas and by the
way, who beat beat who? Where full effort be full effort
in that race. That's right.
You know, and then came back, lost a great white and full
effort in that Battaglia, which you can kind of toss.
It just didn't really get settled.
I I don't know. Yeah, Horse was like rattled in
the gate. There was something going on
that day. He did not like that day.
Yeah, and, and, and it showed. He ran like it, then came out of
that and ran into Transylvania, went right to the lead and faded
late. I think this horse has a little
bit of a pace advantage. There's not much speed in this
race. It should be pretty slow up
front and it looks like him in stark contrast might be 1-2 all
the way around. Race 10 will start the pick
three leading into the Kentucky Derby.
It's the Grade 1 Churchill Downs.
This race last year, Barry was one of the great races in all of
2025. That blanket finish of four
horses, Nice O back off, Nice O's off the layoff banishing
there. And of course, in that group as
well was the horse that's back this year.
Boy, now what? Now I'm definitely forgetting
where is that brace, but not in here.
Of course is mind frame, but Nisos vanishing back in here 12
to 1. Barry.
I know both of us are happy to see him back sprinting.
Knightsbridge in here though you are.
You and I are taking a different tact.
I'm going to be leaning on him in this spot.
You're going to try to beat him. Why are you trying to beat him?
Other than value? Why would you try to beat
Knightsbridge here? I I have a lot of reservations
on the competition that he's been facing and stepping up into
this particular spot. You know, you got an
international horse in imagination who won going in the
Riyadh Dirt Sprint back in February on Valentine's Day and
Knightsbridge hasn't been facing the best of company.
I mean, as good of a horse as super Chow is isn't this caliber
same thing with steel sunshine. This the source beat those 2.
Not very many big fields or anything, or really hasn't seen
a horse in a while in front of him really, and I think they
might do that today. So I think that opens this race
up quite a bit. Texts are asking if the
synthetic is slower or faster than dirt.
Essentially how it works is the fastest surface we have in North
American racing is grass of all things.
Actually, turf racing tends to be a little bit faster.
Certainly the sprints, the mile races are faster on turf.
Barry. We usually expect mile races at
high level in the turf to be one 33134 dirt races, closer to 136,
something like that. But synthetic, we would expect
around like 138 for good synthetic races.
So it's the slowest of the three, which is why full effort
coming in off a sub 159 furlong Jeff Ruby Stakes, you could kind
of look at that and go, man, if he likes the dirt at all well.
Not only that. I mean, he might be fast enough
to win this thing it. Wasn't super cold and we've
talked about how. It's a good text by the way,
from the texture. I appreciate it.
It's a great question today. The synthetic track constricts
and expands with the weather and when it's cold it gets really
tight and fast. But it was sort of a normal day
when full effort won and that horse was blazing.
That's why I'm I'm kind of disappointed they're not in the
Derby. 437-9680 Our UPS jobs text line.
We're talking about race 10, the Grade 1 Churchill Downs, since
you're going to try to beat him with the 9 horse here in Crazy
Mason. We talked about him a little bit
before, but boy, never been to Churchill Downs was in the money
seven of eight runs last year. Second off the layoff.
I imagine you're trying to just continue the form cycle out of
that Commonwealth of Keeneland. Yeah, that's that's really the
idea. They it seems like they were
pointing towards this race and they finally get a setup that
they got when they won the card Carter way back in April.
And you saw a crazy Mason that day finished right behind Saudi
crown. Yes, absolutely.
And and this horse came running, just didn't get the setup.
I mean, that race, that Saudi crown won at Keeneland the day
we were there in the Commonwealth, it was just almost
set up for that horse to win that race, but did it
impressively and Crazy Mason had no shot to win it.
You've got imagination, second off the bench here or First off
the bench, I should say. Back from the Riyadh Dirt Sprint
winner there under Flavian Pratt, who gets them out again
here last race on Valentine's Day.
Been a little bit of time, but I think for Bob Baffert, obviously
not a huge deal. We used to talk about the
Arabian Peninsula bounds, right? Coming back.
Just travels tough for horses, you know, readjusting to
everything and the timing in the tracks and all that kind of
stuff. Horse never been to Churchill
Downs, but was a good second place finisher in the Breeders
Cup Sprint. Is this the overlooked horse of
the day? I don't think so.
Like sitting next to Knightsbridge.
I mean, just because this horse. Think this horse is going to
take some action and Knightsbridge is going to come
off that nine to five. I don't think they're going to
get bet like that. I think it's going to be a lot
closer in the odds with Imagination and Cornucopian.
Those 3 should take a lot of money.
Between the three of them, I would say that Knightsbridge is
probably going to be the favorite.
More like 2 to one. Oh OK.
Not 9:00 to 5:00. Get a good number on nice bridge
then. Right.
And I if. You like nice bridge.
That's a good number, right, Right.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, probably the best
number you're going to get on them.
It's probably right for a while. No doubt about it.
Talking through the undercard here, we'll get into our final
Derby conversation at 11 for the The Turf Classic is the race
before the Kentucky Derby race. 11 a mile and an eighth on the
turf course. $1.5 million on the line in the Grade 1 Old Forester
Bourbon Turf Classic. You and I are going to go
different ways in these kinds of races, Barry.
We both have the one in our handicapping.
You happen to have that horse in corruption on top.
Mark Cassie trains. John Velasquez gets them out
again after a neck loss in the mile and a half Pan American.
We're going to go from the 12 furlongs back to 9 in this one.
This horse got the lead last time, Barry, and set fractions
that I think could work in this space. 47 and four, 112 and 2,
two minutes for the for the mile and a quarter itself.
Those are good times, man. And by the way, when people ask
about synthetic turf and dirt, there's a good example in a mile
and a half race, they ran the mile and 1/4 at 2 minutes.
The Derby is going to go over that today, for example, dirt,
right, that kind of thing. And so even that race in a Grade
3 of the turf was faster. Did that horse get the lead and
keep the lead, Barry? I hope so, but they're versatile
enough to actually write off it as well.
They did that in a mile and a half race, but way back when in
in a lower level claimer back in Gulfstream, they they went a
mile and a half and sat off the pace a couple of times.
So it's not like they're it's foreign to them.
So if somebody gets in front of them, it's not the worst thing
in the world. But I just don't see anybody
going in and I think Corruption inherits the lead and hopefully
Johnny V can do exactly what he did in the second race today.
By the way, the the station bet share is up.
It is 78 bucks a share. I see it on Facebook right now,
so if you're looking for it, it's on the Facebook page, which
makes me almost just assume that it is back on for back on for
Twitter and all those things as well yes, excuse me yeah, sorry.
I just saw very sad. I made the mistake of of of
pulling. I was trying to find to see if
the the best share was up and then I saw a very sad post after
that. So I apologize for seeing the
sad post getting distracted in here.
I also threw the 10 in my pick five pick 3 here Barry play in
this race in the turf classic and make me king.
We talked about it with Steve, one that I think if if it gets
the jump has a real shot here too.
Yeah, this source could be any kind.
Those races they were running overseas were very, very tough,
probably tougher than what they're facing today, and this
horse could actually run away with this race.
Quick break so that we can make sure we get out of here on time.
We talk through the Derby field. We do it next.
All right time to fire through the Derby field here on the
Horse Racing Happy Hours Derby 152 preview on ESPN 681057
presented by the Kentucky HPPA KY hppa.com, our friends at
Derby Box and derbybox.com and of course our guy Doctor Chett
Mays at Hair Transport kentuckya.com.
Grade 1 Kentucky Derby 5,000,000 bucks on the line 3 year olds
and here bear going the 10 furlongs mile and 1/4 on that
historic dirt course Churchill Downs Renegade breaks from the
one. What is a fair odds on Renegade
and where would you have him ranked in the top contenders
that can win this race even all things considered 1 hole in all
the things. I'd say 8:00 to 12:50 is
probably I think. That's fair.
Yep. And I'd say more than an average
chance only because of the fact I know this horse is talented,
just needs a a good trip and they're not going to get 1 so
it's tough. Yeah, it's a tough one for sure.
I will still break from the 2 hole.
Another one of those that came through Tampa like Renegade did,
but out of a maiden win like Emerging Market did.
Stepped up into 100 point race wins right away in the Wood
Memorial. Shout out, by the way, a a
double double for the Pin Oak stud people with Elvis and
Incredibles and for Riley Mott with both of those horses as
well. So shout out to Riley, who by
the way, I have gotten to know a little bit this week.
I got to meet his wife at the draw and all the things.
Shout out to Megan, but it's out of y'all.
Pone here. What does the race look like if
Elvis wins it? Complete meltdown where?
Rich Strike style win for Elvis. Everybody's backing up.
Yes, I think that's exactly right.
How about Intrepido? I think the win for him looks
like what he did in his maiden win and then what he did in the
American Pharaoh where for whatever reason, Barry, he
breaks the best of those inside horses and gets to be the speed
on the inside. And then he just gets the lead
and doesn't look back. Somehow I don't see it
happening, but I think that's the scenario in which he wins.
Yeah, I was thinking more like a did Mystic Dan type run could
be. Good for that.
Well, that's more realistic. Yeah, if they can get it, you
know, it's tough getting out of the gate, getting that kind of
position. You know, depending on what
Renegade does it it, it could be really difficult.
Hector Barrios rides there litmus test for the Baffert
Barn. His one of two runners.
I'd like to point something out, Barry.
Litmus test is 26 to 1 and Potentes 20 to 1.
I mean this as nicely as I can. One of those horses should get a
lot more money than the other. And I'm so sorry, Starlight
people, but that ain't a litmus test.
Not for me. I think when you put Martin
Garcia up, you're saying what? Something very, very specific
about a horse. Yeah, he's fast.
He's fast and that's what you're going to go for.
Is that what the scenario is? Old school Bafford, Get the
lead, keep the lead. Yeah, he's got to go.
He's got to step on the gas. Martinez got to get there and
and it might serve kind of as a rabbit for a pretente, so.
In the the five hole, we got a scratch for right to party 6
hole. Commandment is now the favorite
in the Kentucky Derby at 5:00 to 1:00.
And Barry, we've talked about it all week on this show because I
refuse to let it go. In most years he would be the
favorite. I think Barry, frankly, just
resume wise, I'm totally OK with him being a 5 to one favorite.
I'm glad to see a Derby again. And by the way, we got it with
the Oaks yesterday where we're not just getting pounded
favorites for no reason, right? Where people just bet the
favorite to bet the favorite and feel like they're going to be on
a most likely win or whatever it is.
I think we're going to get all of five to 1A Commandment at
worst, nine to two by the time we get to the gate.
And I think, by the way, for a favorite in this year's Derby,
it makes sense. Commandment A worthy favorite.
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
He's got two triple digit buyers coming into this race.
Both of those races were really, really good.
He galloped out well, all signs point to him running a decent
race, but just not for me. I I think if this horse gets any
kind of stoppage during the race where they have to kind of
change plans or move a certain way, I'm not really too sure
this horse can pick it back up, get back into to running as fast
as they can and and get there. So 5 to 1 as a favorite seems
like a great price, but just not for me.
Commandment 3rd in my handicapping, 4th in yours 5th
in your handicapping is the seven to non bourbon son of
Maxfield a Keeneland Sale graduate.
Nishimura into ride 4 trainer Manabu Ekzoe.
Excuse me, not Ekoe Ekzoe winner the Fuku Rayu, which is the
Japanese prep in Japan. This is a horse that's only go
on right-handed Berry and I know for so many of our colleagues,
especially ahead of the Breeders Cup, they just don't care about
that. Yeah.
They're like, oh, if a horse goes to the right, he goes to
the left. Who cares?
We can do these things, man, all that kind of stuff.
But this is son of Maxfield, man, we got tap it on the damn
side. This isn't like we got to go
deep in the pedigrees and figure out how this horse is related to
Seattle Slew or something. Like we have to do that.
This is just a keeneling grad. This is a 20 and one horse, I
think a worthy 20 to 1 horse. Yeah. 5th in your handicapping.
Would you throw them in a like a trifecta play?
Yeah, absolutely. There you go.
I think so too. Absolutely.
Those horses I, I I would think have stamina the way they train
them it, it seems like that's what their deal is.
I mean, this horse won a 16 horse race first time out and
then. Moved to a mile and three
sixteenths immediately and one for fun.
Yes. That's got to count for
something. Did not bourbon down to 14 to
one out of the Ikazoe Barn there.
Potential Co favorite here. So happy 5 to 1 was 15 to one on
the morning line was probably a little high there.
I think a fair price for me on so Happy is around 12:50.
Barry. I, I think that's totally fair
cuz you do still get Mike Smith. You still do get a horse that
put it together in the, in the San Anita Derby.
I mean, he was great. Let's not we don't have to put
that down at all. He was great in that race.
And if you care about those hundred point races, So happy
makes a lot of sense. I'm just not there at 5:00 to
1:00. No, that I think that price is a
little too short, especially because the horse needed a trip
in order to get that done and they got it and thanks to
Potente kind of going to the lead there.
That's what really set it up. So happy for me.
It's hard to get to. I, I, I don't think this horse
has been consistent enough. I know he has one buyer there
that 7 furlongs at 96 and then 100 going a mile and an eighth.
But I I really don't know if this horse really wants to go a
mile and a quarter being out of run Happy you might be limited
distance wise the 9 Puma has. Scratched out here, Barry, I
told you you would not have had a full Derby experience until
you are on air and tell thousands of people that you're
betting the Puma and the Derby and then he scratches the day of
the race. Welcome to my world with
Rodriguez. Welcome to my world with Omaha
Beach. Those were earlier in the week
though, so I was able to adjust. Does it adjust the totality of
the race for you, or does it just move people up on the
rankings? For you, I think it it, it
changes the race slightly because there's other horses
that wanted to get that same trip that the Puma was projected
to get. So other horses like Further
Ado, I think benefit from it. Potente also benefits from this
scratch. But largely it it doesn't really
change the shape of the race, just who slides into what spot.
Wonder Dean breaking from the 10.
What do I make a Wonder, Dean? It's a total mystery, just a
tight question mark and and you know, it's one of those feasts
of famine. Either this horse is going to
finish in the money or finish dead last.
I don't know which one. I know the horse that beat them
in the Saudi Derby, Al Haram is, is a very, very good horse.
Obliteration is no slouch, but it was only going a mile.
Now they're going a mile and 1/4.
They went in the UAE Derby. They ran really well in that
race, going a mile in three, 16th, but again it was
restricted so tough one. I'll go, I'll go this way.
I'll I'll explain it very simply for me.
If you take put those three horses side by side Danon
Bourbon, Wanderdean and of course the third in Why am I
blanking in Excuse me in 6 speed.
If you gave me the last two, I would I would take the non
bourbon against the other two. Yeah, like I.
I I totally. Agree.
I would have the seven ahead of those two by a long enough
distance that I wouldn't even consider them even if you gave
me them both. Incredible.
Will break from the 11. Our buddy Sean Collins has this
one on top. You heard Danny Brewer as well
today, really singing his praises.
Kind of an under the radar almost second buzz horse in this
race. Yeah.
I think he ran pretty good in in at Colonial in the Virginia
Derby, but not for me. He just hasn't been fast enough.
Chief Wallaby, I know you like a lot.
Down to 6 to 1, Barry. One win all time.
And Chief Wallaby is 6 to one in the Kentucky Derby within a
dollar on your bet of commandment.
That's incredible to say out loud.
But it's Bill Mott. It's Junior Alvarado.
We've seen this story before. Yeah, you finished the neck off
a commandment in the Fountain of Youth and needed the experience.
I think in in the Florida Derby, sets himself up well, gets
blinkers on that workout. The last workout on April 26th,
I know it's this 49 and one breeze, but if you look at that
workout, this horse was well within himself and just looks
like he is ready to pounce. The Derby wind pool just went
over $16,000,000. Chief Wallaby breaks from the
12. No horse in the 13.
Silent Tactic out earlier this week.
Patente breaks from the 14. Son of Into Mischief Going for
yet another Derby win is Into Mischief by Awesome Again on the
damn side. Bob Baffert.
Juan Hernandez 20 to 1. I watched Medina Spirit from the
14 do something exactly the same as this.
I got potente second of my handicapping.
Yeah, this one is definitely a horse on the improve and you can
see it in the buyers. You can see it every race, the
longer the better. They went to the lead last time,
which was kind of puzzling. And then this fast work, I think
it's throwing people off. I think this horse is going to
sit a really good trip. 14 for Potente, 15 for Emerging market.
Another horse who's seen his morning line almost halved.
He's from down from 15 to 9 to 1.
My top pick in this race. If you read Eric Mitchell stuff
at bloodhorse.com, he makes the dosage argument for emerging
market in this field. We also watched Chad Brown pick
off the Oaks yesterday with a third time starter.
Barry, I know you are not as high on emerging market as I am,
but is he with a chance today? Yeah, absolutely.
Especially the way his counterpart and stable mate ran
yesterday, she ran excellent. She was fantastic.
If they get any kind of trip like that, emerging market might
be really tough to. Beat Emerging Market ridden by
Flavian Pratt, his last 12 Triple Crown races outside the
top four only once. So Flavian Pratt almost certain
to be part of your trifecta play today.
That is the 15 in Emerging Market.
Pavlovian comes in Cal bred in the race here, winner of the
Sunland Derby. Berry 2nd place to Emerging
Market in Louisiana Derby 46 to one man.
If you like Emerging market, you like a horse with a bunch of
experience. This is the only one with double
digit starts. I think if you like emerging
market, you got to like Pavlovian.
I don't. This horse has a lot of fighting
him. He's got the most lifetime
starts out of anybody in this field.
That's got to go a long way here.
You know, even when horses start backing up, this one's probably
still going to be running at the end.
I'm putting this horse in a lot of exotics.
My friend Sean Collins has a great piece up about Edwin
Maldonado's first ride in the Derby, his 25th year as a
professional jockey. His first ride in the Kentucky
Derby. And all he said to us was I'm so
glad I'm doing it now. I wasn't ready when I was a
younger man. 6 Speed will break from the 17 for Seymar Bupat
second place finisher in the UAE Derby 50 to one, but boy they
booked Brian Hernandez junior this one now down to 33 to one
here's the thing I think this horse is going to be part of the
early pace or right off of it. Maybe get to sit right behind
Robusta now that that horse has drawn in and then Brian's going
to try to cut the corner. Yeah weirder things than 6 speed
picking off this Derby, but I'll I'll play against there's.
Definitely no weirder thing other than 6 speed winning this
Derby, 6 speed wins I. I think we all might need to
hang it up. No more.
Handicapping of 6. Seats further ado, though.
He wins this thing. I don't think any of us are
surprised. Six to one on the morning line,
That was his. That's his number right now as
well. Yeah, he's he's a really tough
read here, but he's in the precarious position of being
able to not run as fast as he did in his last race and still
win this one. It's just a matter of how much
lower or how much he can actually regress.
I don't think he can pair up one O 6 as he might be able to, but
I still think this horse is going to get a fantastic trip.
Being wide and clear is probably where it's at.
His his run in the Bluegrass kind of hinted to it.
You'll see the horse was about four wide going down the
backstretch settled in nicely, horses around him, and then he's
pushed the button and it was over.
Golden Temple for Sheree Devoe getting some late buzz to hit
the board based on his late run in the New Orleans race there,
the Louisiana Derby. What do you mean to go to the
Golden Temple here? Not on my tickets.
No, not on my tickets, but the horse gets probably the the
setup they haven't gotten since that lecomte back in January.
There should be a lot of pace up front.
I suspect this horse is going to be rolling late.
Great White, Ocelli and Robusta off the also eligibles list.
Great White down to 22 to one. How about that?
So getting. Some money because he's.
Pretty I I think the Gray horse thing does do that right for
sure Ocelli the maiden in for wit back man.
Of course Tyler Gaffalion picks up the mount there.
Robusta probably going to try to press from the outside, get a
break from the 19 gate here Barry is, is Robusta the the
biggest game changer out of that group because that horse is
going to be speed. Yes, he's going to inject some
more speed into this pace, so it should be interesting.
Race. All right, very on top for you
is the 12 horse in chief Wallaby.
You made that change after the Puma went ahead and scratched
out. So you are 12/18/14.
You need a lot of double digit horses here.
Yeah. Yeah, we're going big.
The old 1218 exacta. There you go to the hoop, to the
hoop. Louis will go 1514 and six on
top. I'll go 13 and 18 after that.
Barry and I very much hoping that outside of the 10 is where
the winner comes from on the race card day again, horse
racing, happyhour.com for all of our picks.
Everything's up there free. Make sure you get in on that
with us. We'll wrap up the show next.
Taylor, how much time do we have left back there, buddy?
On the about a minute 45 until music.
All right, perfect. All right, so we got a couple
minutes here. But Barry, thanks so much for
making the trip, man. Again, you and I will be at
Laurel Park in a couple of weeks.
If you happen to be listening in Maryland, excuse me, the Friday
of Black Eyed Susan. We're going to try to keep that
tradition going. And by try, I mean we're going
to, we'll be at Jimmy's Seafood Friday night doing our annual
seminar up on the 2nd floor. Just ask for the horse racing
happy hour. You're there for the Preakness
get together. We'd love to see you that Friday
night. Barry's going to go to a farm
party the day before. When I look at you, I see farm
party. I don't know why you're
laughing. I, I used to wear overalls when
I was a kid, you know, in high school.
One strap kind of thing like the one strap on strap with the you.
Know with the flat top the kid. In play and stuff.
Oh yeah, yeah, man, you had a flat top.
How good was the flat top? Excellent, damn, excellent damn.
I mean, this is what I don't need in my life.
Derby day. I'm trying to have a nice day.
I'm sitting across from you. You look younger than me.
You're older than I am sitting across from Tanner, who's just
covered in hair. I mean, it's just covered.
I mean, top, bottom, everything. I just terrible.
It's just tons of hair and then I'm just bottom hair.
That's a lot. That's not.
Even a thing last name is brutal Mesa.
What are we doing here? It's not a question, man All
right, we'll have a great day out there.
If you are doing that your Derby parties, all that kind of stuff.
Much, much more coverage throughout the day here on ESPN
680 and one O 57. Essentially, man, we're going to
take you right up to and through the Kentucky Derby.
So if you need something on in the background at your Derby
party, if you're driving around, maybe you're working today,
whatever might be going on, go ahead and do all of those
things. Nick Valvetto say, man, I'm
enjoying and listen to you and Barry, we've had a great time
this week. The station pick 5 is up at ESPN
680 on the socials. You can go find that.
It looks like a shares are 78 bucks today.
They are doing a Derby pick five trying to lead into that race.
And boy, if they don't hit this one, Barry, they they they got a
lot of coverage. It's a lot of coverage.
A lot of coverage I'm just fist pumping over here because toward
player just won. How about that Sixth race?
Sixth race? Which number?
6 and I gave out the exacta 611 how about that?
Well, Barry Spears bringing the money.
Yes, Sir. My next pick, three starts in
Race 7. Again horse racing.
happyhour.com. For all of that cover with the
Barry and Tanner and Louis, thanks for hanging out with us.
Happy Derby 152. We'll see you next time on the
Horse Racing Happy Hour.
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