Kentucky Derby 152 Previews | Bob Ehalt, BloodHorse

He's a much more organized person is Bobby Hall joins us

from Blood Horse, bloodhorse.com, the New York

rider and has joined us many times on the Horse Racing Happy

Hour podcast as well. Happy Derby week, Bob, how are

you? Hey, happy Derby week to you,

Louis. Doing fine.

How about yourself? We're doing great.

We had a mutual friend, Steve Kornacki, on the podcast

yesterday. I got him an Elvis signed, an

Elvis bumper sticker signed by Riley Mott as a as a gift.

How good of a horse racing gift is that?

That's pretty cool because I got to say, boy, I give him a lot of

credit. That was a real nice think in

the wood. And you know, hey, I think we

all both kind of talked up that right to party.

So there was some potential. Your podcast started out pretty

good I think, in terms of giving out some live horses there.

That's exactly right, right to party finish second and of

course, Albus, the winner there of the Wood Memorial, the final

one at Aqueduct. I think I'll start there, Bob.

What was it like taking in the final wood at Aqueduct?

You know, it was, let's say it's unique experiences.

Let let me say this the, you know, again, you have an old

building, you know, look, it's emotional to see the race.

OK, that's it. It's Aqueduct.

A lot of great memories. But let me put, let me put you

this way. The press box temperature at

11:00 AM in the morning was 93°. Okay, 93°.

So we finally got a window propped open so that we could

lower the temperature. And then let's just say there

were quite a few birds that decided to visit the press box

on with. So, you know, it was that kind

of an experience that you're saying, yes, Aqueduct is on the

last legs and ready to go. But certainly brings back a lot

of it brings back a lot of memories of some great races

over the years. And you know, it's going to be

it's going to be a different race mile on an eighth one turn

at Belmont Park next year. So, you know, you kind of wonder

how are people horsemen going to look at that being you know,

that it's it's not the the two turn mile on an eighth.

So, you know, we will see what how horsemen have to go into how

horsemen are going to deal with it next year.

We saw ten horses show for the Virginia Derby also run at a

mile and an eighth over 1 turn at Colonial in March.

And so we'll see if there's a bit of that kind of trend, Bob

up there at Belmont once they do open it.

And I wanted to bring this to this audience here on on ESPN

Radio Louisville here, Bob and Bobby Hall from from Blood horse

and bloodhorse.com. You know, with with the change

in the surfaces in New York and what the plan is to run on

synthetic in the winter there, several of these Derby preps are

going to be on synthetic, right? Yes, yes, you know for sure the

Withers and the Gotham, I'm not sure.

You know, I would imagine that Jerome too.

I mean that Jerome if it's run in the same spot.

Well, I just wonder they're also adding this new race for New

York breds and Canadian breds at a distance in late January.

Will that impact the Jerome? I don't know.

But yes. Now the interesting part with

that would be if the Jerome. So let's just say to keep the

Jerome, which which they haven't said they're not getting rid of.

I'm just I'm just theorizing the that's going to be a two turn

mile. And the same thing with the

Gotham. It'll go back to like the Gotham

how it was during the inner track days when it was a two

turn race. So you know that those will all

three of the first ones will be two turn raises and then you're

going to go to a one turn mile, one turn mile and an eighth.

So it's going to be a little, it's going to be an interesting

and those first 3 will be, as they say on the all weather

surface. So you know, you know, we'll see

hopefully, I would think Churchill Downs will keep the

same points for them, you know, but we'll see.

But they will be those first 3. They will the they will be on

the synthetic till probably the beginning of April in New York

when they start as a little kid. If they haven't set a real date,

it might be mid-december, a little later in December, but it

will definitely start in December and then go till around

the end of March, beginning of April.

Yeah, I'm unoffended by the move to synthetic in the winter in

New York, personally, but I do hope they keep the Remsen on the

dirt. I just think it has gained so

much momentum recently. Bob is one of those very, very

good predictors of high level success.

Obviously Renegade comes out of that race as the representative

this year with Paladin and Balboa not being in the Derby

picture anymore. But you were there for the wood,

you were there for Elvis's win in that race.

You were there for a second place finish by right to party.

If you had to pick one of those two horses to be in the top

three of the Derby, who would you pick?

Well, I would say Alvis, I think, you know, he showed look,

he showed some nice ability in that race.

You know, right to party really looks like a horse.

Look at if the IT looks like a horse who wants to pick up the

pieces late. Alvis looks like a horse with a

little bit more talent. It's going to be, he's going to

need a lot of things to go right.

He's going to need to step up. He's going to need a good trip.

You know, you could see he's running against the best forces

in the division. So you know, he's he's a little

cut below them. Then again, in a Derby, you

know, trip really decides the race, as we see with Renegade

getting the rail the right to party.

You know, look, if there's a brutal fraction, yeah, he might

be able to pick up a piece for 3rd or 4th.

I, I just, I don't see him as really being someone who is

going to take that big step up and win the race.

Could get into your your super Albus.

Certainly looks like I think the Albus is going to be a horse

we'll hear something about as the year goes on.

He didn't go. I think you've got some nice

ability. Right to party, by the way, if

we were betting the Belmont at Belmont Mile and 1/2, he might

be the horse. I throw in 3rd.

I just think he would stay and stay and stay and get there,

yeah. He did that same kind of race in

the in the Gotham before it where he he closed picked up the

pieces late. He's going to probably be that

horse. He's going to try to make a big

run and you know, that's you know, look right.

You know, we've seen it work out right for some horses.

But a lot of times that's tough to get the exact right trip to

have the rail open and say ground so you don't have to go

17 wide on the turn. You know, it's a tough thing in

the Derby, A little easier, as you say, maybe in the old

Belmont at Belmont Park, where you know you got a field of

eight or nine, really wide sweeping turns and the big

distance. A horse that you saw break is

made and then get disqualified behind Paladin and then run

second in that. Remsen is Renegade.

He draws the one hole for the Derby.

Bob and I talked to Todd Pletcher today and he brought up

the three horses on the rail in the last 6 Derby draws.

That sort of statistic. But you know, he and Ripoli

saying all the right things. You know Mike, fairly well from

your time covering races there in New York.

I I'm sure they're not happy about it, but in your mind, how

how detrimental is the is the one hole in the Derby at this

point? Well, it's a big problem.

I I mean, you know, look, you, it's almost like when you lose

your star quarterback, you're going to say next span up, you

know, you're not going to say, Oh my God, the seasons over,

we're never going to win another game.

So of course they're going to look, they're going to put a

positive spin on it. I think you know for sure you

got to break quickly. There's no doubt if you get a

little slow out of the gate, you're in trouble.

Now why? You know, I thought, you know, I

was going to go with Renegade. I'm not so sure anymore.

Off the rail. What you look at, I think you

have to look at is go back a couple of years to Moe Donegal.

Of course that we're Poli going to share up went on to win the

Belmont, but he got the rail in the Derby and what Todd talked

about there, and if you watched that race, he broke okay, was in

good position and maybe one or two more strides he would have

gotten a fine position. But what happened was he didn't

get to that spot quickly enough and the field came right over,

shuffled them back. That's the problem you're going

to face. And there's no way of knowing

he, you know, if this horse breaks quickly and Iraq to get

that position on the rail, get to that position before the

whole field comes over, he's going to run a good race.

MO Donagle ran well, but he was fifth and then you saw how good

a horse he was when he won the Belmont Stakes.

So, you know, you have to factor that in because there's now a

lot of variables with a horse that could be favored.

Maybe now is only going to be the second choice because a lot

of people are going to be skeptical about that.

But again, the key point when you watch that race, people say,

well, MO Donegal ran a good race.

Yes, he did. He overcame a lot.

That's why how good a horse he was.

But if you watch it, you just see and thought that back then

before I remember for the Belmont, one or two strides more

and he would have been fine. So.

Text you texted me earlier. Renegade, is he going to get

those one or two strides? Yeah, no, it'll be interesting

to try to see, see what they can try to do from the rail there.

I ride artist Junior, of course, keeps them out there after the

Arkansas Derby. You texted me the name Chief

Wallaby a couple of days ago. His name is Bobby Hall, by the

way, at Bobby Hall on the socials and bloodhorse.com for

everything he's working on. Son of Constitution here.

They're throwing the blinkers on all of the different things.

Is this more of a Bill Mott and Junior Alvarado player?

Do you really like this horse? I do like the horse.

It was kind of funny you talked about the wood.

What I kind of did to get into a wood mood mood was kind of look

back on, go on YouTube, watch some of the past races and I

watched the general Genuine Risk race.

And, you know, I remember that race, Genuine Risk ran third in

the wood and then, you know, she went on to win the Derby and 2nd

in the Greekness, second in the Belmont.

When you watch that race where she finished third in the woods,

she showed some late life between horses and, you know, it

was a close was a relatively close third.

When you watched, when I saw that, I said, you know, that

looks a lot like the way Chief Wallaby ran in the in the

Florida Derby. Only third start kind of you

know, was coming showed some so showed some, you know, spunk to

go between the horses to kind of close and you know, I I'm with

Bill Mott and and you know, I I could see this horse taking a

big step forward off that effort just like he did last year with

sovereignty. So he might wind up being my

pick, especially the odds I think are going to be pretty

good. They're saying what I think 8:00

to 1:00 in the morning line. Be interested to see if he's,

you know, like who's going to be the wise guy horse.

Maybe could it be him? Could it be somebody a little

higher in price to come down? But I I think he's going to turn

in a real good effort. I think he'll handle the mile

and 1/4 and I think everything, you know, a lot, a lot of

positive signs. I like the way he's working.

There's a lot to like in him. Bobby hauled with us from Blood

Horse and Bob. I'm going to ask this a very

specific way, but I've, I've asked coaches and, and other,

you know, media guys who cover college basketball or football,

for example. Has there been anything that

changed the sport as much as, you know, the, the recent, you

know, the guys making money, the name, name, image and likeness,

we call it the NIL stuff. I got to ask you, has a racist

complexion changed as much as the Derby has in the last couple

of years? You know, we used to have these

very, you know, since justify essentially these very hard and

fast rules. You had to be undefeated as a

three-year old. You had to race as a 2 year old.

You had to do this, this and this.

And now I've got horses like Emerging Market in this race

that I think it absolutely went for Chad Brown, who have only

ever been in the starting gate twice.

Bob, it's just a, you know, a reality of the modern sport for

sure. But has a race changed as much

as the Kentucky Derby in your history covering horse racing?

No, not, not it. It really has dramatically

changed because like you say, I mean, do you ever hear anybody

talk about the curse of Apollo? I mean that that used to be the

biggest thing to talk about. And then Justify came back and

won. Now, let me say this, since

Justify, no other horse who is not raised to 2 has won the

race. So but you know, it's not like

an impossibility. And as you say, you see a lot of

these horses are, you know, just to have light training.

I mean, you know, Chief Wallaby, this will be his fourth race

urging market the the third race, I think for 10 day what

third, fourth race these are, you know, used to be, you know,

secretary in these horses around like 10 times it too, you know,

so you see all these different types of things.

Maybe secretary didn't give that exact number, but I'm just

saying in general, those type of horses, it's not unusual to see

them run quite a bit. It definitely has.

And the factor is too with the with the scratches, you know,

there are a lot more vigilant with the scratches.

And you know, I think you're basically I'm going to handicap

this race. But you know, I think you're

also going to hold your breath till Saturday morning because

you just don't know what's really going to happen in in

terms of some of those things. It's it's become a much

different handicapping challenge because of all that.

You don't have as many. Like, you know, you've got a

really good race with the Florida Derby that had like trio

of really good horses. So you got a little bit of a

measuring stick, but there really wasn't a lot of distance

between them. So, but yeah, definitely where

you used to. You used to throw out a horse

who maybe didn't run it to you. You can't do that anymore.

It's the same way up until, I would say the early 90s, if you

had a horse that tried to go from the Derby to the Belmont

without a race you threw. Him out right.

So that was like in the early 90's, the 70s and 80s, if you

had a horse who hadn't run in like 6 weeks, Oh my God, you

can't touch that horse. Now it's six weeks between races

on these horses. So definitely the spacing has

really changed quite a bit. Yeah, Chad Brown told me

yesterday, actually. Yeah.

Oh, no, I loved it, actually. It was six weeks from the maiden

to the Louisiana Derby, and now six weeks to this race.

That's great for my horses. So no, he was very, very

confident in that. Bobby Hall from Blood Horse with

us, bloodhorse.com. Last one for you is is

Commandment the most overlooked horse at the top of the

standings we've ever had? Yeah, he could be.

I mean, I think he's going to, he's going to be in the picture.

He's really, he's a horse that just keeps getting the job done.

You know, probably if Renegade isn't favored, a lot of people

are saying Further ado because it's just a monstrous race that

he turned in in the Bluegrass Stakes.

But you know, a lot of times these aren't machines, these

just because he won by, you know, the length of the track

last time doesn't mean he's even going to, you know, he could

bounce off that effort. So you know, the commandment is

definitely a horse. I think you definitely want to

use him. I think in your exotics he

should be there. And you know, depending on the

depending on how people react to renegade, it's going to be

interesting to see how the really wagering goes.

You know, as I say, there's like I say that that breaking from

the rail, you could sugarcoat it, but it it really puts a

premium on everything going right.

Renegade, of course, did win that.

Sam F Davis ahead of the Puma Commandment, though, spent his

time down at at Gulfstream Park winning.

All three of their major preps are coming into this one as

well. Well, Bob, really appreciate you

jumping on a short notice here. Have a great rest of the week.

Will we say your Monday pick is Chief Wallaby?

Is that right? I would say right now, yes.

OK. All right.

Very good. That's where I was going.

One more stock out for everything Bob is working on

over there. Have a great week bud.

Thank you very much, Lee. Good luck to you.

Thanks, Bob. There you go.

Bobby Hall joining us here on Robo ANCO, ESPN City and 1:05.