Derby trainers size up post
positions, weather forecast
Lookin at Lucky drew the rail, a post position that has not yielded a
“Sometimes with the weather like that, the inside might be a little
“It (the rail) sort of changes things a little bit, but not a whole
“Once you get in there, if you shuffled back one time, then you’ll
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Baffert joked about the colt not having any luck, but said the post position
is a factor that he and jockey Garrett Gomez must face.
“We’re not in love with it, but we have to deal with it,” Baffert said.
“There is a long run to the quarter pole. It’s not like we have a speed horse.
He comes from off of it. He just needs to break well. He’ll be in the gate for a
long time because they load (posts) 1-11 and 2-12 here.
“But you know what? You still need a really good horse. That’s what he is.
That’s more important than the post.”
Gomez said he has no choice but to deal with the post position he was dealt.
“We’ll work out a trip and we’ll figure out where the speed is going to come
from,” the rider said. “We know it’s all coming down on top of us and we want to
get underneath that wire the first time as smoothly as possible.”
Starting from the rail, Gomez said he must work out the proper trip.
“You’ve got to be very aggressive,” he said. “You’ve got to hit the gaps that
are available at the time and take what’s given and be aggressive.”
But Gomez, who finished second on Pioneerof the Nile to longshot Mine That
Bird (Birdstone) last year, said he will not focus on any of the others in the
field.
“There are 20 of them out there,” he said. “I learned last year that anybody
can win. Hopefully this year we’ll be able to get it done. We feel like the
horse is training well for the race. Now it’s all according to the trip.”
“Initially, I wasn’t quite sure what to say,” the California-based trainer
The conditioner did have one additional thought in the aftermath of Wednesday
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“I’m thinking about having a pin made up that I can wear saying: ‘Yes, I know
Big Brown won out of the 20 hole.’ About 20 people have come up to me and told
me that one.”
Big Brown, of course, won the 2008 Derby from post 20. Previously, only one
other horse had accomplished that — Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.
Sadler, a most practical man who has risen to the top of the training ranks
in his native state by employing his practicality in most everything he does,
has basically put the Derby draw behind him.
“I don’t stress about things I can’t control,” he said. “I’ll get together
with my rider (Joe Talamo) and we’ll come up with a strategy for the race on
Saturday. I think we’re going to be fine.”
“I thought it was a really good run,” Harty said. “The weather conditions up
“I was concerned that running into
Harty said the colt is showing him that he has continued to improve since
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“His weight is better that it’s been,” Harty said. “His coat is better. His
attitude is good. He’s out of a Storm Cat mare and he has a tendency to get a
little worked up. I’ve been schooling him every day since I’ve been here and
every day he goes over there he’s better and better. All the signs are good.”
Harty grinned as he noted two more reasons to be optimistic.
“I found a four-leaf clover a few days ago and I’ve drawn (post) number 7,”
he said. “I was number 7 in Dubai (with Dubai World Cup [UAE-G1] winner Well
Armed in 2009). There are a lot of omens.”
By drawing post 7, American Lion and jockey David Flores will have to react
to fast horses on both sides. Super Saver is in post 5, Line of David is in post
6, the Baffert-trained CONVEYANCE (Indian Charlie) is in post 12 and Santa Anita
Derby (G1) winner Sidney’s Candy is on the far outside in post 20. Harty said
the trip will determine whether American Lion’s wins or loses.
“If he makes it around the first turn unscathed, he’s got a legitimate shot,”
Harty said. “With (John) Sadler’s horse drawing the 20-hole, he’s only got one
option. He’s
going to have to get out there and clear the field going into the first turn.
Then you’ve got Baffert in there with Conveyance and there is Line of David.
“I don’t know what Sadler’s going to do with Line of David because that’s his
horse and he’s got Sidney’s Candy on the outside. If we can be sitting in
behind them, maybe three or four lengths in behind them, unscathed, going into
the first turn I’ll be quite happy.”
“All four are doing well,” he said. “I’m happy with the way they’re coming up
Asked about a weather forecast that calls for rain, which in turn could lead
“All of our horses handled a wet track well in their breezes Saturday,” he
As far as the pace of the race and his horses’ likely locations in the
“I don’t see my horses being part of the leaders. That should be LINE OF
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The trainer also was asked how he’d compare Devil May Care with his
three-year-old champion filly Rags to Riches, who in 2007 won the Kentucky Oaks
(G1) and the Belmont S. (G1).
“The one thing about those two that’s clear in my mind is that I was
confident that Rags to Riches would handle the distance of the Belmont (12
furlongs), and I’m also confident that Devil May Care can handle the distance of
the Derby,” he said.
Jeremy Noseda, the trainer of AWESOME ACT (Awesome Again), was on hand for
“Definitely, without question, the horse looks to have moved forward
Noseda had been unable to witness Awesome Act’s key six-furlong workout last
“There were three factors in the Wood: losing the shoe out of the gate; how
“You take those three factors to one side, and we approach the Derby in a
Noseda is counting on a much quicker early pace in the Derby than he got in
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“He’s got a great cruising speed and he’s got a big kick in him at the end of
a race. My big query at this point is how effective he’ll be at a mile and a
quarter. Saturday will tell us that. But there are plenty of horses in the race
that have the same question to answer,” he said.
“You’ll need luck in the running. Is that not part of what makes the Kentucky
Derby such a unique race and such a test for a horse?”
Noseda, who shipped Wilko from England to win the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
(G1) at Lone Star Park, expressed his deep appreciation to trainer Steve
Asmussen and his assistant Scott Blasi for their assistance and guidance in the
training of Awesome Act in his absence.
“Speed will carry in the slop — always does,” Zito said. “You saw what
Zito, who trained Go for Gin as well as 1991 Derby hero Strike the Gold,
“It’s very, very tough, because everything has to go just perfect — every
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“And you’ve got to have the horse. He has to have done something.”
On the morning after drawing post position 3 for the “Run for the Roses,”
NOBLE’S PROMISE (Cuvee) had trainer Ken McPeek feeling as confident as he’s been
all week. The Arkansas Derby (G1)’s beaten favorite continues to give his
trainer all the right signs.
“He’s killing the feed tub like he’s mad at it,” McPeek said. “I have a rule
of thumb that horses who eat fast, run fast.
“Noble’s Promise really had a good morning out there today. He galloped
strongly and I couldn’t feel better about where we’re drawn and where he’s at
physically.”
Willie Martinez makes his first Derby riding appearance in 11 years on
Saturday when he partners with Noble’s Promise.