Mystery Woman Lurks In Shadows, Picks Kentucky Derby Winners
By: William F. Reed

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 25, 2003) - At first I didn't believe it. A colleague told me about a woman living on a Carribbean island who had mystic powers to predict the Kentucky Derby. He claimed she had bet on every Derby winner since Secretariat, or some such ridiculous thing.

He furthermore claimed that she had developed a system that was far beyond the Dosage Index, Beyer Speed Figures, or the Ouija Board. It was part statistical date, part witchcraft, part common sense, and part truth serum (Maker's Mark, in her case).

Skeptical, but intrigued, I set out on a fact-finding mission. After questioning several taxi drivers, hotel doormen, and bartenders, I found her office. There were so many stacks of Racing Manuals, Daily Racing Forms, and trade magazines that the only way to find her was to follow the sound of her fingers clicking on her computer keys.

When she heard me, she glanced over her shoulder and hissed, clearly aggravated that her concentration had been interrupted. When I told her that I was from Churchill Downs and wanted to make her famous, she cackled and said, "You got a clubhouse box for me? Then we'll talk."

When I told her that I had absolutely nothing to do with tickets and was really only a free-lance employee, she almost kicked me out. But I gradually brought her around. She finally agreed to let me use her rankings, but only if I didn't reveal her name.

So today I'm able to bring you the first "Madame Wizard Kentucky Derby Rankings." They'll be revised and updated periodically, depending upon the whims and moods of the proprietoress.

She won't pick longshots or dark horses just for the sake of being different. She'll simply evaluate the Derby contenders based on her secret criteria. And she looks at it from the standpoint of a gambler who likes to make a big score on the Derby.

From now until May 3, I will desemminate the "Madame Wizard Rankings" as quickly as they come to me. Before Derby Day, we'll supplement her picks with how she intends to bet.the race.

Accustomed to working in the privacy of her lair, she hopes the notoriety won't upset her karma. Public scrutiny makes her nervous. On the other hand, now that she has been flushed out into the open, she wants to make an impressive debut.

I''ve also signed her up to be my partner in the upcoming Kentucky Derby Fantasy Challenge. Our trainers will be Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas, our jockeys Pat Day and Pat Valenzuela.

The Madame Wizard rankings and comments for the 129th Derby:

10. Toccet: "Top East Coast contender has been taken out of training with ankle problems and is a longshot to make it to Louisville."

9. Trust N Luck: "Multiple stakes winner destroyed Calder opponents by 11 lengths last time out.

8. Ten Cents A Shine: "Long-striding Kentucky Jockey Club runner-up has enormous potential."

7. Most Feared: "Arlington-Washington Futurity winner is slated to make 3-year-old debut in the Lecomte Stakes (Jan. 25) at Fair Grounds."

6. Offlee Wild: "Surprise Holy Bull winner broke his maiden at Churchill Downs and is bred to go long."

5. Kafwain: "Consistent colt gave Toccet all he could handle in the Hollywood Futurity."

4. Indy Dancer: "Lightly-raced Todd Pletcher trainee made a devastating move on the turn to score by daylight in a Gulfstream allowance."

3. Sky Mesa: "Unbeaten Pulpit colt is back in training and will prep in Florida."

2. Hold That Tiger: "Ran a terrific race to finish third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile despite a bad break and wide trip.

1. Vindication: "Undefeated Breeders' Cup Juvenile champ is training impressively in California."

At the moment, Madame Wizard has gone underground. I expect to get her updated rankings sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Native Kentuckian William F. Reed has been a sports writer in various capacities for 43 years and has missed covering the Kentucky Derby a mere two times since 1966. He has been a high-profile sports writer in Kentucky for the Commonwealth's two largest daily newspapers, the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader and was a national columnist for Sports Illustrated, covering among other sports, Thoroughbred horse racing and college basketball. Reed currently pens a column for the Louisville Sports Report and covered Kentucky Derby 128 for kentuckyderby.com. He will be filing frequent installments for CDSN's (Churchill Downs Simulcasting Network) websites throughout 2003.

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