The Illinois Derby; Sometimes it's costly to overlook

The vivid memory will be ingrained in my mind forever.

War Emblem, loose on the lead, in the Kentucky Derby………at 20-1.

I guess it wouldn’t have been that big of deal if he hadn’t won the Illinois Derby at Sportsman’s Park right in front of my eyes just a few weeks earlier.

It was a monster race, in an unconscionable time, and he smoked Repent, who I thought was the bomb……but, it was the Illinois Derby.

War Emblem wasn’t good enough to win the Kentucky Derby.

WRONG.

The Illinois Derby garnered a lot more national attention in following years. The winner has entered the Kentucky Derby starting gate seven consecutive times, and in 2006, Illinois Derby champ Sweetnorthernsaint was favored under the Twin Spires.

I bet him, he ran 7th.

I bet Ten Most Wanted in 2003. He never got a call and ran 9th.

ARRRRRRRGH.

Denis of Cork, this year’s Illinois Derby hot shot, has yet to taste defeat. He won the Southwest at Oaklawn in visually impressive fashion, but the connections decided to skip the Rebel and give the Corkster just one more run in advance of the Derby.

Apparently they’re “sheets” guys, and were afraid he was going to bounce to the moon. Extra time helps, and four weeks out, they felt the Illinois Derby would serve as a perfect springboard.

Denis of Cork is 22nd on the graded stakes earnings list, so he needs to run well in order to secure his spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, but trainer David Carroll says he doesn’t “have to win”.

I hate when trainers say that!

Well, actually, I don’t mind so much. Maybe that means he’s a favorite worth betting against?

What a difference a year makes. Last year Todd Pletcher was holding five aces.

I know, I know, there are only four aces in the deck, but somehow HE had five.

This year, his hand isn’t looking so good.

Will he fold, or will he draw an inside straight on the river?

Atoned is no world beater, but he’s not bad either. He ran second in the Tampa Bay Derby, although I really don’t know what to make of that race. I do know that the Toddinator has won this race three times (’07 with Cowtown Cat, “04 with Pollards Vision and “01 with Distilled).

A lot of pundits have been dissing Z Humor, but maybe he’ll get the last laugh.

He stunk in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa. Bill Mott must have been mad at the horse as he swung him back in just eight days for a run in the Fountain of Youth. Not bad, he finished fourth, and the connections immediately circled Chicago as their next destination.

I love when trainers POINT to races, not run in them as an afterthought.

The sleeper is this Golden Spikes horse. He ran a good second to Cool Coal Man in a second-level allowance at Gulfstream on Jan. 26, but got cooked in a fast pace in the Fountain of Youth.

Cool Coal Man won that race too. He’s ok, but I’m not a big fan.

Marty Wolfson takes the blinkers off Spikes for the Illinois Derby, which may help the horse relax and settle into a more comfortable stride early on. So be careful!

The name of this game is value. For me, it’s tough to separate Denis of Cork, Z Humor and Atoned, but if I’m in a wacky longshot kind of mood, perhaps I’ll take a swing with Golden Spikes.

Only the board will tell.