All In The Family

One horse I cannot not toss is Court Vision. The more I look at him, the more I think this horse has a great shot Saturday. I understand he has low Beyers, but to me, he is eligible to move forward off his previous two starts this year. And he may just have the best breeding of any horse in this field. Sire is Gulch out of dam Weekend Storm (full sister to Summer Squall & half sister to A.P. Indy). And the connections for this horse are among the very best: Mott, Gomez and Winstar/IEAH. My just be sitting on a career race. Dangerous come Saturday.

The Colonel looks to be sitting on the race of his life...

Is Court Vision confirmed to wear blinkers Sat? Been awhile since a horse who won the Derby wore blinkers for the race. I cant remember the last to do that.

Anyone hear of this new wager they have at Churchill now? The over/under? I am a little confused? Can you bet equals because that is the feeling that I get?

yeah cd you can bet the wager on the number

Derby Chat with Andy Beyer 7-8pm est. on DRF.com

I've been on the Court Vision bandwagon for ages, and I think he'll run huge on Saturday. He's been one of my top three (along with Pyro and Colonel John).

Fridays 3rd at Churchill Biker Boy is the LOCK of the meet...

Justin,

How much A.P. Indy influence is there in this year's Derby? It seemed like I saw quite a bit as I was perusing the pedigree of some of these. I know there is a connection there with Adriano (sire), Court Vision (uncle?), Cool Coal Man (gandsire), and Pyro (grandsire). I thought this is what you may have been hinting at judging from the title of this blog. Are there others that I'm missing?

Go Court Vision!!!...and Z Humor!!!

rimott ... please check out my response to your outlash at me on justin's previous post ...

Calvin,

I thought I should post one for you while on the subject of family. It's not surprising that the mating of Boundary on a Nureyev mare has produced a high class performer in Big Brown. In Europe, Danehill, Danzig's most prolific stallion son, when crossed with a Nureyev mare has produced a staggering 23.8% stakes winners! What's more it would appear that the Nureyev blood when combined with the Danzig blood combines speed with a remarkable ability to carry that speed further than the traditional line suggests! Here they are. You can check them out at www.pedigreequery.com .

Chianti - Stakes winner and Group placed.

Costume - Dual Grade 2 winner at Santa Anita in 2008.

Danestorm - Died in a race but not before he won a Group 1 in Australia at 2 miles (unusual for a Danehill, there's hope for a son of Boundary perhaps)!

Desert King - 4 time Group 1 winner including Irish Derby at 12f and Irish 2000 Guineas at 8 f. Sire of the great Makybe Diva in Australia, 3 time winner of the Melbourne Cup.

Distinction - Group 2 winner at 2 miles and 2nd in Ascot Gold Cup Gr.1

I know I'm getting way ahead of myself but with this info the Belmont isn't seeming like such an unattainable goal for Big Brown pedigree wise now. Triple Crown?

everyone better play garden district in the 2 year old stakes race thursday at keeneland...he is 4-1 on the morning line and i saw this one at keeneland and he was very impressive...lock of the meet...also did anyone see mr mistoffolees race at keeneland last race? maybe the most eye opening two year old race i can ever recall..

thursday at churchill my fault****

stephen ... please keep the garden district talk down ... jeez ... he is surely the lock of the meet ... everyone should be pawning their rolexes ... and mr. mistoffoleees ... simply no words for that one ... most all the baby races went in 50 4/5 or thereabouts ... he went 50 flat untouched ... very very scary ...

Mike get off my horse right now and go sit on Pyro. Your not allowed on this restricted stable area. Colonel John rats only.

JD, now this is a great blog commentary you wrote. You are fabulous. Make me wonder for the old days of racing. So lets take a walk down memory lane, shall we!

Well, to the Big Brown racing fans. You might be to young to remember or even tried to stand in the betting line hoping to pass for an adult, barely able to ask the Pari Mutual clerk for his name? Remember the Big Brown guy always standing in your way, smoking a big fat cigar.

But for me. Standing behind this guy was security, the smoke and fragrance, meant money time. I use to stand their watching the betting windows looking at those dark eyed scary people stamp the tickets with a rubber stamp in 60's and 70's and returning money!, I wanted in this game and desired to wear their white shirts and funny looking ties, behind the chip wooded boards, losing paint year after year.

Even the race track ownership at Hollywood Park would not invest into a little paint job from all their winnings to repaint the boards.

Each year I would add a new Pari Mutual Clerk on first name bases. It was a business for me. Running their errands for food in between race calls by the greatest race caller of all-time Mr. Harry Henson.

I had my favorite clerk who seems to knew me on a first hand bases.

I even had one special clerk, which was my Junior High School Math teacher. Mr. Gram.

We shared class together by day, and after 2:00pm, I hustle his and everyone else's food in the old Hollywood Park Grandstand. All my hard work and this guy still failed me in Math. Go figure.

But he would trust me with his cash to buy a hot dog and a soda in between races. I should have turn him in to the school board, for peddling a kid, but I didn't want a guilty conscience and a big heart for people who love the horse racing business.

I love horse racing to the core values, it ingrained in me from the moment I smelled the first scent of horses manure. Accidentally step in it on the backside one day. At least I fit in with the rest of the stable hands. Small and smelling!

Well I going do all you Big Brown loving fans a huge favor. Pulling a race out of the achieve. Remember what you see, it a life altering experience before you pluck down your hard earn cash.

1994 Florida Derby, the colts name is Holy Bull. He was the fastest colt in the east and ran a extraordinary races in Florida. Big Brown may be the reincarnate of Holy Bull. Seems reasonable to me after watching the race on youtube. If you go there, beware. Take you blood medicine. You will be impressed.

Not in appearance of Holy Bull, but in his running style and dominance. Then remember Big Brown race. Consensus: each Florida Derby is identical from start to finish.

Now I must say as a warning with Parental Guidance, what you are about to see will make you think twice about betting Big Brown. Look at the 1994 Kentucky Derby on youtube(plug), Because Holy Bull, ship to Kentucky as a prohibited favorite off that dominance performance and a horse who was well beaten in Florida named Go for Gin earned the roses wire to wire.

What a shocker for Nick Zito who trained the winner.

Moral to the Vid, trainer can't be trusted and jockeys know how to knock off the prohibited favorite in the Derby. Nick may in fact send Cool Coal Man to the lead as with Go For Gin.

My life lesson learned,

The star of the movie doesn't necessary win the academy awards.

and the money principal of fleeting "Prosperity" at Churchill Downs.

Barry,

Excellent post once again. A true racing fan will always love stories like this which speak to the "core values of racing".

Didn't Holy Bull hate Churchill Downs? The BC Classic was at Churchill in '94 if I remember correctly and they didn't pay the nomination fee. I'm pretty sure it's because they thought the $380,000 nomination fee was unfair and because they knew they'd be wasting money since the horse just hated the track and they wanted to keep his HOrse of the Year status a lock. Just a thought.

Mr Mistoffelees will win Kentucky Derby 135!

Everyone who is a frequenter of these blogs know that I said it first after I witnessed his debut at Keeneland!

THE POTATO SAID MR MISTOFFELEES WILL WIN KENTUCKY DERBY 135!!!!

Barry, good story. Holy Bull bounced back in the Traverse. Big Brown may win, maybe not, but give me the best horse in the race, and I'll win my share.

Cd,

Now that is a prediction! Watched his race.. incredible. I don't remember a horse to start that soon and still be stakes caliber the following year... Limehouse I guess...

Cautionary: Horses that love Keeneland don't usually carry their races with them, and that was true even with the dirt track a lot of the time...

I don't know about that, I could name some off the top of my head. Silent Name, My Typhoon, Lewis Michael, Precious Kitten...

Thanks guys, just a little caution to the wind.

What I believe got Holy Bull beaten was the off track and down along the rail.

I remember the headlines when the post were drawn, they all believe the race was over by the shortest distance to the turn for Holy Bull inside post. What they forgot was the inside is a horrible trip for a front runner. Another horse alway comes from the outside and then the whole field collapse on the favorite. The race is all but over at this point.

eight belles why not, training great and women know what they are doing

with all that speed with the fast horses COL John easy pick for first place waiting to make a move and runing away at the straightaway.....

Barry,

Thanks for the HOly Bull explanation. In light of that do you actually think post 20 helps Big Brown? If you do I'll just go ahead and take your word for it. Another thing. Do you have an email address for Calvin Carter? I want make sure he gets to read my post on breeding earlier on this blog. I haven't seen him comment in a little while. You can email it to me at rjlmoseley@gmail.com . Thanks Barry, if you have it.