Horse Racing, 135th Kentucky Derby

[Ashe]

Does anyone else watch the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont?
I can't ever find a channel that has lesser races, so I can't keep up very well with the racing world... Trust me, I would have that channel on all day, and keep notes. I lack the motivation to watch online and stuff. >.>

Anyway, I do watch it every year... There are excitements occasionally, like Barbaro and Big Brown, sad moments like with Eight Belles, and then the upsetting times.... Like when Big Brown finished in LAST PLACE after winning the first two gems to the crown....

I believe I started watching in '03, when Funny Cide won.

Kentucky Derby
Year / Winner / gender
03 - Funny Cidec
04 - Smarty Jones c
05 - Giacomo c
06 - Barbaroc
07 - Street Sense c
08 - Big Brown c
09 - Mine that Bird c
10 - Super Saver c
11 - Animal Kingdom c
12 - I'll Have Another c

I used to watch it alone, so it was all up to me to remember when to watch it, and then find the channel. I missed a lot. In 06, it started to become a more family tradition, when I made the family watch it, and Barbaro won us over. He was such an amazing horse... Won the Derby by a looooonnng shot, and got a ton of fans. When he ran in the Preakness, and shattered his right rear ankle (3 bones, in 20 pieces), the camera even focused on him, and not the rest of the race. Total upset. After complications, despite the crazy donations that were sent in to support him, Barbaro had to be put down. TY made a beanie baby of him, during the surgery time, which I of course got. <3

The next year, with Street Sense, I was betting on Curlin. And he came in 3rd. Street Sense won, and in the Preakness, hoping for a Triple Crown- Street Sense lost, to Curlin. By a photo finish. And the next one, Curlin lost again.

Then there came Big Brown... <3 He was pretty amazing. He won from the outside post, he'd been undefeated, and he won a solid win. Eight Belles, the only filly to race, and a pretty dark color to boot, finished second to him, only to promptly have to be put down. She'd finished the race, and suddenly stumbled, both of her front ankles shattered. But Big Brown went on to win the Preakness, and everyone loved him. It seemed for sure he would be the next Triple Crown winner, but for the Belmont, a crack developed in his hoof, and though they patched it as well as they could, and he seemed to be fine, he finished in DEAD LAST.

In 09, I Want Revenge went in to be the favorite, but early Saturday morning was scratched with an inflamed ankle. Taking his place as favorite was Friesan Fire, at 5-1. There was one horse, a lovely gray called General Quarters, bought for $20,000, whereas other race horses can be bought for millions, and be total flops. General Quarters finished 10th, but already made his worth by winning two other races. The winner was Mine That Bird, at 50-1 odds.




Preakness Stakes
03 - Funny Cidec
04 - Smarty Jones c
05 - Afleet Alex c
06 - Bernardini c
07 - Curlin c
08 - Big Brown c
09 - Rachel Alexandra f
10 - Lookin at Lucky c
11 - Shackleford c
12 - I'll Have Another c

Belmont Stakes
03 - Empire Maker c
04 - Birdstone c
05 - Afleet Alex c
06 - Jazil c
07 - Rags to Riches f*
08 - Da'Tara c
09 - Summer Bird c
10 - Drosselmeyer c
11 - Ruler on Ice - c
12 - Union Rags c

f = Filly
c = colt

*Beat Curlin in a battle of the sexes.





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Other race topics!


Breeder's Cup
Jockeys TV show on Animal Planet.





Racing book series:
Thuroughbred the book series, a long and very involving fictional series about race horses, based around the drama at the stables. Starts off with Ashely and underdog filly, Wonder, and changes viewpoints to jumper-racer Samantha, to orphan Cindy, and on and on.


Black Stallion. The series has a lot of races in it, about a boy and his bond with a wild natured Arabian stallion, and the racing farm he starts up, filled with adventure. <3

This post has been edited by Ashe on Jun 9 2012, 04:59 PM

[Ashe]

The preakness was an EPIC race. O.O Mine that Bird was SO CLOSE....but a filly beat him. Dx

[Remiel]

x3 Rachael is from Long Island.
So was Big Brown.
I live on Long Island.
Therefore, I'm rooting for Rachael. <3

Besides, it's sort of a feminist thing for me. Usually, colts are bigger, stronger, and a little bit faster, but she's doing to well.

o 3o Her jockey chose to ride her over Mine that Bird.

[Ashe]

She was in the lead for just about the whole race! Don't see that too often! Mine That Bird was SO CLOSE too. XD I was totally rooting for a Triple Crown, and if it would have been a LITTLE longer, Mine That Bird wouldda won.

As it is, YAY FILLY! <3

[Ashe]

Kentucky Derby on Saturday! :D


Anyone pay any attention to this stuff? Like the Horse of the Year? Rachel Alexandra vs Zenyatta?

Zenyatta was on Animal Planet's Jockeys show, and I think she's pretty awesome... But Rachel won Horse of the Year.

AND. Secretariat's getting a movie! Go see!

[Oshi]

I stilllll don't like racing, but I will TOTALLY SEE SECRETARIAT! Even if I have to go to the movies alone. <3

[Mika]

Oooh, Secretariat! I'm game. <3

[Ashe]

Lookin At Lucky (the original favorite for the Kentucky Derby) won the Preakness. So there won't be a Triple Crown winner, but another race with no injury/death is always a plus. :D


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Not that anyone cares, but the Belmont was just run, with the favorite being Ice Box, who came in second place at the Derby.

The Derby winner (Super Saver) and the Preakness winner (Lookin at Lucky) were both absent and not entered in this race.

There was a colt, First Dude, in the running. Sarah Palin came to watch the race and cheer him on, since her husband would be called the First Dude if she was President. First Dude was in the lead for the first mile and a quarter, then the battle began, stamina was tested, and First Dude slipped back into third.

Mike Smith (known from Jockeys) rode Drosselmeyer to victory.

This post has been edited by Ashe on Oct 3 2010, 02:12 PM

[Ashe]

It's that time again...

The 137th running of the Kentucky Derby will be on Saturday, May 7th on NBC, if anyone wants to join me in watching. ;3 Maybe we'll have a Triple Crown winner this year!

[Tala]

GO ANIMAL KINGDOM!

... Oh god the trumpet. xDD

[Ashe]

Animal Kingdom won the Derby.

Shackleford won the Preakness - AK lost it by just a tiny bit! Dx

Ruler on Ice, who didn't have enough points to even get into the Derby, came in for an upset victory in the Belmont.

To my knowledge, the only injury was in Archarcharch from the Derby race. He fractured his left front leg but it was nowhere near life threatening. He was in no distress and was walking on it fine onsite, but he underwent surgery and retired for his safety. He's now a happy stud. :)

[Tala]

Pants on Fire started bleeding; it's why he didn't run the Preakness or Belmont.

[Ashe]

I was thinking along the lines of 'broken bone disasters', but yeah I did forget to mention that. xD; Sorry Pants!

[Ashe]

The 138th Kentucky Derby was just run and I'll Have Another won! He beat the favorite, Bodemeister, who led the whole race until the final stretch. I'll Have Another started in the 19th post position and had a smooth run. Named for "I'll have another cookie", hopefully he'll "have another" victory in 3 weeks!

No injuries, thankfully.

Dullahan came in third, followed by Went the Day Well, then Creative Cause.

Results

Shockingly, Gemologist finished 16th. Out of six races he's ever run this is the first time he's lost.

Hansen, the gorgeous "white" (Gray) horse "out of a fairy tale", was acting up in the post parade but he stuck it out with the leaders for most of the race before dropping back to ninth.

I was hoping Gemologist would remain undefeated and continue on to win the Triple Crown, or that Hansen would win because grays don't usually win, but it was a great race!

[Tala]

I'll have it known the three horses I picked were Union Rags, Went the Day Well, and Alpha.

...I lost miserably. <3