Date: May 03, 14
Post:
Purse: $2,000,000
Grade: I
Type: Thoroughbred
Distance: 1 1/4 Miles
Age: 3 Year Olds
Sex: Both
Turf: Dirt

Notes:
With rain in the forecast, weather may be a factor in the 139 th Kentucky Derby. G1 Florida Derby champ Orb is the tepid 7/2 morning line favorite and is bred to handle on off track. His sire, Malibu Moon clicks at a 17 rate with offspring in the mud. Unbeaten Verrazano puts his 4-for-4 record on the line and is more of a question mark for an off track and the distance. Stabemate Revolutionary is a son of War Pass, whose runners win at a 40 rate in the mud. He comes into the Derby on a 4-race winning streak. Blue Grass S. winner Java s War has the same sire as Revolutionary but hasn t looked as good while training at Churchill Downs. Santa Anita Derby victor Goldencents figures to be forwardly-placed early and could hang on for a piece. Overanalyze earned his way into the gate with a decisive score in the G1 Arkansas Derby and fired a bullet work over this surface on 4/27. Itsmyluckyday regressed a bit when finishing 2 nd in the Florida Derby but has run fast enough in previous wins to wear the roses. Normandy Invasion has only beaten maidens but has two close runner up efforts in graded stakes. Vyjack is just one length shy of a perfect record in five starts but missed training after his 3 rd -place run in the G1 Wood Memorial when a scope discovered an infection. Mylute just missed to Revolutionary in New Orleans and is also well bred for the mud. G3 Spiral S. hero Palace Malice secured his spot in the field with a 2 nd -place run in the G1 Blue Grass S. on Keeneland s Polytrack, an unexpected route after a troubled trip in the Louisiana Derby. UAE Derby winner Lines of Battle has beaten older rivals and adds Lasix for the 1 st time. Falling Sky should be part of the early pace, but it is difficult to imagine that he ll be around late. Giant Finish was a late addition to the field when defections allowed him to get into the gate with only 10 qualifying points. He s only been off the board once in five starts but has never faced this kind of competition. Black Onyx drew the disadvantageous 1 post position and has run his best races on turf and synthetic. Will Take Charge was last seen taking the G2 Rebel S. in mid-March and trainer D. Wayne Lukas only wins at an 11 rate off such a layoff. Frac Daddy returned to form with a nice 2 nd -place effort in the Arkansas Derby and his best races came over this oval. Oxbow retains the services of Hall of Famer pilot Gary Stevens, but his 5 th -place finish in the Arkansas Derby didn t inspire confidence. Golden Soul closed well for a 4 th -place finish in the G2 Louisiana Derby and his connections wisely waited for attrition to give the son of Perfect Soul a shot to run for the roses. Charming Kitten will be making his dirt debut after hitting the board in six of seven races on turf and synthetic. Also-eligible entrant Fear the Kitten needs a scratch to get into the gate.


The Kentucky Derby is an American horse racing event that is run at a distance of ten furlongs on the dirt track of Churchill Downs racetrack. This grade I racing event is open to three year old thoroughbred horses. The race is known in the United States as The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports for the approximate duration of this race. It is also called The Run for the Roses as a blanket of roses is draped over the winner. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the American Triple Crown for thoroughbred horses in the United States. In the initial years, the Kentucky Derby was run at a distance of one and half miles but it was changed to one and one fourth miles from 1896. The Kentucky Derby was set in motion on May 17, 1875, in front of ten thousand highly enthusiastic crowds. Though the first race was a grand success, the racing event went through some financial difficulties afterwards. Between 1875 and 1902, an afro-American jockey Alonzo Clayton won the derby at 15 and set a record of winning this event as the youngest rider. The first national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place on May 3, 1952. Triple Crown winner Secretariat clocked the record time that has remained unbroken for the last thirty-five years. In 2004, the court passed a writ through which jockeys were allowed to wear advertising logos on their clothing. The system of distributing the purse was changed in 2005 - through which the horses finishing fifth would also receive a share of the purse. The well-known designer, Norman Adams, has been designing logo of the Kentucky Derby since 2002.