05/04/24 05:12:00
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05/04 05:10 CDT The Kentucky Derby could be a wet one. Early favorites
Fierceness, Sierra Leone have won in the slop
The Kentucky Derby could be a wet one. Early favorites Fierceness, Sierra Leone
have won in the slop
By BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) --- Twenty horses stampeding toward the first turn in a
battle for position. A screaming crowd of 150,000 and maybe some showers that
dampen the Churchill Downs dirt strip.
It's the 150th Kentucky Derby. Beyond a couple early wagering favorites, it's a
wide-open race.
Post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT Saturday. The forecast calls for 81 degrees (27
Celsius) with a 60% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms.
That kind of weather could benefit six horses that have won in the mud or slop
before, including early favorites Fierceness and Sierra Leone. The others with
experience on messy surfaces are Dornoch, Just a Touch, Mystik Dan and Society
Man.
The Derby will answer the perennial question of which 3-year-old can best
handle running 1 1/4 miles in front of the biggest crowd they will ever see and
hear.
Fierceness and jockey John Velazquez will break from the No. 17 post, which has
never produced a derby winner.
The costliest colt in the 20-horse field is Sierra Leone at $2.3 million.
"A lot of times you buy an expensive horse like that and they can't run," said
Peter Brandt, one of the six owners. "We've very, very lucky he's made it this
far. We're looking forward to this race but also looking forward to the future
of taking care of this horse."
Conversely, Larry Demeritte shelled out just $11,000 to buy Saratoga West. The
74-year-old Bahamas native has won 180 races and nearly $5 million in purse
money since he started training in 1984. Demeritte is just the second Black
trainer since 1951 to saddle a horse for the derby.
"This is truly amazing how we got to this position with this horse," he said.
The Derby winner earns $3.1 million from the record purse of $5 million.
For the second straight year, Japan has two entries: Forever Young and T O
Password. The country has never won the race.
This year's race is one for the ages, too. D. Wayne Lukas, the 88-year-old
trainer with four derby wins, saddles Just Steel. Frankie Dettori, the famed
Italian jockey, is back to ride Society Man at age 53 after a 24-year absence.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who saddles Fierceness, is in the derby for the 24th
year and it never gets old. He's won it twice.
"If anything, it just becomes more nerve-wracking," he said.
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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
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