It's Derby Day! (1 Viewer)

[BlueStangGT]

The most exciting 2 minutes in sports, one of these days I'll make it to Louisville for this great event.

I've got it handicapped down to 4 that I'm going to use to cap a Pick-3 play. Trying to pick one is just too damn hard! Here's hoping for a safe and exciting race for all of them!

P.S. - Send me $10.00 via Paypal for my Super Duper Pick 3 Extravaganza.

Ah heck, I can't do that to my drag racing friends... here are my Derby picks in numerical order:

2. Curlin
7. Street Sense
16. Circular Quay
18. Any Given Saturday

Any Given Saturday is my upset special pick for this year. He ran great at Tampa when he just missed against Street Sense then got a lousy trip in the Wood. Now he gets Garrett Gomez whom I absolutely love on this kind of live longshot, he's got an uncanny ability for getting a good trip out of difficult and unexpected spots. You're on your own for the Pick-3.

I love the first Saturday in May!

 

[Joker]

I think this is what my wife and I are going to do today.



Sam Houston Race Park To Host
Kentucky Derby Festivities on Saturday, May 5

Watch and wager on the 133rd Kentucky Derby, one of the most celebrated events in Thoroughbred Racing, simulcast from Churchill Downs. Twenty of the top Thoroughbreds in the nation will compete in the first leg of racing’s illustrious Triple Crown and Sam Houston Race Park always throws a great party!

Sam Houston Race Park will serve Woodford Reserve Mint Juleps, the traditional Kentucky Derby cocktail, in commemorative glasses and host its popular $500 Kentucky Derby Hat Contest. Prizes will be awarded for categories to include “most horsey”, “funniest” and “most glamorous” with $500 for the “best overall” hat. The contest will take place on the Club Level, with registration beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Sam Houston Race Park will offer Houston sports fans a unique opportunity to win $1,000,000. The Kentucky Derby $1,000,000 Challenge is open to all patrons, 21 years of age and older, with no entry fee required. Each contestant will be asked to select the entire order of finish for the 133rd Kentucky Derby. If a contestant successfully places all of the Derby contenders in the exact order of finish, he or she will be awarded $1,000,000. Rules for the $1,000,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge. To assist with selecting winners for the Derby, the Club Level will feature a free handicapping seminar with Michael Chamberlain and Martha Claussen at 2:30 p.m.

Dining will also be exceptional on Derby Day. The Winner’s Circle Restaurant will serve an elegant Kentucky Derby buffet designed by Executive Chef Francis T. Walters. The buffet will feature southern favorites including, Carved Pecan Roasted Prime Rib with Bourbon Au Jus, a variety of Wild Game Sausage, Roasted Corn and Cilantro Rice, Black-eyed Peas, Cajun Shrimp Orzo, Garlic New Potatoes, Louisville Corn Pudding, Pan Seared Mahi Mahi Filets with Pineapple Pepper Chutney, Bourbon Roasted Pork Loin with Mint Julep Demi, Kentucky Hot Brown Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Turkey Breast, as well as Peel and Eat Shrimp. The buffet will also be equipped with an assortment of Mediterranean and Southwestern Salads, the Chef’s Fresh Pastry Table and of course the traditional Derby Pie. The buffet is $25.95 per person and reservations are strongly recommended.

2006 Hat contest winners,
Dar Ooten (l), Ann Maroney and Jan Canavan (r)
at Sam Houston Race Park


SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

9:00 a.m. Main Grandstand opens

9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Registration for the $1,000,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge

10:00 a.m. First race from Churchill Downs

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Kentucky Derby Hat Contest Registration

2:30 p.m. Free Kentucky Derby Handicapping Seminar

3:00 p.m. Judging of the Kentucky Derby Hat Contest

5:00 p.m. Running of the 133rd Kentucky Derby




Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for Senior Citizens, and free for children 12 and under! General Parking is free, $7 for valet.

 

[Mike]

My sisters and I sent my mom and dad there for their 50th and they loved it. Would be 70 years for mom and dad this year if dad was still with us.

 

[Toejam]

My Mother and 3 sisters went to the Derby around 3-4 years back. They met actor Jerry O'Connell, they were stunned at the tradition of it all. Professional Horse racing is a Billion $$$ Business!

 

[Bob]

My trifecta box...

Tiago/Street Sense/Scat Daddy

'bout time for a mint julep!

 

[vegasnitro]

Does this ol' Kentucky boy's heart some good to come in here and see y'all talking about the Derby. I didn't get to go this year but I killed the undercard, cashed out almost $1,000 worth of tickets, but alas, I missed big time on the Derby (the last Derby winner I picked was Unbridled in 1990 ... I was 16 at the time). My Derby looked like this: Scat Daddy, Nobiz Like Shobiz and Any Given Saturday. If it had rained some more, Storm in May was going to be my mudder, not just because of the name, but he had off-track specialists on both the dam and sire sides of the bloodline.

I did not think Street Sense had a shot (breeders cup juvenile jinx, plus he was the favorite), but he sure made a believer out of me, talking about getting a horse to fire!!! That is one of the most impressive moves you will ever see a horse make. He will be near even money in the Preakness, so I will probably be trying to beat him, but he will definitely be in all my exacta/trifecta wagering.

 

[Joker]

I had Street Sense/Curlin/Any Given Saturday and I expected Street Sense to run away with it. I had talked to a guy last week who I know that lives in Kentucky and works with several of the horse trainers and he told me that Street Sense would win by a mile.

He said the trainer told him that the horse was unbelievable. Matter of fact, he told me that the trainer even told him he would almost bet that if you gave the other horses a head start that SS would still catch them. I didnt really believe that but I will say it was an awesome performance.

As soon as they opened the gates I was looking for the big #7 and couldnt find it. Then the annoucer said Curlin is 14th and Street Sense is 19th! I about feel outta my chair. Then I told the wife, Hey there's Street Sense abotu 10th and he's coming. It was truly one of the most amazing comebacks I have ever seen. Now granted I do think he got alot of help from the big pack of horses that he passed on the inside (4 thru 8 or so) that werent crowding the rail or anything. If they had been on the rail, I dont believe he would have made it b/c he pretty much passed them all at one time.

 

[BlueStangGT]

That was definitely one of the best moves I've ever seen. No doubt it took a great deal of "racing luck" in order to get the worst to first dash to happen without so much as having to blink at another horse, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Even at that it was VERY impressive! That's going to be a lot tougher trip at Pimlico given the shorter distance and tighter turns, I bet Borel will try to place him a little closer up before the stretch run.