Super Saver Bests Riders Up! Selection Ice Box in 136th Derby

Congratulations to Super Saver, Calvin Bo"rail" and Todd Pletcher on their Derby win.  Riders Up! selection Ice Box was charging hard down the lane despite being blocked on two occasions and my long shot, Paddy O'Prado,  got up for Show.  Derby 136 Chart  Derby 136 Race Replay

Handicapping this race as many reported was to be a harrowing experience.  Not for Riders Up!  A hypotheitcal $100 WPS ($300) on Ice Box would have yielded $960.  Boxing my top 5 horses in an exacta ($40) yielded $152.40.   Wagering a 6 horse $2 trifecta box ($240) on my top 5 plus my long shot it would have returned $2,337.40.  My selections would not have garnered the huge $2 Superfecta of  $202,569.20.  Didn't have the winner but for the second year in a row had 2nd place (last year Pioneerof The Nile).

Riders Up! Selections and Actual Finish
1 Ice Box - 2nd                         Super Saver - 1st
2 Lookin At Lucky - 6th             Ice Box - 2nd
3 Sidney's Candy - 17th             Paddy O'Prado - 3rd
4 Dublin - 7th                           Lookin At Lucky - 6th
5 Super Saver - 1st                   Dublin - 7th
6 Paddy O'Prado - 3rd               Sidney's Candy - 17th

As predicted this Derby would exhibit blistering pace which places a heavier toll in the slop with a hot pace.  At the quarter pole when :22.3 flashed I knew Ice Box was going to be there.  :46 at the half mile provided more confirmation.  Super Saver did not have to pass to many horse I counted only 2 -- any additional traffic and it would have been an interesting photo.  Look where Ice Box (19), Paddy O'Prado (13) and Make Music For Me (20) were positioned at the quarter pole.  The half was not much different 19, 11, 20.  Goes to show you envisioning a race is imperative to solid handicapping.

Borel is the Roger Federer of the Kentucky Derby.  His last 4 Derby trips have been historical with 1-3-1-1 finishes.  The 3rd was on a 27-1 shot in Denis of Cork.  As Todd Pletcher said he is worth 5 lengths in this race -- it proved it here as he beat Ice Box by 2 1/2 lengths.   

Congratulations to Todd Pletcher - a gentleman and a trainer who deserves to be a Kentucky Derby Champion.  He did not watch from his usual grandstand box -- paid off.

Finally, congratulations to Glen Fullerton who placed the $100,000 bet on Super Saver which returned him $900,000.  Nice work by NBC to catch the Paddock and the "Riders Up!" call.

See you in the Winner's Circle.  Riders Up!