No clear favorite, rain make for unpredictable Derby

Shares are up 12% so far in 2017, more than 30% over the past 12 months and almost 200% during the past five years.

From 21,000, we are down to 20. Just two horses have won the Derby from there. And he understands why the Derby is so hard to win.

Big Brown encountered the same problem during his failed 2008 Triple Crown bid.

Abel Tasman has three wins and two seconds in six starts with Baffert. I’ve hit it eight straight years (but who’s counting?).

Here are some key themes surrounding this year’s Run for the Roses.

The injury cost Patch his entire 2-year-old campaign. He won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and was named champion 2-year-old of 2016. The colt has four wins in nine career starts and finished third in the Florida Derby.

That was only the beginning. Tapwrit; 3. Classic Empire. The only way you’re going to make a basket is to shoot.

The purse is $2 million; the victor gets $1.425 million.

Two horses, Always Dreaming and McCraken, are the second choices at 5-1. Hence broke his maiden January 16 to give Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen his 500th career Oaklawn victory.

This actually will be Pletcher’s 17th Derby so you could say he is 1-for-16. The feat has been accomplished four times, most recently in 1972-73 by Meadow Stable with Riva Ridge andSecretariat.

Classic Empire is listed as the 4-1 morning-line favorite and will break from post position 14 under regular rider Julien Leparoux. “There are some nice, solid horses”, he said.

This good ol’ horse from the Midwest is always there for his jockey, who is at times a little too aggressive. At first, the colt resisted, bucking and jerking when fitted with them.

“The Derby is the goal for many of our young horses”. His best finish was fourth in 2013.

“If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen”, said Asmussen. He’s exceptionally bred for the turf, seems to race his best at this one-mile distance and has done well enough through the stakes ranks to warrant my top honors. His only loss was a third in the Blue Grass, which was his first race back since suffering a minor ankle injury while training February 28.

McCraken has trained strongly this week, but to look at him is to see a boy among men. The race itself is set to begin at 4:34 p.m. Espinoza who guided American Pharoah to his Triple Crown sweep, so having him aboard can only help Gormley’s chances.

Julien Leparoux, who has been aboard Classic Empire for all five of his victories, has the mount Saturday as he seeks a first Kentucky Derby victory and what would be a first for Casse.

Starter, Steve Peterman – Lil E. Tee (1992) – I worked the starting gate during the Kentucky Derby for 25 years and handled two winners.

The colt topped the Derby leaderboard with 152 points earned in prep races.

“The one thing I felt like is I don’t think we’ve ever come here and not won with the best horse”, Pletcher said. “In the back of your mind, you still wonder about the Fountain of Youth”.

Pollitt said the school was originally going to have a horse visit the students, in order to show them the difference between a race horse and a work horse, but due to the weather, it had to be postponed until next Friday. All these could lead to a “fast” track. The white-haired trainer doesn’t have a horse this year, but like everyone else, he has an opinion.

The derby itself started in 1875 and is the longest running sports event in North America, enduring through the toughest times in American history like both world wars and the Great Depression. His explosive kick can carry him to a high placing.

In an effort to harness Always Dreaming’s energy, Pletcher switched to longer reins.