West Virginia Derby - Recap

West Virginia Derby - Recap

Prayer for Relief

Rush Now

Sherriff Cogburn

Unplaced horses listed in order of finish.

Infrattini, Awesome Bet, Little Drama, Dreamy Kid, Skipping the Score, Loranger Native

Scratched: Fred High

Prayer for Relief continues to impress!!! He’s won 4 out of his last 5 races and his most recent loss was a second place finish at a new and extended distance. In both the Iowa and West Virginia Derbies he scored the #1 post position and he's making the most from the rail – he still has time for another Derby (possibly the Pennsylvania Derby) and he may put himself in contention for the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

With 1/16 mile left in the race I thought Rush Now was a lock for the victory – I was extremely impressed with how well Prayer for Relief closed in this race.

Let me assure you that when I write that I’m scratching a horse off my list (Rush Now) that it  isn’t code that you should make sure and bet on him! Despite any evidence in the past, to the contrary.

My Da Vinci Code-esque style of analyzing horses aside….I had read that Rush Now is a horse with quite a bit of ability, and the West Virginia Derby was an excellent showcase for him. He may be the kind of horse that puts it together in the next few months and goes on a winning streak.

I rarely ask you to watch a race twice….but after you watch Prayer for Relief seal an impressive win.....you’ve got to go back and watch Infrattini’s come from behind run….when the announcer says, near the beginning of the race, that Infrattini is WAAAAYYY in the back…you’ll see two horses barely able to stay on the screen…..Infrattini is neither of those horses….he’s still several lengths behind them. As they head for home you’ll see him in the back closing – and then he goes to the far outside and does a remarkable job just to finish with a show.

Speaking of the announcer...his accent isn't like any West Virginia dialect I remember.....

Awesome Bet and Little Drama finished about where I thought they might….these are solid horses that could blossom with even more race experience.

Dreamy Kid was a big disappointment to me – what struck me as unusual was the sprint out of the gate and into the middle of the pack at the first turn. It just didn’t appear like he was running “his” race, this is a horse who has had quite a bit of success staying towards the back of the pack….Joseph Talamo is an excellent jockey and I’m sure they had their reasons --- but I think this horse is much more capable than a 7^th place finish against this group.

I’m not a big fan of horses traveling across the country ---- so that also may have been the issue for Dreamy Kid.

Video to follow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FylkTcAuUmk