Louisville Magazine

APR 2014

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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3 4 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 4.14 JUST SAYIN' 36 TIP 35 TIP 37 TIP BET THE HORSE THAT LOOKS THE COCKIEST. A s I write this piece in early March, 21 of the 34 races chosen by Churchill Downs Inc. as ofcial Derby preps — meaning their frst four fnishers earn points toward Derby qualifca- tion — have been run. Nine were preps for two-year-olds that, along with the next nine races for three-year-olds, ofered winners 10 points, runner-ups 4, show horses 2 and fourth-place fnishers 1. Te remaining three races already run have been a tier higher in prestige, earning 50-20-10-5 points, the same totals the next fve races in the series will ofer. Ten come seven late-March and April races — the Florida Derby, Louisiana Derby, United Arab Emirates Derby, Wood Memorial Stakes, Santa Anita Derby, Ar- kansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes — that earn 100-40-20-10 points, followed by the fnal, last-ditch prep, the 10-4-2-1 Lexington Stakes, run on April 19, two weeks before the Kentucky Derby. With 1,190 total points at stake in the seven major preps, as opposed to a cumula- tive 306 in the frst 18 races, you might think that early success is inconsequential, but that's not the case. Last year, while Orb amassed the high score — 150 points — by winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes for 50 in Febru- ary and the Florida Derby for 100 in March, the second-place Kentucky Derby fnisher, Golden Soul, earned runner-up points in the low-tier Lecomte Stakes to go along with his 10 for fourth place in the high-tier Louisiana Derby to sneak in at Churchill with 14 total. Tat's not saying 14 points will get you in this year. (At the moment, with a bunch of races to go, eight horses have earned 20 or more.) But it does raise the possibility that if you came up a few points short after the Blue Grass on April 12, you could make them up by entering and fnishing well in the Lexing- ton. None of the 237 horses listed by the website bovada.com as future-wager bettable knows this stuf. For them it's all gibberish. All they know, if you've listened to countless trainers and grooms testify in TV clips, is that they re- ally want to win, are aware of their feat when they've won, and often wear their pride on their sleeves, so to speak. Call it the Zenyatta principle. So it makes sense that a horse that fnally breaks through in a prep race would gain confdence (cockiness?) heading into the next. World on a string, you know. But as the preps get bigger, the more likely that a few or even several infated egos are entered. Something's gotta give. My question is, when a colt loses, does he know he lost, just like he knew when he won? Does he get down in the dumps and stare at his refection in his water bucket and see a loser? Did Secretariat after he lost in the Wood? Of course not; that's where resilience comes in. Here's what Secretariat thought: Tat was simply an aberration. Tough he might not have chosen those exact words. — Jack Welch MIRROR, MIRROR Illustration by Carrie Neumayer 34 TIP Do NOT schedule any major work projects or presentations during Derby. Even if you're not partying every night, there's something about the week that zaps brain cells. Concentration = impossible. The week before Derby Week, make sure to tell your parents and partner how much you love and appreciate them. They may need to make bail. That food cart on the backside? Get a bacon and egg croissant in a foil wrapper. 38 TIP Watch private planes land at Bowman Field. The Thursday before Derby always seems to be busy. Spot celebrities at the main airport. Yep, that's Guy Fieri. 26-43.indd 34 3/20/14 11:33 AM

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