By Elaine Belval
I am pushing 40 and there are moments when something happens and I think, “Boy, I am getting old.”
The recent article in the Blood Horse describing “Generation Y” attributes definitely had me depressed.
A recent editorial in the Daily Racing Form had me thinking about my Derby memories.
Now, I am remembering how many I have watched, and it is dawning on me that horses I watched run in the Derby have retired or died.
My first Derby was Genuine Risk. I was a typical girl-mad 9-year-old and my mom told me a girl was running in the Derby. I remember thinking, “I hope she wins.” That was a very successful betting strategy for a 9-year-old!
My first serious Derby pick was Gulch in 1987. After careful consideration of past performances, I thought he was the horse to beat. Little did I know that Alysheba would turn out to be one of the best horses I have ever seen race.
In 1989, I was a huge Easy Goer fan and I was utterly devastated by his losses to Sunday Silence. It took me years to admit Sunday Silence was the better racehorse. And I have NEVER liked a horse the way I liked Easy Goer.
My first serious Derby pick to win was Strike the Gold in 1991 (no, I didn’t think Winning Colors would win; I should have had a talk with my 9-year-old self!). Strike the Gold was a solid and perfectly logical choice, dosage be damned!
My brother bet heavily on Go For Gin in 1994, because he thought the horse was named after the alcohol and not the card game. Don’t you hate those type of betting strategies?
My next pick to win was Silver Charm in 1997. Quite honestly, this was the easiest Derby in the world to handicap. I couldn’t understand how people could not think Silver Charm was the obvious choice. My picks to finish 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 finished 1, 2, 3, 6, 5, 4. For a year, I thought I was the God of handicapping. I just wish other years were that easy.
1998 was a stand-out year for me, the year Real Quiet won. I worked at Werk Thoroughbred Consultants and helped plan his mating. Now, I wish I could say I thought he would win (but I didn’t!). But, after the race, I don’t think my feet touched the ground for hours. I remember calling a good friend of mine, and she told me later, “I knew the message was from you, but I couldn’t understand a word you said.”
I was working for Juddmonte Farms in 2003, the year that Funny Cide beat Empire Maker. I was very upset, and it showed. But, most of the other farm staff put on a brave face and made the most of a day most others would be thrilled with, four starters, two winners, two second-place finishers. I remember being embarrassed; I was associated with a Derby winner in Real Quiet, but I was handling Empire Maker’s loss worse than most of the others who didn’t have that privilege.
I thought Smarty Jones would win and I also thought Street Sense would take the Derby (tend to play the chalk a bit more than I should in the Derby).
This is the first year since 1977 that my friend and boss Jack Werk won’t be at the Derby. Werk Thoroughbred Consultants has the privilege of having two matings (Lookin at Lucky and Conveyance) and several “Best of Sale” in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. I haven’t made up my mind on my choice just yet. I miss discussing my choices with Jack. But, I know come Saturday afternoon, wherever Jack is, he is watching the biggest racing day in the US and having a good time.
(Elaine Belval is Senior Pedigree Analyst at WTC.)
Nice article!
I only knew Gulch as Thunder Gulch’s sire lol; and being that i’m from New York, my family still won’t admit Sunday Silence was better-but the stats don’t lie.
I wish Lookin’ at Lucky and Conveyence the best of luck, but my money is going to be on Ice Box.
-Jameel