SHOCK, AWE

I WANT REVENGE SCRATCHED FROM DERBY

FROM THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS…

Trainer Jeff Mullins reported yesterday morning during a hastily called press conference that heat was detected in the left front ankle of morning-line favorite I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even) Saturday morning, necessitating his scratch from the Kentucky Derby.

“Dr. Foster flexed his ankle and held it for a few seconds, and then jogged him off, and you could tell he was not 100 percent,” Mullins said. “Knowing the weather, and how well they seal the racetrack, and how hard the track might be if it keeps raining, we decided that it was in the best interest of the horse not to run.”

NOTE: FRIESAN FIRE (A.P. Indy) was the 9 to 2 favourite after betting closed yesterday.

From the TORONTO STAR NEWSPAPER…

ANALYSIS BY JENNIFER MORRISON

KENTUCKY DERBY-G1; Purse $2 000 000-guaranteed; Churchill Downs  Louisville  Kentucky; 3-year-olds; 1st jewel of Visa Triple Crown; 1 1/4 miles; Post time: 6:24 p.m..

THE FIELD

Post Horse Trainer Jockey Odds

1 WEST SIDE BERNIE Kelly Breen  Stewart Elliott  30-1

2 MUSKET MAN Derek Ryan  Eibar Coa  20-1

3 MR. HOT STUFF Eoin Harty  John Velazquez  30-1

4 ADVICE Todd Pletcher  Rene Douglas  30-1

5 HOLD ME BACK Bill Mott  Kent Desormeaux  15-1

6 FRIESAN FIRE Larry Jones  Gabriel Saez  5-1

7 PAPA CLEM Gary Stute  Rafael Bejarano  20-1

8 MINE THAT BIRD Bennie Woolley  Calvin Borel  50-1

9 JOIN IN THE DANCE Todd Pletcher  Chris DeCarlo  50-1

10 REGAL RANSOM Saeed bin Suroor  Alan Garcia  30-1

11 CHOCOLATE CANDY  Jerry Hollendorfer  Mike Smith  20-1

12 GENERAL QUARTERS  Tom McCarthy  Julien Leparoux  20-1

13 I WANT REVENGE  Jeff Mullins  Joe Talamo  SCRATCHED

14 ATOMIC RAIN  Kelly Breen  Joe Bravo  50-1

15 DUNKIRK  Todd Pletcher  Edgar Prado  4-1

16 PIONEEROF THE NILE  Bob Baffert  Garrett Gomez  4-1

17 SUMMER BIRD  Tim Ice  Chris Rosier  50-1

18 NOWHERE TO HIDE  Nick Zito  Shaun Bridgmohan  50-1

19 DESERT PARTY  Saeed bin Suroor  Ramon Dominguez  15-1

20 FLYING PRIVATE  D. Wayne Lukas  Robby Albarado  50-1

JENNIFER’S PICKS

1- HOLD ME BACK

2- DESERT PARTY

3- GENERAL QUARTERS

OTHERS FOR THE SUPERFECTA AND TRI – SUMMER BIRD, DUNKIRK

CAN’T BE STOPPED – The big question for the impressive stretch runner HOLD ME BACK is his ability to race on a traditional dirt surface – the jet black colt’s best races have come on synthetic dirt. But the Bill Mott-trainee is sitting on a big race and at 15 to 1, why not take a chance he will run to his sparkling Churchill Downs track prepping?

DOLPHIN PARTY – This is the 7th year the Godolphin team from Dubai will attempt the Derby and if you saw this colt’s races in Dubai this winter, you know he has class, talent and a super stretch kick. The stable also has front runner REGAL RANSOM in the field.

IN CHARGE – GENERAL QUARTERS, owned and trained by a retired school teacher – Tom McCarthy – marched past some of these including Hold Me Back in the Blue Grass Stakes. A strong colt sitting on another good race.

MONEY TALKS – At $3.7 million, DUNKIRK is the most expensive horse – and the least experienced. It has been more than 100 years since a horse that did not race as a 2-year-old has won the Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher has won almost every big race except the Kentucky Derby.

TAKE A STAB – A longshot with a good stretch run is MUSKET MAN, who loves a Guiness beer every morning for breakfast.

RIVER CARD – Trainer Bob Baffert is a Kentucky Derby expert and has PIONEER OF THE NILE in this year’s race. Problem is, the attractive colt is often hard to handle and the Churchill crowd may get the colt rattled.

MUD LOVER – The best race that the regally bred A.P. Indy colt FRIESAN FIRE ran was in the slop. If the rains come to Kentucky, boost this one’s chances.

FLYIN’ – A lightly raced colt to consider as a super longshot for superfecta and triactor bets is the fast improving SUMMER BIRD who could be 75 to 1.

THE REST – Certainly with I WANT REVENGE out of the race, the event becomes even more of a crapshoot. But MINE THAT BIRD is way out of his league, FLYING PRIVATE looks like he’s too green still to be considered. ATOMIC RAIN is a rank outsider but his stable WEST SIDE BERNIE is okay.

MR. HOT STUFF is a possible fringe player as is ADVICE and PAPA CLEM.

RACHEL IS BREATHTAKING

• Okay, she didn’t beat much with the scratching of JUSTWHISTLEDIXIE but RACHEL ALEXANDRA pulled away from the Kentucky Oaks field in her usual gallop, a workout-type of gallop.

With I WANT REVENGE out of the Derby, it would have been fun to see this gal in the big one.

Let’s just hope we get to see her for the rest of the year anyway.

From www.horse-races.net, jockey Calvin Borel said:

“To tell you the truth I’m happy they didn’t run her (in the Derby). I think they did the right thing by running her today, but I do think she would have won it. She’s probably the greatest horse I’ve ever been on in my life. There are other things down the road for her and she’ll prove it, I promise it. This filly she breaks out of the gate and she’s like ‘Bring it on, let’s go!'”

QUEEN’S PLATE FELLOWS IN ACTION TODAY

Queenston Stakes, Rapid Release in allowance

• EL BRUJO will try to double up stakes wins as he goes to the post as the to 6 to 5 favourite in today’s 7 furlong QUEENSTON STAKES, the first major prep for the Plate for the locals.

The race this year is wide open with SQUARE EDDIE the early favourite for the 150th Plate uncertain to run. EL BRUJO, BUCEPHALUS and ACTIVE DUTY are among the top ones in today’s event.

The Roger Attfield trainee RAPID RELEASE is on a crash course to get to the Plate and he’s in an allowance race today, one week after finishing 3rd in an allowance race.

7th (4:03)

1 Parabola, Stein J, 119, L

2 Me the Sea and G T, Ramsammy E, 117, L

3 Keino West, Olguin G L, 115, L

4 Active Duty, Fraser C, 119, L

5 Shut It Down, McAleney J S, 119, L

6 Bucephalus, Pizarro T, 119, L

7 El Brujo, Husbands P, 119, L