Hello. Hello. It's Good To Be Back

The 2007 Kentucky Derby will always be one of the few that stand out in my mind when I think about my favorite Runs for the Roses. And to be honest, it really doesn’t have much to do with that year’s race at all.  

The year before, I was at Churchill Downs, on the third floor of the clubhouse, when Barbaro opened up in early stretch en route to his 2006 Derby romp. My seat was somewhere in mid-stretch, so by the time Barbaro passed in front of me, the race had long since been over.  Two weeks later, I was seated in just about the same spot at Pimlico when Edgar Prado stood up on the Derby winner just a handful of strides out of the starting gate. I swear I was the first one in the second floor reserved seating area to notice something was amiss. 

"Barbaro's hurt!” I yelled. I distinctly remember it taking a few seconds before the rest of the crowd caught on. And I just as distinctly remember getting choked up as the horse ambulance drove away with its injured passenger clearly visible to the Preakness Day crowd. Hell of a thing, what happened to Barbaro.

A year later, I found myself neck deep in the sport I loved and that sport’s greatest event. As a blogger for KentuckyDerby.com, I was given the opportunity to share my thoughts for horse racing fans around the world to read.  Rumor has it my blog was immensely popular in Japan, but this has never been confirmed. I like to tell people I was Brian Zipse before Brian Zipse was Brian Zipse. Anyway, while I never considered myself a journalist or a reporter, I was definitely given access as if I was part of the racing media. And I loved every minute of it. Especially the mornings watching the Derby horses train.

On one gorgeous morning in particular, I stood in a box on the third floor with Steve Haskin, Todd Pletcher, and Gary Stevens, while Bob Baffert watched one of his horses glide over the Churchill Downs strip just an arm’s reach away. Me. In a box. At Churchill Downs. During Derby Week. With Steve Haskin, Todd Pletcher, Gary Stevens, and Bob Baffert. That’s why I felt “neck deep”. I don’t think Baffert had a horse in the race that year. But he was there. At least that’s how I remember it. It’s been 10 years. Cut me some slack.  

Anyway, the moment from 2007 Derby Week that will always be first and foremost in my mind took place in the hour or two leading up to the Derby itself.  I was wandering around amongst the owners, just chatting it up with a bunch of well-dressed rich people as they waited to watch their silks pass by during My Old Kentucky Home, when a ceremony in the late Barbaro's honor was held in the winner’s circle.  I didn’t pay much attention to the ceremony.  That is, until Churchill Downs replayed Barbaro's Derby win on the big screen with the audio piped over the PA system. 

I am not really an emotional person. I am not a big crier. But when the replay got to the part when Barbaro opened up his big lead and the present day crowd started cheering for him, I lost it.  I lost it like a small child who has just been told Christmas is cancelled…..forever.  Maybe it was the emotion of seeing Barbaro's win again after having been there for it in person a year earlier. Or maybe it was having been present when he got hurt. Or maybe it was being there and being part of the greatest event in the world and being able to write about every second of it. I suppose I am still not sure to this day what led to my reaction. But what I am sure of is that the Kentucky Derby, and everything that leads up to it, and all the people and horses who put everything on the line just to get there, are the greatest thing that the greatest sport in the world has to offer. And it feels good to be writing about horse racing again.  Now, on to this year….. 

We are already one weekend deep into the final round of preps.  I suppose it’s a good time for a Top 5 list. Let’s base this one on value, and not necessarily who is most likely to win at this stage. You can find ranking with McCraken at #1 and Gunnevera #2 plenty of places. Here at Dew Blog, we care about value. 

1) Local Hero - Perhaps he’ll make me look bad in the Louisiana Derby this weekend.  But I think there is ability here and I bet him at over 70-1 in Pool 3 of the Future Wager. Let’s see if he can either rate his speed or carry it a little farther on Saturday.  I smell upside, and I love the way upside smells.

2) Iliad - Plenty of opportunity for me to look stupid here. No, it didn’t look like he was crying out for more distance at Santa Anita last time.  But I heard somewhere that the screws hadn’t been tightened and maybe we can expect a stronger effort in the Santa Anita Derby. After all, that was his first start going two turns. I bet him in Pool 3 as well.  And it wasn’t a small wager. That I can tell you. 

3) Tapwrit - My third and final Pool 3 play. I think he was at least mildly flattered by Master Plan’s Dubai effort. And the Tampa Bay Derby win was impressive in its own right. Yes, he’s down to around 10-1 now.  

4) McCraken - No point in being stubborn. He’s legit.  As much as I hate betting favorites, he will probably be at least a small part of my Derby Day wagers. 

5) Take your pick of Battalion Runner, Guest Suite, and maybe Cloud Computing.