10 story lines to know for the 2018 Kentucky Derby
With the 2018 Kentucky Derby now just days away, we're here to examine just a few of what are always a multitude of stories for the 20-horse field and its connections. From longshots to champions seeking a win the first Saturday in May, these are 10 story lines to know:
Curse of Apollo lingers
No, this is not the first time the "curse of Apollo" has been mentioned leading up to the Kentucky Derby. This time though, two of the top contenders are trying to break it. Both Justify and Magnum Moon did not make their first start until their 3-year-old season, and both horses enter the Derby undefeated. Of course, 1882's Apollo is the first and only Derby winner (so far) to win without running as a juvenile.
Beholder’s little brother makes it big
Mendelssohn comes from star power thanks to his dam. Leslie’s Lady foaled Beholder, a two-time Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner and four-time Eclipse award winner, as well as Into Mischief, who stands for $100,000 at Spendthrift Farm. Coolmore went to $3 million to purchase Mendelssohn at the 2016 Keeneland September sale, and he’s followed that price with international success. Mendelssohn’s biggest scores have come in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and the UAE Derby, which he won by 18 1/2 lengths.
Lone Sailor a longshot for late Tom Benson
Shortly after New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson passed away in March, his wife's horse for stable name G M B Racing, Lone Sailor, ran the best race of his life in to finished second in the Louisiana Derby. The colt rallied from far back and just missed Noble Indy by a neck. On April 19, Lone Sailor impressed with a bullet five-furlong workout in :57.60 at Churchill Downs. The work is believed to have been among the fastest under the Twin Spires in a decade.
WinStar Farm comes loaded
WinStar Farm will be well-represented Saturday with partnerships in Audible, Justify and Noble Indy. Audible and Noble Indy, the respective winners of the Florida Derby and Louisiana Derby, are stabled with Todd Pletcher, while Santa Anita Derby winner Justify is trained by Bob Baffert. WinStar Farm has contested the Kentucky Derby all but one year since 2006, winning with Super Saver in 2010.
Top jockey hopes to ride first Derby winner
Despite being named Outstanding Jockey 2013-2016, Javier Castellano is still waiting for his Derby-winning mount. Castellano has ridden in the race 11 times but has not hit the board once. This year he will be aboard Audible for Todd Pletcher. Castellano has won an allowance race and the Holy Bull Stakes with Audible. John Velazquez took over for the Florida Derby when Castellano rode West Coast in the Dubai World Cup.
Scat Daddy leaves his mark
The racing industry lost the stallion Scat Daddy too soon in 2015, but his sons Justify, Mendelssohn, Flameaway and Combatant are helping carry on his name. The four colts will represent their late sire in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, creating a strong hand for Scat Daddy to get a Derby winner in his second-to-last crop.
Moore chooses the Derby over 2,000 Guineas
Just how good is Mendelssohn? Regular jockey Ryan Moore gave up riding in the 2,000 Guineas, the first race of the English Triple Crown, to ride Mendelssohn in the Kentucky Derby. Moore has won the 2,000 Guineas twice but will travel to Louisville instead for his second Kentucky Derby attempt. His first mount in the Derby came aboard Lines of Battle in 2013, when the pair finished seventh.
Juvenile champion coming in strong
Since the beginning of the Breeders’ Cup in 1984, only two horses – Street Sense and Nyquist – have won both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby. Good Magic, a million-dollar purchase, earned his first win in the Breeders’ Cup and was named the juvenile champion over two-time Grade 1 winner Bolt d’Oro. Good Magic returned this year to run third in the Fountain of Youth Stakes before rebounding to win the Blue Grass Stakes.
Hall of Famer seeking first Derby win
The list of accomplishments under Bill Mott’s name is exhaustive. The Hall of Famer has trained champions such as Cigar, Royal Delta and Drosselmeyer, won 10 Breeders’ Cup races – including the Classic – the Belmont Stakes and the Dubai World Cup. Mott has tried to win the Kentucky Derby with seven horses, but the race has so far eluded him. This year he sends out Hofburg, his first Derby horse since 2009. It will be only the fourth start for the Florida Derby runner-up.
Desormeaux brothers looking to make history
For the third consecutive year, Keith and Kent Desormeaux will try to make history as the first trainer-jockey brother combination. They came close in 2016 when Exaggerator finished second to Nyquist. In 2017, they tried with the maiden Sonneteer and ran 16th. They’ll be represented by My Boy Jack this year, who made it into the Derby after winning the Lexington Stakes.