Kentucky Derby Contenders - 2008 Horses
June 8, 2008
Before making you’re Kentucky Derby predictions, you must first take a look at the Top Contenders in the 134th running at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3rd. I will give you a look at my 2008 Kentucky Derby Contenders in this article. Take a look at the information I give you and use it to place your Kentucky Derby wagers this weekend. My Kentucky Derby contenders are listed 1-10 with my No. 10 horse first.
10.) Court Vision with 20/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
Court Vision hasn’t visited the winner’s circle this year, but makes my 2008 Kentucky Derby contenders list because of his past. This pony has 3 wins, 1 second and 3 third’s in 6 career starts as the son of Gulch. Neither ‘05 Derby winner Giacomo nor ‘03 winner Funny Cide had a victory the year they prepped. Court Vision only has two races as a sophomore, but he has a solid foundation with 2 graded stakes victories in his career. With little work this year, Court Vision may be saving his best effort for the Derby.
9.) Cool Coal Man with 50/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
Cool Coal Man won the FOY race this year and could be a live horse in this field as a big underdog to win the Derby. He has 4 wins and a second place finish in 8 career starts. Cool Coal Man took it easy in his last race, a 9th place finish at the Blue Grass stakes just one spot ahead of contender Pyro. This pony only needed a decent effort as Cool Coal Man had plenty of stakes earnings to make the ‘08 Derby Field. Look out for this live horse.
8.) Smooth Air with 25/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
Smooth Air followed up his third at the Tampa Derby with a second at the Florida Derby, just one spot behind champ Big Brown. This pony is steadily improving and if Smooth Air gets a smooth run out of the gate, look for him to have a great shot at hitting the board.
7.) Monba with 20/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
Monba is a very inconsistent horse that either gives his best effort or folds. So far, 3 wins in 5 starts gives us no choice but to give this pony a shot as a Kentucky Derby contender. A 5th place finish at Blue Grass Stakes put him in the field. But Monba does have a win at Churchill Downs in a entry-level allowance. Monba certainly fit’s the profile for those looking for a horse peaking at the right time.
6.) Recapturetheglory with 25/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
This son of Cherokee punched his ticket to Churchill Downs after a wire-to-wire victory at the Illinois Derby. It was very reminiscent of ‘02 Derby winner War Emblem. This pony finished second to Cool Coal Man at the FOY and continues to improve as another horse peaking right now.
5.) Tale of Ekati with 25/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
Tale of Ekati was one of the early future-book favorites last fall to win the ‘08 Kentucky Derby. But a sixth place finish in the Louisiana Derby had this pony dropping off the radar. Tale of Ekati has returned to prominence by running down War Pass to win the Wood Memorial in his last start. He has steadily been moving up the rankings as other contenders struggle. Look for Tale of Ekati to close strong at the Derby, but it’s yet to see if his finishing speed will be enough.
4.) Pyro with 7/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
Pyro finished 10th at the Blue Grass Derby in his last start, but it was clear that trainer Asmussen was just trying to keep this horse in shape. It was similar to what Carl Nafzger did last year with Street Sense. Had Pyro not taking the day off at Blue Grass, this pony would be either the No. 2 or No. 1 favorite to win the Derby this year. Look for Pyro to lay it all on the line on Race Day to really show us what he’s got.
3.) Colonel John with 4/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
Colonel John is the No. 2 favorite to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby and for good reason. This pony is coming off a 1st place finish at the Santa Anita Derby. The son of Tiznow closed like a freight train and has 4 wins and 2 seconds in 6 starts. Colonel John can get the distance at Louisville, but this colt has serious questions after having only raced on synthetic tracks. It’s yet to see if the dirt at Churchill Downs will give this colt any problems.
2.) Gayego with 25/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
This is my favorite sleeper horse in the Derby. Gayego made his debut on the dirt by winning one in the Arkansas Derby with a four-length triumph. The son of Gilded Time ran the 1 1/8 miles at Oaklawn Park in 1:49 3/5 which was two ticks faster than ‘07 Horse of the Year Curlin when he posted a record 10 ½ length victory. Gayego keeps moving up on my list after War Pass was declared from the race. Gayego showed he could get off to a fast pace and still have enough left for the finish with his impressive Arkansas Derby win last time out. This make Gayego a very live horse at a great price.
1.) Big Brown with 3/1 Odds to win Kentucky Derby at Bodoglife.com
You just can’t ignore the fact that Big Brown has yet to be beaten. With 3 wins in 3 starts, this pony was also helped when War Pass was declared from the race. His huge victory from the No. 12 post at the Florida Derby was impressive on a few different angles. First of all, it appeared as if Big Brown just coasted to victory despite running the 1 1/8 mile track at Guftstream in 1:48. His time was the fastest since ‘96 and only a fraction off Gufstream’s record. He just recently ran a very fast 1:00 3/5 in 5 furlongs in a workout last weekend. History is working against Big Brown though, as no horse with only four career starts has ever smelled the roses at Churchill Downs.
