HANDICAPPING HEROES -- THE DERBY STORY

I started doing this a few years ago after reading other attempts to do so. Creating a few short paragraphs, telling a story involving all 20 Derby horses. Here's this year's:

"Can you Justify the Good Magic involved in a Lone Sailor in Hofburg with My Boy Jack having Promises Fulfilled under a Magnum Moon? 

They had Vino Rosso with Free Drop Billy while listening to Mendelssohn  Recalling their Instilled Regard for a Combatant named Solomini. 

Enticed by a Firenze Fire they watched Flameaway, a Bolt D' Oro struck with Bravazo in Noble Indy..Audible to all." 

Some Derby items: 

-- According to a friend who reads and comments on my other site...CARDINAL COUPLE...he downloaded and shared the HANDICAPPING HEROES picks at the simulcast facility he was at on Derby Day. He did quite well with them, but the big story was a guy at a nearby table who took "J Fred's" top four picks and added Instilled Regard to them because he had a acquaintance associated with the Instilled Regards' ownership LLC. That ticket ended up paying over $19,000 on a #1 super and the man had it. 

-- A huge tip of the cap to our Scott Harris for all his hard work, efforts and long hours last week at Churchill! It's rare that someone can making a living at their life's passion, but Scott is able to fulfill both at his job in Churchill's Gold Room. Never a frown on his face, always ready to assist and displaying his unique wit, humor and observations...he's our "handicapping hero" from last week. 

-- Paulie rarely attends Oaks and never Derby...preferring to hit the track early in Derby Week. That held true again this year...being busy helping prepare and working the "financial investments" for a annual Derby party he's been associated with for 39 years now. Much was made of FUNNY DUCK winning the 10th race Pat Day Mile on Derby Day. Paulie had (1) investor on that winner at the party. 

It was his wife Sonya.

She picks a horse's name each race and Paulie puts up the $2 investment. It paid huge, as we all know. STORM ADVISORY, TORRENT, THUNDERING SKY didn't turn out so well for her ( those picks based on the weather conditions Saturday) so she switched strategy and went with interesting names. LIMOUSINE LIBERAL and MARAUD worked out well. FUNNY DUCK did too. Her streak ended on CAMELOT KITTEN and MAGNUM MOON. 

-- WINNER OF THE BEST DERBY WEEK STORY goes to John Edelen, former owner of John E's Restaurtant. He relates that legendary horse trainer Bob Baffert used to have his Derby Eve Party at the establishment. After his horse Real Quiet won the Derby in 1998, they decided to name the room where the parties occurred "The Baffert Room". After Real Quiet barely missed winning the Triple Crown in a "nose" loss to Victory Gallop in the Belmont, Baffert joked in The Daily Racing Form that "that Louisville reataurant would probably change the name of the room to "The Baff Room." 

-- RUNNER UP STORY goes to a guy named Jack I met on "Thurby". He tells the tale of coming to Louisville for Derby Week since the early 1980's. In 2009, he was on "the bricks" at Churchill a couple of days before the Derby....hanging out at the walk up bar down there. He struck up a conversation with an interesting guy in a black hat and carrying a cane who introduced himself as Bennie Wooley but told Jack to call him "Chip".  They were having a great conversation and Jack bought Chip a couple of beers. Mr. Wooley was in from New Mexico and told Jack he had "a horse" running on the Derby Day card. Further conversation brought out that "that horse" was Mine That Bird and the race the horse was running in was the Derby. Despite the odds, Jack decided to bet the horse with a $5 across the board bet.

"Chip" Wooley's Mine That Bird won the 2009 Derby with Calvin Borel on board and paid $103 on a $2 win wager...the biggest winning odds in 60 years. Jack got so excited near the end of the race...when Mine That Bird was pulling away in the stretch that he spilled a beer on a Louisville policeman who, fortunately, shrugged and kept walking. "I never saw Chip again but he left a life-long memory with me." Jack said. Plus, a pocketful of money.

How was your Derby week?

paulie
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