Time For A Great Kentucky Derby – Here Is Why This Year’s Race Just Might Be The One

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
Total Articles: 365
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For those that say this year’s race is devoid of interest, to that I say, nonsense. There are several scenarios that could make for a memorable derby. Here are three possibilities.

First, Uncle Mo will redeem himself and do what Secretariat did, show himself to be the true superstar that everyone knows is lurking underneath the cloud that has overhung him ever since his loss in the Wood, and put forth a spectacular performance. I can see the crowd getting really excited over seeing Uncle Mo draw off by 5 powerful lengths.

Second, the media will focus on some of the personal stories surrounding the horses, or some of the personal struggles some of the contenders have gone through. The odds of survival for Mucho Macho Man seemed to be slim when his breeder found him already born and lying there lifeless. Their attempts to revive him were eventually successful, and he got up and ran off. Everyone loves to see a horse overcome the odds, then thrive and eventually prosper.

The final reason that this may be a great race is simply because the race seems to be a wide open affair as the contestants look to ...
... be fairly evenly matched. Given that there are no super fast horses this year, almost anyone could win. For this reason, I am going to pay special attention to all the horses, because I truly believe any one of the 20 entered can win this year. Even 2009 long shot winner Mine That Bird might’ve merited a second look if he was entered this year. This might be a good thing because it will force the fans to look over each horse a little more carefully and not get drawn into the hype surrounding a Big Brown or Barbaro type horse, only to have some unknown horse come out of nowhere cross the finish line, after which everyone will be looking at each other and asking “who was that that just won?” Even the man who called the 2009 Kentucky Derby hesitated once Mine That Bird struck the lead, so thoroughly dismissed was he. He may have been the one horse in the race of whose presence I wasn’t even aware.

And because the race is wide open, that leaves us with the greater possibility of a really close finish. Imagine Dialed In, Mucho Macho Man, Nehro, and Uncle Mo battling head to head the last sixteenth of a mile, giving everything they’ve got, desperately trying to get to that wire first as the crowd goes bananas, with the difference between immortality and oblivion being perhaps only a hairs breadth.

Or imagine Uncle Mo stumbling at the start and losing five lengths to the field, Dialed In strikes the lead at the top of the stretch and leads by a seemingly comfortable three lengths in mid-stretch. Then, out of nowhere the orange silks of Uncle Mo are sighted and are seen gaining ground quickly on the leader. Julian Leparoux senses the danger and furiously tries to rouse Dialed In for just another furlong, but Uncle Mo is coming relentlessly and has dead aim on him. Time is running out and Dialed In calls on all his class to hold off the determined challenger, Uncle Mo charges at him with one last lunge, here is the wire, it is………..!

I told you this year’s Kentucky Derby would be a great race.