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Kentucky Derby 2019 Undercard: Bricks and Mortar, and Other Events Before the Triple Crown Race
ByChurchill Downs, site of the 145th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, will be jammed packed with folks eager to watch the Derby, but also the venue for a series of undercard races leading up to the main event.
The 3-year-old horses racing for the Kentucky Derby grand prize of $3 million will be the most talked-about sports event of the weekend. But one undercard for the race isn’t far behind.
There’s a horse named Bricks and Mortar, who has won three-consecutive races and already earned $2.8 million this year, according to BloodHorse.com, a site that covers horse racing.
Bricks and Mortar is the favorite to win the undercard for horses aged 4-years and older, which occurs right before the Derby’s main attraction. Bricks and Mortar is a 5-2 odds favorite to win, despite running from the 12th out of 13 gates in the race.
Raging Bull has a 5-1 odds chance to win coming out of gate two. Three different horses— Qurbaan (gate 1), Synchrony (9) and Ticonderoga (10) are next in line at 8-1 odds. The race can be seen on NBC prior to the Kentucky Derb, scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET and during all the Derby pre-race coverage.
Kentucky Derby coverage begins on NBC Sports Network at noon on Saturday with “race Prep” coverage at noon ET, with NBC network coverage beginning at 2:30 pm.
Here’s a breakdown of the schedule and how to watch the main race and undercard on Saturday, and a recap of the week’s previous events.
The Kentucky Derby has seen a shift in odds leading up to the race, with three horses — Improbable, Maximum Security and Tacitus — all tied among the favorites with 5-1 odds going into Saturday morning. The previous favorite, Game Winner, slipped to a 6-1 favorite.
The winner of Saturday’s Kentucky Derby would most likely be the favorite to win the Triple Crown, which has only been accomplished 13 times in history, including last year when Justify won the Kentucky Derby along with the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
Justify was trained by Bob Baffert, who also trained the previous Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh, in 2015. Before that, it had been 37 years since there had been a Triple Crown winner, a horse named Affirmed, who was the last to win a Triple Crown in a year after another horse. Affirmed won it in 1978 one year after Seattle Slew in 1977.
It’s just about time for the horses to run for the roses in the 145th Kentucky Derby on Saturday (May 4). There’s rain in the forecast but no worries, since last year’s winner, Justify, won in the rain and went on to win the Triple Crown. We’ve got a rundown here of the Kentucky Derby 2019 contenders, post positions and updated odds so you can make the best bet on what horse will win the Kentucky Derby this year.
The early favorite Omaha Beach is out of the race at the No. 12 post position. The horse was withdrawn due to a health issue and underwent surgery today. Another horse, Haikal, at 30 to 1 odds, is reportedly being treated for an abscess in the left foot. Haikal is the Gotham Stakes winner. The horse did not train on Thursday, according to the AP, and if he can’t run again on Friday he’ll be scratched.
Below, we’ve got likely contenders highlighted and the updated odds and post positions for Saturday’s race.
What is post time for the 2019 Kentucky Derby?
The horses will be off at 6:50 Eastern Time on Saturday, May 4
TV Channel: NBC (pre-race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time)
Kentucky Derby Live Stream: NBCsports.com/NBC Sports Live app (iOS and Android)
These horses, according to the Associated Press, are likely contenders in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby:
GAME WINNER (Post No. 16, 9-2 odds)
The Bob Baffert-trained colt, now the Derby favorite with Omaha Beach scratched, won last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs to cap a 4-0 campaign as the top 2-year-old with three Grade 1 wins. Game Winner hasn't won since then but his consecutive seconds as a 3-year-old have been close. He finished a half-length behind Baffert stablemate Roadster in last month's Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, a performance that came a just few weeks after he fell a nose short of Omaha Beach in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He has earned $1.846 million lifetime and gives Baffert one of three chances to win his sixth Derby and tie Ben Jones for the most all time. Joel Rosario will make his fifth consecutive start atop the horse.
MAXIMUM SECURITY (No. 7, 8-1)
Won the Florida Derby by an impressive 3 1/2 lengths for his first graded stakes triumph while improving to 4-0 lifetime. One of two Derby entrants owned by Gary and Mary West — Game winner is the other — the son of New Year's Day and Street Cry by Lil Indy has won his starts by a combined 37 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park. The bay colt has quickly moved to the front in all but his second race, which he closed strongly to win by 6 1/2 lengths. Figures to set the pace with a post in the middle. Trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Luis Saez, Maximum Security has won $649,400 but will be racing for the first time outside the Sunshine State.
ROADSTER (No. 17, 5-1)
The Baffert-trained gray colt established himself as a Derby favorite by beating Game Winner by a half-length to win the Santa Anita Derby for his third victory in four career starts. That signature win avenged his third-place finish behind Game Winner and Rowayton in last September's Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. Has earned $706,200 lifetime. Has usually saved his best for the stretch run. His sire, Quality Road, earned seven graded stakes among his eight wins. Jockey Florent Geroux will mount Roadster for the first time in place of Hall of Famer and 2018 Triple Crown winner Mike Smith, who rode the first four starts but chose to ride Omaha Beach in the Derby. Smith is now without a mount.
TACITUS (No. 8, 8-1)
Enters the Derby atop the standings with 150 points following consecutive Grade 2 stakes wins in the Wood Memorial and Tampa Bay Derby. Can give Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first Derby triumph along with three in the Belmont Stakes. Has followed a fourth-place debut at Belmont as a 2-year-old with three wins in a row. Has earned $653,000 in his career. Able to get through traffic to the front. Jockey Jose Ortiz will make his fifth trip atop the son of Tapit and Close Hatches by First Defence.
IMPROBABLE (No. 5, 5-1)
Baffert's third colt has been second in both 2019 starts, finishing a length behind Omaha Beach in the Arkansas Derby and a neck behind Long Range Toddy in the Rebel Stakes. A five-length victory in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity capped his 3-0 record as a 2-year-old. Has won $619,520 in his career. He has worked to be in the hunt early and will have a good post position to work with. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount.
Here are the updated post positions and latest odds according to kentuckyderby.com:
Post Position/ Horse/ Updated Odds
1/ War of Will/ 20-1
2/ Tax/ 20-1
3/ By My Standards/ 20-1
4/ Gray Magician/ 50-1
5/ Improbable/ 6-1
6/ Vekoma/ 20-1
7/ Maximum Security/ 10-1
8/ Tacitus/ 10-1
9/ Plus Que Parfait/ 30-1
10/ Cutting Humor/ 30-1
11/ Haikal/ 30-1
12/ SCRATCH /(Omaha Beach)
13/ Code of Honor/ 15-1
14/ Win Win Win/ 15-1
15/ Master Fencer/ 50-1
16/ Game Winner/ 5-1
17/ Roadster/ 6-1
18/ Long Range Toddy/ 30-1
19/ Spinoff/ 30-1
20/ Country House/30-1
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Who Is Bob Baffert? Horse Trainer Has Three Kentucky Derby Entries, Won Triple Crown With Justify
ByFor most, the name Bob Baffert is synonymous with horse racing.
Baffert is considered a living legend in the industry, having won two Triple Crowns in the last five years — with 2018 Derby winner Justify and 2015 winner American Pharaoh — and five Kentucky Derbies in his career.
However, it's 2019 that could be Baffert's biggest year yet. The horse trainer heads into Saturday's race with the top three favorites to win the Derby following Wednesday's scratch of former top contender Omaha Beach.
A win from any of Baffert's starters — Game Winner, Roadster and Improbable — would see the trainer tied with Ben Jones for the most all-time trainer Derby wins. Jones won six times from 1938 to 1952 and also earned two Triple Crowns in his career.
Speaking to reporters this week, Baffert repeatedly brushed off assertions of a historic race.
"I don’t even think about it. It was a different era. Nowadays the Derby is bigger than it was then.
Now it’s pretty intense. Back then, horses ran 40 times a year. [The Derby] was just a race between other races. It’s like comparisons of football players and baseball players from different times until now," Baffert told the Los Angeles Times.
Baffert came close to another Derby win in 1996, his first trip to Churchill Downs, when his horse Cavonnier was nosed out at the finish line by Grindstone. "I remember the first time I saw the Twin Spires and I was like a kid in a toy store.
I was hoping to light the board, and all of a sudden (Cavonnier) takes the lead … and I didn’t even know how to act. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘This can’t be happening.’ I’ve never yelled so hard for a horse," Baffert told The Courier-Journal. “And when he hit the wire I really thought he won it, but my seats were so bad that I had a bad angle on it and so I couldn’t tell. That had to be the most disappointing loss I ever had.”
At the time, Baffert told the Courier-Journal that he never expected to make it back to the Kentucky Derby, but the next year the horse trainer nabbed his first win with Silver Charm and followed it up in 1998 with Real Quiet and in 2002 with War Emblem. It would be 12 years before one of Baffert's horses returned to the winner's circle, but his appreciation for the race never dimmed.
"I really learned to appreciate the race. It’s so difficult. You have to be so lucky. I’ve been really blessed to come back and have this good fortune. That’s what keeps me in the game and keeps me excited," Baffert told the Courier-Journal. “At the end of the day, it’s for the clients.
I want them to enjoy the experience. I want them to be able to root for their horses when they turn for home. My job is to make sure when they turn for home that they can start screaming and yelling and thinking and feeling it.” Baffert has held back from revealing which of his horses he thinks might win Saturday, instead likening the upcoming Derby to the 1997 race with Silver Charm. "I think anyone could win it.
You have to get the trip, and the post is important," Baffert told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Last year we came in with Justify, and he was a man amongst boys, and American Pharoah. This year is different. With them, I knew I had the horse and felt like I needed a little luck. Now I've got three nice horses, and there's a lot of parity. It's wide open."
The Perfect Drinks to Imbibe During the Kentucky Derby
Here’s some tried and true favorite drink recipes to cheer on your favorite horse and jockey at the Kentucky Derby.
Hosting
a party to watch the fastest 2 minutes in sports? Here’s some tried and
true favorites to cheer on your favorite horse and jockey at the
Kentucky Derby:
Champagne: perfect to toast the winner or drown your sorrows. Look for a Brut – GH Mumm is the official sponsor of the Derby and has good shelf presence (read: easy to find this time of year). If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, seek out a Brut Nature Champagne (the driest of the dry) from a producer like Laherte Frères.
Mint Juleps: this bourbon-based cocktail has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby for over a century. It is essentially a mixture of bourbon, sugar, water and mint, and often served in silver julep cups that evoke romantic notions of the old South. You don’t need to run out to find those though – a Collins glass will do! Mint juleps are super refreshing (critical in the South) and relatively easy to make, but you’ll need to make one at a time:
Ingredients
Bloody Marys: this classic drink is just about the easiest thing for a party – it just needs some basic prep beforehand. Set up a serve-yourself buffet with the following:
Kentucky Derby:
Champagne: perfect to toast the winner or drown your sorrows. Look for a Brut – GH Mumm is the official sponsor of the Derby and has good shelf presence (read: easy to find this time of year). If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, seek out a Brut Nature Champagne (the driest of the dry) from a producer like Laherte Frères.
Mint Juleps: this bourbon-based cocktail has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby for over a century. It is essentially a mixture of bourbon, sugar, water and mint, and often served in silver julep cups that evoke romantic notions of the old South. You don’t need to run out to find those though – a Collins glass will do! Mint juleps are super refreshing (critical in the South) and relatively easy to make, but you’ll need to make one at a time:
Ingredients
- about 9 fresh mint leaves
- 1 tsp of superfine sugar
- 3 oz bourbon (Woodford Reserve and Four Roses Yellow Label are widely available)
- a splash of soda water
- crushed ice (if using ice straight from your freezer, load it into a Ziploc bag, place it on the countertop covered by a kitchen towel and whack a few times with a meat tenderizer)
- powdered sugar
- Pop a tall glass or silver julep cup in the freezer to chill for a few minutes.
- Combine mint, sugar, soda, and half of the bourbon in the bottom of the glass. Muddle gently (over-muddling can make the mint bitter)
- Add a bit of crushed ice and stir.
- Mound the glass with ice and the second half of the bourbon, garnish with mint, and dust with powdered sugar.
- Drink!
Bloody Marys: this classic drink is just about the easiest thing for a party – it just needs some basic prep beforehand. Set up a serve-yourself buffet with the following:
- Vodka
- Tomato juice
- Horseradish
- Celery sticks
- Stuffed olives
- Lemon and lime wedges
- Hot sauces
- Worcestershire
- Salt & pepper
- Ice
- Cocktail sticks
- Tall glasses
- Candied bacon
- Boiled spicy shrimp
- Pickled green beans
- Pickled okra
- Pickled asparagus
- Fresh leafy herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley, oregano
- Pepperocinis
- Cucumber slices
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