Y15 Kentucky Derby

[Ripley]

[X] Copy code below and post in code format, being sure to post link to your horse.
[X] If you can judge, write your name out to the side.
[X] No more than two horses per member per race.
[X] Do not judge races your horse is entered in.

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MAY WEEK 1 - TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY* - G5+ 10F D 3YO

Gate One:

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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b]

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u]

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[Kenren]

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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b]

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail

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[Ripley]

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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b]

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
[u][i]Gate Two:[/i][/u] [a href="http://witchxcreekxstable.proboards.com/thread/32/saintly-touch"]Saintly Touch[/a] jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones

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[Deleted]

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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b] Brave Judging

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
[u][i]Gate Two:[/i][/u] [a href="http://witchxcreekxstable.proboards.com/thread/32/saintly-touch"]Saintly Touch[/a] jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones

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[Cruisey]

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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b] Brave Judging

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
[u][i]Gate Two:[/i][/u] [a href="http://witchxcreekxstable.proboards.com/thread/32/saintly-touch"]Saintly Touch[/a] jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones
[u][i]Gate Three:[/i][/u] [a href="firestoneracing.weebly.com/speak-easy.html"]Speak Easy[/a] jockeyed by Johnny Garner

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[Sammy]

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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b] Brave Judging

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
[u][i]Gate Two:[/i][/u] [a href="http://witchxcreekxstable.proboards.com/thread/32/saintly-touch"]Saintly Touch[/a] jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones
[u][i]Gate Three:[/i][/u] [a href="firestoneracing.weebly.com/speak-easy.html"]Speak Easy[/a] jockeyed by Johnny Garner
[u][i]Gate Four:[/i][/u] [url=http://natureblue.weebly.com/dancing-fool.html]Dancing Fool[/url] Jockeyed by Carlos Sanchez

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[S u N f r O s T ~]

Brave is brave!

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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b] Brave Judging

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
[u][i]Gate Two:[/i][/u] [a href="http://witchxcreekxstable.proboards.com/thread/32/saintly-touch"]Saintly Touch[/a] jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones
[u][i]Gate Three:[/i][/u] [a href="firestoneracing.weebly.com/speak-easy.html"]Speak Easy[/a] jockeyed by Johnny Garner
[u][i]Gate Four:[/i][/u] [url=http://natureblue.weebly.com/dancing-fool.html]Dancing Fool[/url] Jockeyed by Carlos Sanchez
[u][I]Gate Five:[/I][/u] [url=strideofperfection.weebly.com/impressionable.html]Impressionable[/url] jockeyed by Krystal Yhate

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[Cavallo]


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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b] Brave Judging

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
[u][i]Gate Two:[/i][/u] [a href="http://witchxcreekxstable.proboards.com/thread/32/saintly-touch"]Saintly Touch[/a] jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones
[u][i]Gate Three:[/i][/u] [a href="firestoneracing.weebly.com/speak-easy.html"]Speak Easy[/a] jockeyed by Johnny Garner
[u][i]Gate Four:[/i][/u] [url=http://natureblue.weebly.com/dancing-fool.html]Dancing Fool[/url] Jockeyed by Carlos Sanchez
[u][I]Gate Five:[/I][/u] [url=strideofperfection.weebly.com/impressionable.html]Impressionable[/url] jockeyed by Krystal Yhate
[b][i]Gate Six:[/i][/b] [a href="http://intrepidracing.freeforums.net/thread/15/ultimate-revenge-y12-black-colt"]Ultimate Revenge[/a] jockeyed by Adele Floyd

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[S u N f r O s T ~]


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[b]TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY*[/b] Brave Judging

[u][i]Gate One:[/i][/u] [a href=http://valkyriestable.weebly.com/baciami.html"]Baciami[/a] jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
[u][i]Gate Two:[/i][/u] [a href="http://witchxcreekxstable.proboards.com/thread/32/saintly-touch"]Saintly Touch[/a] jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones
[u][i]Gate Three:[/i][/u] [a href="firestoneracing.weebly.com/speak-easy.html"]Speak Easy[/a] jockeyed by Johnny Garner
[u][i]Gate Four:[/i][/u] [url=http://natureblue.weebly.com/dancing-fool.html]Dancing Fool[/url] Jockeyed by Carlos Sanchez
[u][I]Gate Five:[/I][/u] Scratched
[b][i]Gate Six:[/i][/b] [a href="http://intrepidracing.freeforums.net/thread/15/ultimate-revenge-y12-black-colt"]Ultimate Revenge[/a] jockeyed by Adele Floyd

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[Cavallo]

TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY* Brave Judging

Gate One: Baciami jockeyed by Halexia Suhail
Gate Two: Saintly Touch jockeyed by Reese Balling Jones
Gate Three: Speak Easy jockeyed by Johnny Garner
Gate Four: Dancing Fool Jockeyed by Carlos Sanchez
Gate Five: Scratched
Gate Six: Ultimate Revenge jockeyed by Adele Floyd

[Deleted]

MAY WEEK 1 - TW Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY* - G5+ 10F D 3YO

Gate One: Baciami 2-5 odds
Gate Two: Saintly Touch 8-1 odds
Gate Three: Speak Easy 4-5 odds
Gate Four: Dancing Fool 20-1 odds
Gate Five: Ultimate Revenge 7-5 odds

“And welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the fifteenth running of TW Kentucky Derby. Excitement is just running rampant here today, it’s gathered a colossal crowd, all eager to see just which of the country’s fantastic three year olds will claim the Derby crown. Yes, this is what it all comes down to: six of the most hot blooded horses battling it out over the dirt to show off who is king. We have quite the impressive field today as well, we go down to examine them in today’s post parade.

In gate one, from Valkyrie Stables, he’s the big brown one, it’s Baciami. He’s trained by Michael Mavecci and his jockey is Halexia Suhail. Now he’s quite a colt, he’s duking it out right now along with Speak Easy over today’s favorite. He’s easily one of the most raced horses here, he’s started seven times this year and has only placed out of the money once, quite an impressive feat. Yet the majority of his early season was rather subdued in comparison to the utter animal he has become in recent weeks. His success, and really deciding factor in whether or not he would be attempting the crown started in Week 3 of March, when he slammed in for a win in the SOPS Dirt Classic. He ran about a month later only to again run his way to first place in April Week 2, and then immediately after, the following week he went to upset who was quickly rising in the ranks as the Derby favorite—we’re talking about Speak Easy, here—in the Florida Derby, just demolishing the large field and leaving Speak Easy completely out of the money. I have to say, I am super thrilled to see this colt here. He’s an incredible creature, sure he started up the year a little shy, but he’s most definitely coming into his element, and in my opinion, this is going to be the horse to beat today.

In gate two, from Witch Creek Stables is Saintly Touch. He’s such a gorgeous animal, he’s got that special kind of brown to him that really lets him show off. He’s one of Night Stalker’s favorite sons, he’s had an exceptional career so far with eight high stakes race wins to his name, one of them being the Y14 Breeders Cup Juvenile where he managed to blow by today’s contender Speak Easy as well. Now he is trained by Ripley Marsh and is jockeyed by the familiar Reese Balling Jones. He’s had a much quieter season than Baciami, with only four starts this year, but he’s won two high stakes races to set him up and he’s looking positively dapper. He always puts on a good show for us, no doubt that he’ll dare to impress today.

In gate three, from Firestone Racing, we have Speak Easy, the boy in black. Here is truly a fantastic colt, trained by Carter Leeson and jockeyed by Johnny Garner. Now he is definitely the most well raced horse in the Derby, he’s started seven times, four of which have been in high stakes races, and he’s done an excellent job in gearing up towards today’s Derby, with the exception of the Florida Derby, where the colt was just completely blown away by Baciami in what can very well be considered one of the biggest upsets to be witnessed this year. This colt has really been on his game for the majority of the year, but Baciami was not to be denied, and it will be very interesting to observe the dynamic between these two power houses today.

In gate four it’s going to be Dancing Fool, he’s from Nature Blue Stable and is trained by Garrett Hently, jockeyed by Carlos Sanchez. Now you can definitely say that this horse is the underdog of today’s race, he’s only started three times this year, his last win being in January, and over the turf. Despite this, he ran a very impressive win within a five horse field, and he never gave up the lead to any of the contesting horses. What he lacks in experience, he may very well make up for in gusto. He’s from quite a blue blooded line as well, he’s by Dancing In The Moonlight out of Foolish Entity, and is of relation to the very recently announced HOF Paranormal Hunter, so it can easily be seen that this colt has as much proof going for him of his caliber as that of what he himself needs to prove.

Finally, last but in no means least, we have Ultimate Revenge from Intrepid Racing, trained by Nick Landing and jockeyed by Adele Floyd. Now when we talk about blue blood, this is a colt that’s truly got it. He’s more or less decorated by more than a few generations, he’s sired by Admiral’s Revenge and is ancestral to not only War Admiral but Rosalind as well. He’s had four starts that more or less replicate that of Saintly Touch, where he’s won two high stakes races and has dabbled in placing within the others, he recently beat out said Saintly Touch in the Lecomte stakes, so there is rivalry all around the track here today. There is one thing that most definitely cannot be said, and that is that today’s race won’t be a thriller. Now we’ve gotten Dancing Fool into the box, Ultimate Revenge is giving them a little bit of a problem as is seemingly customary of these Intrepid colts, but he’s in now and there’s a special kind of quiet that has fallen over the track now as we await the final release…

AND THEY’RE OFF!

It’s Baciami right away, surging his way into the lead, he broke brilliantly and is not giving anyone a chance to recover as he throws himself into the lead by one and a half lengths, he’s all power right from the get go, and it’s immediate that he is not going to let this be an easy race for anyone. Behind him by two lengths now is Saintly Touch, he also managed a nice clean break, he saw the pace Baciami was setting from the start and is not very eager to join the big brown colt at the front, he’ll hold off comfortably at his own pace. Then we have Speak Easy, he kind of got a little swallowed by Saintly Touch and Baciami when the two broke, they pushed him off his pace almost immediately and forced him behind them, he is sitting edgily in third behind Saintly Touch, it looks he’ll cruise on the Witch Creek colts pace for a little while. Then we have Dancing Fool less than a half length behind Speak Easy, and Ultimate Revenge is running side by side with the Nature Blue colt.

Now we go back to the front and Baciami is pushing even harder, he’s pulling a three length lead and is quickly opening it to four and Saintly Touch seems to know that if he doesn’t move, he’s going to be left behind. Reese Balling Jones asks him to move up a length, but there’s a little bit of hesitation, he makes it there anyways and Speak Easy is chomping at the bit to move by Saintly Touch but Johnny Garner is not about to let him, he holds off the colt again and moves to cruise comfortably behind Saintly Touch. Dancing Fool and Ultimate Revenge have not moved to close the gap between themselves and Speak Easy, but Ultimate Revenge starts to peak his nose out towards the four length gap, curiously pushing at his boundaries.

Baciami is an utter animal at the top of the field, he is just cruising along unchallenged, he’s mustered up a gap of three lengths now back to Saintly Touch, that’s about ten lengths now from Baciami back to Dancing Fool and the frontrunner does not seem to be tiring, if anything he’s getting faster, and it’s a wonder whether or not any of the others will actually have the speed in them to catch this monster. He does not seem agitated, and he does not seem uncomfortable as Halexia Suhail asks for another length, and the rider/jockey combination within that pair is just phenomenal. They’re approaching the far turn now, Baciami is having an absolute romp, Saintly Touch is playing a very dangerous game right now—but now it’s Speak Easy! He’s pushed by Saintly Touch and flies up by two furlongs in an attempt to bridge the gap, and Saintly Touch lets him by and does not move to challenge him as Speak Easy moves up by three furlongs, he’s looking to bite at Baciami’s heels, and Halexia Suhail casts a small glance over her shoulder and sees the black colt coming and asks Baciami for even more. And towards the back, Ultimate Revenge has surged up into the gap as well, he leaves behind Dancing Fool and pushes up towards the constant Saintly Touch.

Baciami is blazing along now, but he is no longer all alone, because Speak Easy is right on his tail and is not looking very forgiving. Baciami moving away by another half length, but Speak Easy is gaining on him like it’s nothing. There is seven lengths back to Saintly Touch now, and it’s difficult to see just where these two colts are pulling all of this speed from. Speak Easy tries to move up along the rail to Baciami’s side but the brown colt cuts off his way through, and he opts to go around. Baciami’s losing his lead now as Speak Easy pushes for him, he’s got all four legs firing, nostrils flared, he looks like a real runner here. Speak Easy is just out for blood, but I’m not confident he has the power needed to catch the brown colt, yes Baciami is pulling away even further as they head into the final turn, it doesn’t look like Speak Easy will be able to catch him, Saintly Touch is making his move now and so is Ultimate Revenge, and Dancing Fool is trying to recover but he’s fallen rather off pace…

But no, Speak Easy is not stopping, and he’s finally moved to meet Baciami at the shoulder! It’s Baciami by just a nose as they head into the final stretch, and they are six furlongs apart from the rest of the field. Speak Easy is still coming, but so is Baciami! They’re moving even faster, Baciami is putting out all that he can, they’re giving their true and complete all! Speak Easy moves in front by a half length, now by a length, but Baciami is not fading, he pushes back, but Speak Easy is in a rally, he pulls away by two lengths, by three, by four lengths! Baciami is still not falling off pace, but he’s unable to advance, he’s run out of power. Speak Easy by five now, and five and a half, there is around fifteen furlongs between him and Dancing Fool and he doesn’t seem to be slowing. Saintly Touch and Ultimate Revenge are closing in on Baciami now, but the colt still holds on by a few lengths, and IT WILL BE SPEAK EASY, YES SPEAK EASY FOR THE Y15 KENTUCKY DERBY, HE CROSSES THE WIRE!

What an incredible race as they slow down, Speak Easy had five lengths on Baciami by the end, and fifteen on Dancing Fool who came running in last. Then it was Baciami who held on for second, Ultimate Revenge pulled himself up by his nose for third, then Saintly Touch in fourth. An absolutely incredible race, truly the best three year old colts in the country today, and Speak Easy has started the process of crowning himself as king. A fantastic performance by five very incredible horses, a huge congratulations to Speak Easy and his connections. What a race, what a day…”

Margins - 5 3/4 lengths, 7 1/3 lengths
Time - 2:00:58
Track - Fast


win Speak Easy
place Baciami
third Ultimate Revenge (nose)
fourth Saintly Touch
fifth Dancing Fool


Speak Easy - Cruisey, you have got a BRILLIANT colt here. I am a huge fan of this guy, and the campaign you racked up for this Triple Crown has been both risky and phenomenal, and you managed him through it wonderfully. It was quite a privilege to get to place this guy first today, keep up the work with him, I can’t wait to see how the rest of the TC turns out for him.

Baciami - I flip flopped between him and Speak Easy for who would be the big guy to take this race home, and in the end Speak Easy won out mostly due to his previous success and experience. That being said, I LOVE THIS HORSE. He’s come relatively out of nowhere with the Florida Derby, but I think he’s really coming into his element right now. You’ve got a power house of a front runner here, and I think he’ll make a big splash in the rest of the TC races. He very nearly had this race in the bag, so I definitely wouldn’t give up on him. (Also, I really love the way his name sounds, so bonus points for you.) I think with this race under him, he’ll be ready to give Speak Easy the race of his life next/if the meet again, which I totally think they should.

Saintly Touch and Ultimate Revenge - These guys had eerily similar race results for this year, and it was very hard for me to decide their placing. I unfortunately could not see them contesting the top two, Speak Easy and Baciami started a lot more times this year and have run in some very tough high stakes races. That being said, these horses are brilliant, and with a little more running time easily would have drastically changed today’s results. Keep up with them, they’ve but got wins coming their way.

Dancing Fool - He’s a very nice colt, but I just didn’t see him on the same level as the others. He’s only started three times this year, and seemed to be geared more towards turf running than dirt. There’s nothing wrong with him, he just didn’t have the same campaign towards the TC as the others did, and could have used some more starts with better placements before moving to run against them. I really like him though, and expect him to bounce back pretty quickly.

[Cavallo]

Let me say this, I am surprised by these results and I'm not meaning to offend here Brave but I see multiple things here that just didn't sit right with me.

1) amount of races doesn't equal more in shape. both Ultimate Revenge and Saintly Touch we're run with lighter schedules specifically to be well rested for this series. Fun who done two TC preps was beaten by Baciami who just won one and speak easy who'd had only one hoty win to his name this year. In face they we're run more in order to catch up! So needless to say this reasoning of amount of races does not sit well with me

2) a trend I've noticed is that horses who have been performing well are now being penalized in race. Again I say I do not mean to offend here or steal away from the winners here but this is an issue that as an admin I feel needs to be addressed.

That all being said it is what it is. Congrats Cruisey on your win but people please, be mindful when judging. There are undercard races for a reason to build up horses! More races does not equal better! Look at quality not just quantity.

[Kenren]

I totally see where you're coming from Cav, but I do want to give a small defense for Baciami - yeah he only won one prep, but he rode a three-win streak into this and I while I don't think he should be given preference for more races to catch up, I think he was set up to be a contender either way.

[Cavallo]

I understand and am noT belittling but to counteract that why then have prep races if they don't mean anything when the actual race comes? Fun had won two preps was sitting on high quality wins...why bother with running horses in hoty races if undercard horses just run a heck of a lot more and automatically trump established hoty runners??? Doesn't seem fair to me.

[Deleted]

On the contrary, I did not see Speak Easy or Baciami as undercard horses. Taking Speak Easy as the example, he has spent the majority of his three year career running in HOTY races, having run in 5 HOTY races of seven starts. Obviously, high stakes races are a lot more difficult to win, and Speak Easy has still done exceptionally well within them and within a very short period of time. Baciami had run in three, and as Kenren said, was coming in off a three race win streak with a very impressive win in the Florida Derby. Now this is not to say anything against both Ultimate Revenge and Saintly Touch, they have both run multiple HOTY races/preps and have succeeded at them as well. However when I compared it to the level of racing that the top two had/were experiencing, in my interpretation of it, it made the top two stick out to me more. This was a very difficult race to judge. Basically what I'm trying to say is that it wasn't the fact that the top two were starting more, it was that they were starting in HOTY races and were giving good performances.

I was definitely not out to penalize any horse that was doing well. This was a very talented field of three year olds. Simply, in my opinion, both the quality and quantity of Speak Easy and Baciami was what set them above the other horses in this race.