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TagsBY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Twenty 3-year-old horses will be running a mile and a quarter for their first time in Saturday’s 138th Kentucky Derby, and oddsmaker Mike Battaglia admits it’s still a guessing game.
He made Bodemeister, starting from the No. 6 position the early favorite, and Union Rags, breaking from No.4, is 9-2.
Battaglia mentioned that Bodemeister ran so big in his nearly 10-length win in the Arkansas Derby. “But Union Rags has looked so good here,” he said, according to the New York Times. “It’s tough to separate the two."
Bodemeister’s trainer Bob Baffert suffered a heart attack on March 26 in Dubai. "I just hope I have a chance to get my heart rate going turning for home," said Baffert, according to CBS News.
Union Rags trainer Michael Matz said he felt better about his horse’s post position after he saw where everyone else landed. He has won the Derby in 2006 with the late Barbaro.
Hansen will be the only white horse running in the 2012 Derby. He is technically gray, according to SI.com, but is prematurely white. His owner, Dr. Kendall Hansen, wanted to dye his tail blue for the Blue Grass Stakes, but did not receive permission from racing officials.
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Hansen and Daddy Long Legs have the most graded stakes earnings among the starters in the Derby field.
The field, post positions, jockeys and morning line odds for the Kentucky Derby, according to kentuckyderby.com are 1.) Daddy Long Legs (Colm O’Donoghue, 30-1), 2.) Optimizer (Jon Court, 50-1), 3.) Take Charge Indy (Calvin Borel, 15-1), 4.) Union Rags (Julien Leparoux, 9-2), 5.) Dullahan (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1), 6.) Bodemeister (Mike Smith, 4-1), 7.) Rousing Sermon (Jose Lezcano, 50-1), 8.) Creative Cause (Joel Rosario, 12-1), 9.) Trinniberg (Willie Martinez, 50-1), 10.) Daddy Nose Best (Garrett Gomez, 15-1), 11.) Alpha (Rajiv Maragh, 15-1), 12.) Prospective (Luis Contreras, 30-1), 13.) Went the Day Well (John Velazquez, 20-1), 14.) Hansen (Ramon Dominguez, 10-1), 15.) Gemologist (Javier Castellano, 6-1), 16.) El Padrino (Rafael Bejarano, 20-1), 17.) Done Talking (Sheldon Russell, 50-1), 18.) Sabercat (Corey Nakatani, 30-1), 19.) I’ll Have Another (Mario Gutierrez, 12-1) and 20.) Liaison (Martin Garcia, 50-1). Also Eligible: My Adonis (Elvis Trujillo, 50-1). All starters will carry 126 pounds.
