As I wrote in June, when the Belmont Stakes were run, the races of this year's Triple Crown will all have asterisks beside them. The Belmont Stakes, normally the third race in the series, was run on June 20. Instead of being it's usual length, 1 1/2 miles, it was 1 1/8 miles, even though it was run at Belmont Park. The whole idea of the Triple Crown, as it came together, was to showcase a true champion - a horse that could run in, and win, three grueling races over a short period of five weeks, covering varying distances, in three different states. They had to be able to perform at peak capacity while traveling and racing at distances they had not yet raced at (when the original proposal was set up and accepted).
Many breeders and trainers believed that racing a 3-year-old 1 1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May was pushing the limits (and was why Man o'War did not race in the Kentucky Derby). This was followed by a race just two weeks later in Maryland that was only an 1/8 of a mile shorter than the Derby; and then 3 weeks later, in New York, at a mile and a half. Most three-year-olds today (in the US) will never race 1 1/2 miles or a greater distance in their entire life. The few horses that race further are usually turf horses, or steeplechasers and hurdlers. The Thoroughbreds who race longer distances on flat tracks without fences are few and far between these days.
Back to the 2020 Kentucky Derby, though. It will be run, as usual, at Churchill Downs this Saturday, 5 September. The start time is listed as 7:01 pm EDT, set back due to the expected heat of the month. The length of the race is the normal 10 furlongs, or 1 1/4 miles; and all the entrants are colts, so each horse will carry 126 pounds. The purse this year is a guaranteed $3 million.
There are 18 entries this year; only 4 have morning line betting odds at 15 to 1 or lower, and there are two at 20 to 1 odds. The rest are listed at 30- or 50 to 1 odds. Most of the colts were bred in Kentucky (14 of them), with one from Florida (Thousand Words), one from Virginia (Attachment Rate), and two from New York (Ny Traffic, and Tiz The Law). Three are geldings (Finnick The Fierce, Sole Volante, and Winning Impression) and Honor A.P. is a ridgling. There are 3 chestnuts, 3 grays or roans, and 12 bays, dark bays, or browns. Three of the colts ran in the Belmont Stakes in June: Tiz The Law won the Belmont; Max Player finished third; and Sole Volante was sixth.
Tiz The Law won the Travers, after the Belmont
Tiz The Law will have his usual jockey, Manny Franco, in the irons. Veteran Mike Smith will be riding Honor A.P. Trainer Bob Baffert has two runners in the Derby: Thousand Words and Authentic. And two stallions have two sons each competing: Honor Code has Max Player and Honor A.P.; while Hard Spun has Necker Island and Attachment Rate.
** And this year, Churchill Downs will debut a 20-stall starting gate, made specifically for the Kentucky Derby. **
Following are the entries with post position, entrant's name, morning line betting odds, sire's name, and dam's name:
1 - Finnick The Fierce 50 - 1 Dialed In Southern Classic
2 - Max Player 30 - 1 Honor Code Fools in Love
3 - Enforceable 30 - 1 Tapit Justwhistledixie
4 - Storm The Court 50 - 1 Court Vision My Tejana Storm
5 - Major Fed 50 - 1 Ghostzapper Bobby's Babe
6 - King Guillermo 20 - 1 Uncle Mo Slow Sand
7 - Money Moves 30 - 1 Candy Ride (ARG) Citizen Advocate
8 - South Bend 50 - 1 Algorithms Sandra's Rose
9 - Mr. Big News 50 - 1 Giant's Causeway Unappeased (IRE)
10 - Thousand Words 15 - 1 Pioneerof the Nile Pomeroy's Pistol
11 - Necker Island 50 - 1 Hard Spun Jenny's Rocket
12 - Sole Volante 30 - 1 Karakontie (JPN) Light Blow
13 - Attachment Rate 50 - 1 Hard Spun Aristra
14 - Winning Impression 50 - 1 Paynter Unbridled Sonya
15 - Ny Traffic 20 - 1 Cross Traffic Mamie Reilly
16 - Honor A.P. 5 - 1 Honor Code Hollywood Story
17 - Tiz The Law 3 - 5 Constitution Tizfiz
18 - Authentic 8 - 1 Into Mischief Flawless
I hope you will enjoy the race! As always I don't want any accidents, injuries, or disputed riding. I hope you can make some money, if you bet!
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