It's Derby Week...

1959 - Bobby Darin

Back in 1959, a time when most of us weren't even born yet, America was getting ready for the 85th running of the Kentucky Derby.

A horse by the name of Tomy Lee beat out Sword Dancer to the wire and captured those Louisville Roses.

Tomy Lee was bred in England and happened to reach the borders of the United States by pure chance.

Fred Turner Jr., an oilman from Texas, was very interested in purchasing a young colt by the name of Tuleg, but he did not want his new horse to travel across the ocean alone.

He decided to spend an additional $6,762 for a "traveling companion" for Tuleg. That colt was named Tomy Lee and he was able to hitch a ride alongside Mr. Turner's favored horse. The rest is Kentucky Derby history.

151 years of back stories, Champions, owners, trainers, tracksters and punters combine to reveal the allure of this 2 minute sporting event. Nostalgia for a long lost time that never ceases year after year.

We can only hope that in Sixty-plus years into the future, those that we leave behind will be speaking about the year 2025 at Churchill Downs. Will it be an overseas invader that makes the headlines? Will it be the redemption of the grey-haired trainer? Could it be the third longshot in a row?

Whatever it ends up being, the 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby will eventually become a memory that will last forever in the history books. We should never ever forget that we are all a small part of it as well. Enjoy every second of it, because it will vanish in the blink of an eye.

---

The post-position draw for the 2025 Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, April 26 at 7:25 p.m. ET.

You can watch the livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwsnYlhUg90

Derby Day begins Race One on Saturday, May 3rd at 11 a.m. ET.

• NBC and USA Network and Peacock will air TV coverage from 2:30-7:30 p.m. ET

---

THE DIRTY HORSE CLUB

• Past Performance Sheets will be posted in the "Derby Contenders and Updates" article as soon as they become available.

• The 2025 Kentucky Derby Analysis, a long tradition here at the Club, will be posted at the earliest possible time after the Past Performances are released. Sometime during the beginning of the week.

• The Head to Head article with Brian, Gerard and myself will also be posted at the earliest possible time as well.

• The Derby Contenders and Updates article will continue to be updated every day.

  
  

• The Derby Day Dirt Race Results and running styles will be posted and analyzed throughout the day in order to facilitate an active bias leading up to the Derby. As soon as charts are posted after each race, I will update the article.

The handicapping process is ever-evolving for the Kentucky Derby and goes straight up to the Rider's Up Call and the Post Parade. Changes to the track bias, the actions of the horses and any pertinent info could have an affect, so check back often. The changes will updated to all articles throughout the day. This would include the Analysis and the Head to Head article.

(Brian and Gerard, send me any changes at any time and I will update the article accordingly.)

---

As you begin your handicapping for this monster race, it is extremely important to consider other factors outside of the beyers and thorograph figures that appear on that Past performance sheet.

With only one colt holding historically perfect configurations, there are so many other items that must come into play.

Realistically, there are only 3 colts whose breeding does not offer them the proper structure to sustain their speed for the full 10f. This particular edition must be tackled by exploring the journey of each of the other 17 individual horses.

We must ascertain what type of bias they excelled on in the past and how that coincides with Derby Day. We must consider where they trained and how much influence they received from that bias.

We must consider how their prior speed relates to the proper energy distribution going from 9f to 10f.

We must project their gate assignment to understand how it helps or hinders their running style.

Projection of TWO SEPERATE PACE SCENARIOS are a must if we were to have learned anything over the last few years.

Do not be afraid of double digit odds, as some of these horses are finally stepping foot on the proper bias at the proper distance for their build.

Remember that it is not only the horse who carries with him a will and determination to win. That conviction can also be found within the jockey and the trainer. The purse is extremely enticing for the connections:

1st Place: $3,100,000.00

2nd Place: $1,000,000.00

3rd Place: $500,000.00

4th Place: $250,000.00

5th Place: $150,000.00

Winning Jockey: Takes home 10% of the top prize, $310,000.00 for two minutes.

Along with that purse, dollar signs rise when the horse takes up his new career chasing the ladies around the breeding shed.

The trainer will gain prestige and high recognition, and in one certain case, serious redemption.

Three full years on the sidelines not only affected his perceived stature, but it altered the paychecks of his trainees at the breeding farms in Kentucky and abroad.

Then there is the most coveted prize of all - the story of it all that will remain for decades to come.

That is the allure of the Kentucky Derby.

Eagerly awaiting the Rider's Up Call.