Kentucky Derby 2017: Getting to know the field
Let’s get to know the contenders for the 2017 Kentucky Derby.
The field is nearly set for the 143rd running of the 2017 Kentucky Derby, so let’s take a closer look at the entrants. The Kentucky Derby starting gate always features a full field of twenty horses, and this could be the most wide-open event we’ve had in several years. Let’s get to know the contenders for the 2017 Kentucky Derby.
Girvin
Pro: He’s undefeated when running on the dirt, including two straight major stakes races leading up to the Derby.
Con: He’s recently experienced foot issues that have caused him to alter his training schedule quite a bit. He will wear a special “z bar” shoe in the race to try to help his problem.
Fun Fact: Girvin will be trainer Joe Sharp’s first Kentucky Derby starter.
Classic Empire
Pro: He was the nation’s champion 2-year-old last year and boasts one of the highest single-race speed figures among the other entries.
Con: He lost a few key months of training with a minor foot irritation. He did come back to win last time out in the Arkansas Derby, but he may not yet be 100% fit.
Fun Fact: He is known as racing’s bad boy: he’s very hard to handle, at times refuses to train, and he once threw off the jockey just after the start of a race.
Gormley
Pro: Last time out, he won the prestigious Santa Anita Derby, which has produced many Kentucky Derby winners.
Con: He hasn’t run well against top-flight competition and runs inconsistently.
Fun Fact: His owners also owned Zenyatta, the only female to ever win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Irap
Pro: He won the Blue Grass Stakes last time out, a race that many believed was one of the top preps of the year.
Con: That Blue Grass Stakes win was only the first win of his career.
Fun Fact: His trainer/owner team also won the Kentucky Derby with I’ll Have Another and Nyquist.
Irish War Cry
Pro: He ran the fastest speed figure of any horse in this Derby when he won the Wood Memorial last time out.
Con: He’s inconsistent and may run better with more time off between races.
Fun Fact: His sire, Curlin, finished third in this race before going on to win the Preakness, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and the Dubai World Cup.
Thunder Snow
Pro: He’s faced the best competition, having competed in big races internationally in 2016 and 2017.
Con: International horses have not run well in the Kentucky Derby over the years.
Fun Fact: His owner is the Sheikh of Dubai.
Always Dreaming
Pro: He looks to be the most talented horse in the field and is a perfect 3-for-3 since Todd Pletcher took over as his trainer.
Con: While Pletcher might be America’s most successful trainer, he is just 1-for-45 in the Kentucky Derby.
Fun Fact: He didn’t compete in his first graded stakes race until April 1st, yet he could end up the Kentucky Derby favorite.
Gunnevera
Pro: He might be the best closer in the field and has newly-inducted Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano in his saddle.
Con: He ran poorly last time out in the Florida Derby, which might be a sign of him losing form.
Fun Fact: Trainer Antonio Sano survived 2 kidnappings in his home country of Venezuela before coming to the United States.
Practical Joke
Pro: He has a massive amount of talent and a trainer, Chad Brown, who is second to none.
Con: He seems better suited going shorter distances and might get very tired running the 1 1/4 mile distance at Churchill Downs.
Fun Fact: If Practical Joke wins, it would be trainer Chad Brown’s first Kentucky Derby victory.
J Boys Echo
Pro: Two races, back he romped in the Gotham Stakes, winning in a very fast time.
Con: All of his other races were considerably slower than the Gotham Stakes.
Fun Fact: His regular rider, Robby Albarado, was recently injured in another race and won’t ride him in the Kentucky Derby.
State of Honor
Pro: He’s winless in 2017 but has almost beaten several Kentucky Derby rivals.
Con: He only has one lifetime win.
Fun Fact: He started his career on synthetic surfaces before switching to the dirt and flourishing.
Tapwrit
Pro: When he won the Tampa Bay Derby two races back, he looked like a horse that was improving with every race.
Con: He was a complete no-show last time out in the Blue Grass Stakes, which might be a sign that he peaked too soon.
Fun Fact: This horse sold for $1.2 million as a 1-year-old, before he had ever raced.
Hence
Pro: He won the Sunland Derby impressively, and several horses from that race have come back to win or perform strongly.
Con: Other than his Sunland Derby performance, he hasn’t shown that he’s good enough to compete with the top-class horses in the division.
Fun Fact: He nearly jumped the inside rail in his first start of 2017 and still ended up winning the race.
Fast and Accurate
Pro: He won his last race, the Spiral Stakes, impressively.
Con: He looks to be the slowest horse in this race.
Fun Fact: He’s neither fast nor accurate.
McCraken
Pro: He owns several wins at Churchill Downs.
Con: His one career loss came last time out in the Blue Grass Stakes, when he was a so-so 3rd.
Fun Fact: He had a minor injury that caused him to miss some training in the spring, but he seems to be over it now.
Battle of Midway
Pro: He’s still in the developmental stage and should get better as time goes by.
Con: He’ll really need to get better fast because, up to this point, he’s too slow to win this race.
Fun Fact: He was recently sold to WinStar Farm for an undisclosed amount.
Patch
Pro: He’s progressing quickly and finished a fast-closing second last time out in the Louisiana Derby.
Con: This might be “too much, too soon” for this lightly raced horse.
Fun Fact: Here’s your feel-good story of the Derby: Patch only has one eye. Veterinarians removed his left eye last summer due to massive inflammation in the eyeball.
Untrapped
Pro: He seems to be good enough to run close to any horse he faces.
Con: He hasn’t broken through to win a big race.
Fun Fact: His Hall of Fame trainer, Steve Asmussen, hasn’t cut his hair in what seems like forever.
Lookin At Lee
Pro: At his best, he can compete with some of the better horses in this race.
Con: He hasn’t won a graded stakes race.
Fun Fact: His sire, Lookin At Lucky, drew the rail in the Kentucky Derby and lost, then won the Preakness next time out.
Sonneteer
Pro: His recent workouts leading up to the Kentucky Derby are some of the fastest of any in this field.
Con: He’s still a maiden. Only three maidens have won the Kentucky Derby, the last to do so was Brokers Tip in 1933.
Fun Fact: His owners, the legendary Calumet Farm, have produced eight Kentucky Derby victories and two Triple Crown winners.
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