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 ales of Team Carborundum
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 2nd May 2002 |
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| Jesse May |
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| Jesse May, multiple
author in the gambling field and sometimes dubded the "voice of poker", writes
a bi-weekly column. |
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Most people know Jesse as "the voice of poker" from his
colourful commentary in CH4's late Night Poker. Jesse is also the author of the
widely respected novel, Shut Up And
Deal, which looks deep into the poker playing life. Its the hard faced
21st Century Cincinnati Kid.
Jesse is
also the creator of The Gambler's Guide to
the World, an insiders look at the action and games around the
world. |
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Email :
Jesse
May
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H.O.R.S.E
's in Kentucky
Well, “Johnny World” Hennigan won the
H.O.R.S.E event in the 2002 World Series Of Poker. When asked which was his
favorite game out of the Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, or Eight or Better
that are cyclically played in the tourney, Johnny World replied,
“Betting.”
Take a break from the WSOP this weekend when all
eyes turn to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby. This will be the most
interesting Derby in years, and that’s not least because Team Carborundum
is riding into town with a 50-1 win ticket. This Derby is so wide open that
it’s a week before post time and it’s not even clear who the morning
line favorite will be. Came Home still looks good from here. He’s dogged
everybody he’s faced. He’s refused to lose in an outrageous fashion,
and I can’t wait to see if a horse has the guts to face him. It takes guts
to win the Kentucky Derby. Twenty horses going around a dirt track is something
you rarely see, and if we saw it more we’d see a lot more injuries, riders
and horses and berserk bettors, because the Kentucky Derby isn’t just the
run for the roses. It’s the run for the big time.
This is one race
I ain’t charting out. It’s gonna be fast in front, powerful in the
middle, and all out at the end. This is the Derby for crying out loud, and no
little darling is gonna win this race. You need a horse with yazoos up the
yin-yang. You need a runner.
Not one legitimate horse columnist or
handicapper has come forward and touted Came Home to win this race. Came Home
has won three magnificent races already this year, perfect traditional preps
for the Derby. And there’s still a million excuses. Can’t go a mile
and a quarter, cast in his stall, no bloodlines, the time was too slow. Look
man, the only place time counts is when you’re sitting behind bars. An
interesting report by the clocker, last week he wrote, “Came Home was full
of vim and vigor with exercise rider Sal Gonzalez Jr. having his hands full
trying to keep the compact colt from running off around the turn. Not the best
of signs for a horse who needs to relax if he's got any chance of stretching
his speed one and one quarter miles on Derby day.”
Now, I may be
really dumb, but how can it be bad that the horse wants to run? I look for a
horse that doesn’t need to be whipped to be told to run fast. I got news
for you. You go, Came Home. You just go. I’m happy with that. The horse
wants to run fast? I want to bet on him.
One horse no one is talking
about is Johannesburg. Trainer Aidan O’Brien is shipping Johannesburg over
to Ireland just for the race, even though it’s a plain fact that a foreign
horse has almost never won the Kentucky Derby and to try and run in it without
American prep races is statistical suicide. So TC put in a call to Ireland, to
Maynooth bookmaker Liam Flood, who knows horsemen up and down the country. Is
O’Brien serious about thinking he can win the Derby? This is the horse,
after all, who shipped over from Ireland last October for the Breeder’s
Cup Juvenile with no prep races and blew away the field, the horse that was the
winter future book favorite for the Derby, the horse that’s all horse.
Liam did some checking and called me back. Aidan O’Brien is a top
trainer in Ireland, which says something in itself being that Ireland is like
the home of modern horse racing, and so Aidan O’Brien is no fool about
getting horses ready. “What you have to understand,” Liam said,
“is that this is the biggest prize in horse racing. The purse doesn’t
matter. The stud fees for a Kentucky Derby champion is like hitting the
lottery. Is Aidan O’Brien serious? You better believe he is. Johannesburg
will show up in Kentucky ready to go, and if he’s 9-1 or better, I’d
back myself right up on him.”
Harlan’s Holiday may well be
the most lukewarm favorite since Summer Squall. Bayakoa comes to mind. Horses
that are all hype and no guts. Horses for money dropping in a drain. You want
guts? Load it up on Came Home. Stack it in there on Johannesburg. Bet on a
horse that likes to win something.
Frankly, I see Came Home and
Johannesburg in a pell mell dash for the wire. I don’t see how any of the
other horses in the race can touch them. But one of the nice things about the
Derby is that class separates. No grumbling in the muck after five p.m. come
Saturday afternoon. |
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WHAT:
First leg
of racing's Triple Crown
WHERE:
Churchill Downs, Louisville,
Ky.
WHEN:
Saturday, 11:06 p.m UK time
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Result
1 Monarchos (Jorge
Chavez)
2 Invisible Ink (John Velazquez)
3 Congaree (Victor Espinoza)
4 Thunder Blitz (Edgar Prado)
5 Point Given (Gary Stevens)
6
Jamaican Rum (Eddie Delahoussaye)
7 A.P. Valentine (Corey Nakatani)
8
Express Tour (David Flores)
9 Fifty Stars (Donnie Meche)
10 Startac
(Alex Solis)
11 Millennium Wind (Laffit Pincay Jr)
12 Arctic Boy
(Calvin Borel)
13 Songandaprayer (Aaron Gryder)
14 Balto Star (Mark
Guidry)
15 Dollar Bill (Pat Day)
16 Keats (Larry Melancon)
17 Talk
is Money (Jerry Bailey) DNF
Key Facts
Fastest first half-mile
in history: 44 4/5 secs
Pace set by Songandaprayer, but Monarchos went
clear after the turn
Result stands after steward's inquiry
Second
highest crowd: 154,210
Highest crowd: 163,628, 100th running, 1974
Favourite Point Given finished fifth |
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Editor's
note
Since Venezuela's Canonero II won in 1971, 11 horses have run in
the Kentucky Derby without a U.S. start as a 3-year-old. Johannesburg, Castle
Gandolfo and Essence of Dubai are doing it this year.
YEAR-HORSE-FINISH
(2001) Express Tour 8th (2000) China Visit 6th Curule 7th (1999) Worldly Manner
7th (1995) Eltish 6th Citadeed 9th Ski Captain 14th (1992) Dr. Devious 7th
Arazi 8th Thyer 13th (1974) Lexico 22nd
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