Big Clown:
I am a huge advocate of freedom of speech, but there may be too much of it
when Forego and something called Xchanger can be mentioned within a few words
of each other.
Both of these Pletcher runners might indeed head for the Derby, even though
CC looks like he could do some damage when returned to grass.
So many prep races, so many dull performances: Visionaire, Cool Coal Man, Pyro,
Denis of Cork, Big Truck, Court Vision, etc. The owners and trainers of these
animals will spout all the right cliches, saying that their colts are right
where they want them to be, that they got what was necessary after their final
preps. Part of handicapping the Derby is learning to tune this \"trainerspeak\"
out. The one colt who ran well in the aforementioned preps-- War Pass-- could
certainly be said to be sitting on a \"reaction.\"
Maybe these last 3 lackluster preps-- Wood, Ill Derby, Blue Grass-- will bring
a filly into the Derby field. Right now that seems to be one of the two main
themes coming out of the Chuckles Derby bunker--that this is the right year for
a filly to beat the boys and that there is a pretty good chance of rain
somewhere in the midwest on Derby day and this will somehow put War Pass over
the top. Maybe Al Roker or Willard Scott will be more helpful than JB, Len or
Andy Beyer in picking a Derby winner this year
Just to get Jimbo hot under the collar, I will make the same prediction I made
a little after the Fla Derby-- Big Clown is your Derby fave, 5/2 odds, if he
takes his place in the Derby gate. He shakes loose of lesser speed types
(Recapturetheglory, War Pass, Clownboy Cal) on the backside near the track
kitchen. Big Clown actually gets 3 lengths of separation from the field at the
top of the stretch...
Bob Murphy, esteemed Mets broadcaster, used to have a saying going to the 9th
inning when the Mets would be clinging to a slim lead and would need to rely
on their historically unreliable bullpen to save the game. Murphy would always
say \"Fasten your seat belts\". The final quarter mile at CD might be similarly
turbulent for backers of Big Clown.
The more preps they run, the fewer horses it seems have the talent to capture
the Clown.
The only feline that was feeling the sting of my lash was Tiger Woods. I was
hoping to get him within 3 or 4 strokes of the leaders to create some drama for
a Master\'s Sunday. TW (Tiger Woods, not Texas Wildcatter) is 6 strokes back and
would need to post a low number AND have some of the golfers in front of him
\"bounce\" pretty badly to make an unlikely comeback.
I am not a big fan of the Tiger (I have a general aversion to chalk) but his
talents are special and worthy of appreciation.
