It might be easier just play hunches, colors or favorite numbers than to truly figure this race out. A judge in England ruled that he orchestrated the abductions of two of his adult daughters. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission received a complaint this week from a group of human rights attorneys and students at the University of Louisville seeking to have Sheikh Mohammed banned from the Derby over alleged human rights abuses. Julien Leparoux will be aboard longshot Helium Leparoux has never even hit the board in 12 previous Derby rides.Ī victory by Essential Quality on Saturday at Churchill Downs would bring extra scrutiny of human rights issues involving the sheikh, who won’t be among the limited fans in attendance. Javier Castellano will be aboard Highly Motivated Castellano has yet to win a Derby in 14 previous attempts. Gray or roan horses are 0 for their last 31 in the Derby Essential Quality and Soup and Sandwich will aim to snap that drought. Godolphin Stable, the three-time Eclipse Award-winning barn of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - who owns Essential Quality - isn’t just 0 for 11 in past Derby chances, but none of those horses have placed higher than fourth. All will have plenty of support at the betting windows, and they won’t have any of the challenges that Known Agenda will face.įor the hunch bettors, there many “it’s due to happen” prospects in this race. 9, the Mike Smith-ridden Midnight Bourbon in the No. 17 post, Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie in the No. 15 post, one spot to the right of Essential Quality, and is coming off perhaps the best performance of any 3-year-old in the race by rolling to a win in the Santa Anita Derby. Rock Your World is going to break from the No. The morning-line favorite, Essential Quality, is unbeaten in his five career starts and has won in a variety of ways. It’s good news for all the other top contenders. The Florida Derby winner has one of the world’s top trainers in Todd Pletcher, one of the world’s top riders in Irad Ortiz Jr., and is going to be written off by many bettors simply because he’s starting from a post where no Kentucky Derby starter has won in 35 years. This is the predicament that Known Agenda will have to deal with on Saturday in the Kentucky Derby. 1 post can see its Derby chances vanish in just a few seconds. Without a perfect break from the starting gate, the horse in the No. The horse can’t veer much to its right either, because there’s a wall of about 25,000 pounds worth of fellow hard-charging thoroughbreds there. The horse can’t veer much to its left at the start because there’s a rail there. The inside post is a dreaded starting position in the Run for the Roses. 1 in the Kentucky Derby usually equates to not finishing No.

Known agenda horse