Tales from the Derby preps

[FrankD.]

The drum starts the Derby Day beat for most T-generates somewhere around February 1st. When Covelj70 was a board regular you could count on a New Years Derby post We miss you Jim!

This year every prep weekend a group text/email has evolved with a few of us sharing opinions and bits of information. No fake NEWS!!!!

Fairmount for those who don\'t know him is Richie Bee\'s and yours truly\'s protege.We are doing our best to totally ruin him before his 40th birthday and trust me he already had a long run up.
He is also the heir apparent to Uncle Bill as TG Spa back yard ambassador. They both will and do talk to everyone and anyone whether they listen to them or not:) Far from being shy myself it amazes me the people and conversations both can get into and how perfect strangers from a minute before are sharing their life story.

Yesterday about an hour before the Arkansas Derby my phone rings and it\'s Fairmount. We had already exchanged a half dozen texts and emails Friday night and Saturday morning.
 \"I just talked to Steve Asmussen he says. He was there with his whole family and I went up said hello and asked him who he liked in the Derby. After a minute of chit chat SA tells him the Looking At Lee won\'t get beat if the pace is fast. What about Untrapped, LAL won\'t get beat if there is a fast pace.\"

Ok I get it, I had already planned a pretty good exacta bet on CE/Untrapped and a small reverse, Lee was on my radar with a few others for triples but my main bet was a forgone conclusion.

A mere 15 minutes after Fairmounts call my phone rings, its Uncle Bill from his local flea infested dog track simulcast spot in Florida. \" Frankie LAL has the same exact sheet as the Asmussen horse that won yesterday, I\'m going to make a bet\"

This is all way too much karma for me. So I split my bet a little more with Untrapped but included Lee in the ex and made some triples. 2/6,9/3,6,7,9,11 & 2/3,6,7,9,11/6,9 for quite a bit less.

If LAL gets up for 2nd, it\'s a very nice score. The saver triple turns a profit on the race and makes a bad day a two zero loss day that I could live with.
In a stroke of brilliance I neglected to play a super. For $96 the way I bet the tri\'s I could have had a $2800 super for a buck!!!!

The preps are over, it\'s all about who trains well, who stays healthy and the post draw. Anyone that has a horse they like this year for whatever reason has a shot if they make the gate.

Mjellish summed it up very well and I have used the exact same phrase more than once this past week. What a S@#$ SHOW!!!

Good luck,

Frank D.

[Bet Twice]

Sorry for the near miss Frank but at least you got the consolidation prize.  LAL is an interesting horse.....altered course a couple of times in the stretch and still didn\'t get beat by much.  I haven\'t seen his sheet yet as I haven\'t played any of the preps but will be taking a close look for the derby, assuming he runs.

[sekrah]

Here\'s a weird comparison for LAL\'s pattern: A slightly faster Mine That Bird.  LAL will end up being a couple points faster than MTB at the key markers. I\'m guessing that he moved forward about 2-3 points yesterday like MTB did in the Sunland.  Spacing heading into the Derby isn\'t as good though.

[johnnym]

LAL was much closer to the pace yesterday then in past races.