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SPORTS Saturday 4 May 2019
Singing in the rain? Baffert eyes

history, wet Derby on tap

By BETH HARRIS Baffert won last year's Der- last year, including a win
AP Racing Writer by — the rainiest on record on the Churchill Downs dirt,
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Bob — with Justify. Saturday's and finished second in this
Baffert times three. In a forecast calls for a 90 per- year's Arkansas Derby.A
Kentucky Derby lacking a cent chance of rain and a victory by any of the four
dominant favorite, the two- high of 66 degrees (18 Cel- California-based horses
time Triple Crown-winning sius). would surely boost the
trainer saddles the top It sure looks like anybody's struggling industry in the
three choices. soggy race this time. state, where a spate of 23
On what could be a wet "It's whoever gets the trip," horse deaths over three
day at Churchill Downs, Baffert said of the 1 ¼-mile months at Santa Anita trig-
Game Winner is the pre- journey. "Especially now gered a raft of medication
race favorite, albeit a tepid that it's going to rain, we and safety rules changes Horses come off the track after an early-morning workout at
Churchill Downs Friday, May 3, 2019, in Louisville, Ky. The 145th
one at 9-2. Improbable and don't know what is going that are affecting the rest running of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, May 4.
Roadster were installed as to happen. It's too bad of the sport. Associated Press
the co-second choices at the weather is not going to Every horse in the Derby,
5-1. work with us." except Japan-bred Mas- the drug will be banned of Honor, Roadster, Tax and
"Last year we came in here Game Winner finished ter Fencer, will run on Lasix, starting in 2021. Vekoma.
with Justify and we knew it second to Roadster in the the anti-bleeding medica- Game Winner's breeding Horses that are 1-for-1
was my race to lose," Baf- Santa Anita Derby. Road- tion allowed on race day suggests a sloppy track on off-tracks are: Master
fert said. ster's only loss in four career in the U.S. Churchill Downs would appeal to him, al- Fencer, Maximum Security,
The 19-horse field for the starts was to Game Win- and the other Triple Crown though he's never raced Spinoff, Tacitus and War of
145th Derby on Saturday ner. Improbable went 3-0 tracks announced recently on one. Neither has Code Will.q
reflects the prep season
leading to the opening leg
of the Triple Crown: no one
horse commanded the at-
tention.
"There are a lot of good
horses in here," Baffert said.
"They're a pretty evenly
matched group."
The picture got scrambled
again when initial favor-
ite Omaha Beach was
scratched because of a
breathing problem, deal-
ing a devastating blow to
68-year-old trainer Richard
Mandella, whose Hall of
Fame resume lacks only a
Derby victory.
That prompted the early
odds to be redone. The
race also lost 30-1 shot
Haikal after the colt was
scratched with an infected
left front foot.
"This is a crazy game and
anything can happen,"
said Bret Calhoun, who
trains By My Standards.
"We just have to hold our
breaths until we get there."
War of Will benefited slight-
ly from Haikal's scratch. He
won't have to start in the
No. 1 post, which will be left
vacant. The field will break
from posts 2 through 20.
A win by any of Baffert's
trio would tie him with Ben
Jones for the most Derby
victories with six. He would
become the first trainer to
win the race in consecu-
tive years twice. His last
back-to-back winners were
in 1997 and '98.