Top Image courtesy of (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)(Credit: Matt Slocum).
Wow is it going to be a terrific weekend for sports overall. The NFL draft is in process as I write this and will go on throughout the weekend . NHL and NBA playoffs are hitting the second round which means they will be more competitive and it’s time to tune in a bit more. At this time of the year most of the country is experiencing nice weather, so you know folks will fire up the grill. The ‘fridge is probably already stocked with cold refreshments and the very best 2 events are the Kentucky Derby (141st edition), and the big duke-aroo everyone is chatting about on Saturday night in ‘Vegas.
Oh yeah, by far the biggest winners this weekend are the casinos in ‘Vegas, HBO, NBC, and grocery stores who have everything you need for your Derby and Boxing parties.
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Let’s talk about the run for the roses though. The glorious Kentucky Derby is one of the few races I really like to pay attention too annually. The others are the Preakness stakes, the Belmont stakes, and the Breeder’s cup. I cannot give you the usual wealth of information that I give (on most sports contests) to help you lay some cash down on the horses, because I simply don’t know enough.
However, I can tell you how I pick horses to root for. It’s not necessarily the odds for me. Part of it has to do with the Jockeys, such as Gary Stevens, who is riding FIRING LINE and Calvin Borel, who is riding El KABEIR. Those are two hall of famers. I really enjoy seeing those dudes make the winner’s circle. Never count out a horse ridden by those guys.
Watch to see if EL KABEIR bursts up the rail down the stretch. It’s a classic move by Calvin Borel.
In addition, the name usually needs to be cool if the racehorse isn’t being ridden by one of my favorite jockeys.
The cool names for me are FROSTED, BOLO, WAR STORY, and Ocho Ocho Ocho. Only Frosted is considered a real contender with the others being a longshot, but who knows. In the end it will likely be two amazing minutes in sports.
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