Vyjack gallops at Fair Hill under trainer Rudy Rodriguez. Vyjack and Rodriguez spent a couple of weeks at Fair Hill before shipping to Louisville for a try in Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Giant Finish, trained by Tony Dutrow, is shown at Fair Hill on Wednesday morning with assistant trainer Ray Handal. Giant Finish will be among the starters for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Vyjack gallops at Fair Hill under trainer Rudy Rodriguez. Vyjack and Rodriguez spent a couple of weeks at Fair Hill before shipping to Louisville for a try in Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
SPECIAL TO THE WHIG/MAGGIE KIMMITT
Giant Finish, trained by Tony Dutrow, is shown at Fair Hill on Wednesday morning with assistant trainer Ray Handal. Giant Finish will be among the starters for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
The 139th running of the Kentucky Derby takes place Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and 20 3-year-old horses will vie for the Run for the Roses. Fair Hill boasts two interests in the race: Vyjack, who won the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on March 2 and came up just short in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial on April 6, and Giant Finish, who most recently took third in the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes on March 23.
Vyjack (post position 20, morning line 15-1) entered the Grade 1 Wood Memorial undefeated but was knocked off by the unbeaten Verrazano (14, 4-1) and Normandy Invasion (5, 12-1). Shortly after the race, Vyjack appeared to have a slight respiratory issue and was shipped to Fair Hill to prepare for the Derby while also benefiting from the resources at the Fair Hill Therapy Center.
“He’s a big strong horse,” training center owner Bruce Jackson said. “He has handled his races very well and was only beaten by a length in the Wood Memorial. He was able to use the hyperbaric chamber to help clear up a respiratory issue. He looks great.”
Vyjack also spent some time at Fair Hill with Jackson as a 2-year-old before he raced.
Giant Finish (7, 50-1) entered into the Derby field late – so late, in fact, that he actually trained at Fair Hill on Wednesday, before shipping to Churchill Downs overnight. Giant Finish comes from the barn of Tony Dutrow and has been training at Fair Hill since his Spiral Stakes race. He is one of the outsiders in the field, but expect him to be forwardly placed and relish the added distance of the mile-and-a-quarter Derby.
Orb (16, 7-2), who took the Florida rout to the Derby with wins in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 30 and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 23, has been made the morning-line favorite. He put in terrific work on Monday at Churchill Downs, which confirmed his well-being leading up to the big race. That's likely why he was made the morning-line favorite over Verrazano (14, 4-1), who went to New York to win the Wood Memorial after conquering the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9.
California-based Goldencents (8, 5-1) stands as the third choice. He most recently won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6. Revolutionary (3, 10-1) is the fourth choice, coming off a winning effort in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 30. He looks well placed in post position 3 to move to the rail early. All the main contenders fared well in the post-position draw aside from 15-1 shot Vyjack, who was drawn the widest.
The Kentucky Derby will be broadcast on NBC, with post time at 6:24 p.m.
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