Best Derby Prep Performances...
 

With the Risen Star coming up ... rate the top 3 you remember.

Here's a quote from a Beyer column that he might now regret after Pyro's 90 Beyer Risen Star win.

Spend a Buck rocked and how precious was it when they skipped the Preakness to grab the 2 mil

Bellamy Road!

Silver Charm's Santa Anita Derby.

Scipion was the only one that I remember because I cashed a huge bet

Empire Maker destroying the Florida Derby field.

Other winners that come to mind:
Holy Bull
Pulpit
Bellamy Road

Surely the best I've seen in defeat.

Surely I will receive ridicule for even mentioning it, but the 2005 Arkansas Derby was pretty special, same with the 2004 version.

Big Brown winning the Florida Derby from the 12 post.

You are the best with the crows.

None better, Running S.O.B right there.

Maybe Bid will get better second off the layoff. :wf

It doesn't get much better than this SS :tro:

:)

I miss your "Moment Alone with Ivarone" avatar.

Speaking of visually impressive efforts, someone should track down video of the '99 San Rafael, when the lightly-raced, ill-fated Desert Hero was absolutely pinned down on the rail inside the 1/16th pole, forcing Corey Nakatani to check out and swing at least 4 paths wide and still managed to win in a blanket finish in a field that included Honest Lady.

Avoiding the obvious ones, I'll also mention Olympio's '91 Arkansas Derby, where he set the first 1/2 mile fraction while dueling with the good Richman, fell back to 5th while losing 4 lengths rounding the far turn, swung out and rerallied to score by open lengths.

For the third, I'll take the '98 Blue Grass, where Halory Hunter, previously in possession of absolutely no speed, changed his running style and sat in a much closer position under new jockey Gary Stevens, IIRC rallied inside early, and stayed strong down the lane to win by open lengths, reversing form on both Lil's Lad and Cape Town, whom he could not catch in Florida. Gary Stevens unfortunately kept the mount on Indian Charlie for the Derby, and of course, Corey Nakatani felt obliged to revert to the 30-lengths last early position down the backstretch at Churchill. His rally came up a couple of lengths short and he broke down training for the Preakness.

Unless I'm mistaken, I think he was referring to top 3 runnings of the Risen Star. He was trying to make a point, not evoke nostalgia.

But I could be wrong.

I blame Sightseek.

In that case, I wonder if we can include races when the Risen Star was called the Derby Trial. Taylor's Special versus the late running fool Silent King from the Delp barn was a classic.

It was the rebel in me coming out. :D

Yeah - I meant all Derby prep in general. I see how I worded that to be confusing.

Actually, Badge of Silver's Risen Star win was pretty awesome. Other than he and Pyro ... I don't remember many jaw-dropping performances in that race.