Last 20 Ky Derby winners

[Calzone Lord]

Indy Dancer was 14-to-1 to win the Kentucky Derby in the 1st future pool...even though he didn't have enough early speed to keep contact with fields in below par maiden and alw routes...and was untested against decent horses after just two career races.




These are the kind a lot of people fall in love with because they are sure they will "get the distance"

He was even 8-to-1 in the Wood Memorial against Empire Maker and Funny Cide after back to back double digit length beatdowns by Badge Of Silver and Empire Maker.

A horse like War Emblem -- they tried to rate him and he wouldn't rate. So they took him to Sportsmans Park for an alw race, took him off the triple crown trial, and just let him go to the lead. He crushed the Sportsman Park alw horses, upset Repent in the Illi Derby, and wired the KY Derby.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

These are the kind a lot of people fall in love with because they are sure they will "get the distance"

Exactly. Every horse can get the distance if they go slow enough. Sure sounds like for all the fears that a horse might prove unable to get 1 1/4 because they're a sprinter type, you gotta have some sort of speed in there most of the time. At least from the stats you've shown us. I think Baffert's remarked on that as well.

Aren't there tests that can predict router/sprinter based on length of the whatsits (that's the technical term) that makes up the muscle? (For some reason the words fast and slow twitch come to mind but that might be nothing.) Is that just something scientists have done studies on or has anybody actually used them to determine their horse's propensity? I assume even if you knew that, it might be that your horse also has a soundness, breathing, or psychological issues affecting what it can do so the muscle would just be one factor.