Still an incredibly impressive win by I'll Have Another three years after this race was run. This horse has many gears and he used each one of them in the Kentucky Derby Seeing him motor down the stretch and catching and passing Bodemeister is still a thing of beauty to witness. IHA is a very skillful champion horse with a ton of heart and a fabulous will to win. Quite a horse.
"The Kentucky Derby? There is no an adjective able to describe its greatness" Jose Gregorio Guillot, venezuelan horse racing analyst and radio producer. Regards from Venezuela.
My next-door neighbor's daughter works for the owner of I'll Have Another. We just heard about him today. It's exciting to see another horse with the same spirit and heart as Seabiscuit. Perhaps I'll Have Another will become another historic legend. :)
"¿El Derby de Kentucky? Aún no se ha creado un calificativo que pueda describir su grandeza" Jose Gregorio Guillot, Comentarista hípico y productor radial venezolano. Saludos desde Venezuela.
Had to miss the actual race itself... thanks so much for posting this, and extra thanks for NOT putting the name of the winner in the title of the video like so many do.
yup, im from Vancouver so i have had the pleasure to watch Mario Gutieruez for the last 6 years. he was my pick since the begining. i even have his autograph :)
more races I watch ... more convinced I am about the uniqueness of Secretariat's triple crown campaign . it was like an "impossible is nothing" commercial clip . "almost an supernatural experience . it really was . "
Great ride Mario!!! The days of riding up here at Hastings Park in the rain are no more...Good Luck hope you come back here in Sept to ride in the British Columbia Derby Gr3!!!
Admittedly, I'll Have Another was not my pick to win the Kentucky Derby. But once you've seen this horse race a few times, it's hard not to really admire the work ethic this horse has. You can tell he's one of those horses that doesn't like losing at all. Because when he sees other horses out in front of him with the wiring looming, he really digs in and goes after them full bore. Like this horse or not? I hope everyone gets behind him in the Belmont. America sorely needs another TC champion!!
The sad thing is that "I'll Have Another" was the first horse my 'eye' went to when handicapping and then he got lost in the shuffle of trying to crunch info on 20 horses. If I had known the stats you gave about the Santa Anita, it would have made all the difference. :( Terrific horse!
You raise the MOST valid point - Bode did NOT run as a two year old! Which is why I'm so IMPRESSED by what seems to be his sheer talent! It was suggested his lack of experience as a two year old could have caused him difficulties - he ran an exceptional race! I like Bode - maybe he's a Sprinter? Maybe he'll be SUPERB as a 4 year old? Maybe he will win the Preakness? But he certainly poured it on today!
Thanks eckythimble. I knew that time posted yesterday was a good one. Big Brown tossing a shoe in the Belmont was suspicious. What a horse!!! They were reporting yesterday that the field this year was exceptional, so I expected a good time. I grew up going to the trotters with dad, not too much the th-breds.
That was a VERY exciting race! Wow. I was expecting a much closer race-- I didn't think Creative Cause would fall behind a whole 9 lengths like that though-- My trifecta pick was 9-6-7. When it comes down to it, Triple Crown winners have duels to battle out and IHA lives for it. He doesn't break a sweat as much as Bode or Creative Cause. Very calm horse. I made him my pick after his Santa Anita Derby win over Creative Cause. He ran his hardest race, so they need to give him plenty of rest.
you're correct in a sense - Secretariat seemed like a machine. But he was actually a racehorse with uncanny, extraordinary talent & intellect - his physical gifts seem to be unmatched. He also set his own course - Prkness & Belmont were his strategy. Hand rides. He was smart & fast: a phenomenon.
Congrats to "I'll Have Another" for a spirited win! My bets were on "Dullahan" and despite am quite proud of the thoroughbred's performance. he made a helluva comeback from 11th to 3rd and would have won given another 25 feet post the finish line! Good Race!! : )
holy crap...i NEVER watched horse racing before...this is my first time watching a derby that i can remember of and all i have to say is DAMN that was AWESOME..I already knew who the winner was but still my heart was racing faster than those horses to see who was gonna cross the line first.
agree... I'm an equestrian rider and it's a partnership that the rider has to build with the horse for the best success. Horse racing is such a demanding sport for the jockeys is such a demanding sport... you have to be physically fit and strong and tough. And these guys may be small, but boy, they've got these strongest legs to stand in those stirrups and hold position above saddle for at least 2 minutes. Try that without falling off or without any struggling to ruin the horse's momentum.
Very sad, but glad they made the right decision for the horse. Thanks for the excitement you gave us with your Derby and Preakness wins. All the best I'll Have Another!
I know it's really hard to compare any horse to the great Secretariat, but I can find some similarities. 1) they consistently pick up the pace as the race progresses, never fall behind = test of stamina and strength. 2) long stride angle, especially close to the wire. It covers more ground. 3) this isn't esp. significant, but just the resemblance: they're both chestnuts. ;) IHA is a stalker, so it'll be interesting to see if he'll take the lead in the Belmont, esp. with Bode out of the race.
Smith suggested he thought slowing Bode might distract/fatigue him....IDK? It was 90 degrees; he sure gave it his best! I'm looking forward to seeing Bode in Preakness - I think Bode may be a great horse. But I'll Have Another's push at the end was genius strategy.
If he'd kept together long enough to run in the Belmont, he'd have had it by open lengths, judging by the way that race set up. He was a lovely horse. It's a shame he did not get the chance to show his stuff in NYC.
Man, I had all my hope on Dullahan, he looked like he was in good shape for this race. Congratulations to I'll Have Another! He will be my bet in the Preakness
I agree about holding him back a little but read that there was some question as to whether he could be 'rated' without stalling him out. The thought just crossed my mind that maybe Mike Smith was thinking of the 2010 Breeder's Cup when he lost on Zenyatta because he didn't send her out soon enough so he wasn't gonna make that mistake again. I think he forgot he wasn't on Zenyatta. :] Not taking nuthin' away from I'll Have Another. Great ride, great horse! Congrats, Mario!!
Bode ran an incredible race. 6F in 1:09 and still held on to place. Can't blame the jock. Some horses want to run. Pulling back can be worse than just letting them go. IHA was ridden to perfection. Perfect position to go inside or out when he made his move. If it weren't for that, we'd be talking about Bode winning instead of placing. Cost me the Super and Pick4.Only got the Tri cause I boxed. If Bode runs the same race as he did at Oaklawn and then Churchill, he wins the Preakness no question.
Are you kidding me?? Do you live under a rock? Racing is the top sport in most of the world. I love my Giants baseball but would gladly give up all other sports for racing.
Because that part of the race is on a straight stretch and all the horses end up getting over anyways it really doesn't make that much of a difference if they stagger or not. Plus, if you've got horses shooting out angled towards the rail, it could cause a lot more collisions.
Great race. Props to I'll Have Another and his jockey. What a team! I thought Dullahan might have taken this, but with such a strong field of horses, the race was really wide open. Hanson and Union Rags seemed upset and not themselves even before the race began.
You are watching someone going high speeds on a living animal. It's a sport mixed with danger, excitement, and loads of money. Whether you enjoy a good gamble or watching an animal do what it was bred to do, and do it well, or like hats, it's an interesting sport that has been around for decades.
Hooray, I hit the 50 cent Trifecta for 766. Of course I spent nearly a hundred bucks on the wheel but I usually don't hit the Derby. In my book it was a good race.
not gonna lie, as an honest fan of the sport - yes, some horses do get sent to slaughter. but these are only from the owners who give the sport a bad name, i assure you that their are owners and trainers out there who genuinely care for the wellbeing of the horses. for example, IHA is now in a fantastic farm in japan where he will stand stud. they are well cared for in retirement :)
Wow ... great race. So happy that the field of horses suffered no injuries. I question Bodemeister's jockey ... perhaps he should have reigned him in a bit to save his energy for that final furlong .. he just seemed to run out of gas, while "I'll have another" was peaking. Again great race, and congrats to all the beautiful horse and their trainers/owners.
I'm glad your fav won; I'm not familiar w/ I'll Have Another. The BEST looking Horse (IMHO) was Creative Cause - the Greys are so unique! He shone like silver - just a Beautiful horse - I wanted him to win. Little Bode ran his heart out! I think Bode is a great young racehorse.
It’s been 34 years. What a stretch run. You can look at pedigrees and speed figures all you want. But, you can't measure the fight and the heart a horse has.
LVCrocky, You are correct that Rags won at Belmont already but it was just a mile run. He has very little chance at the mile and a half. This is Dullahan's race.
He is. With the Derby field being so large nowadays, it's gotten less about being the best horse and more about getting the best trip (not to take anything at all away from I'll Have Another). It's really just a mad stampede.
I completely agree, my friend. Without having to go back and look them all up, right off of the top of my head, I can think of Spectacular Bid, Sunday Silence, Alysheba, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Smarty Jones, and Big Brown as all being horses who were right where I'll Have Another is right now, and they all got buried in the Belmont Stakes. In all candor, there's not one horse on that list I would rate IHA above, and I think if there's to be a spoiler it will be UR. But I hope he IHA wins it.
@nin12dog thank you this is what i do for a living thoroughbres and sports 37 yrs now since i was 17 no i don't feel rags loss was from heat horse always sweats a knock on rags which i knew and stated several times has not run his best on inside i felt however going into this race and the workouts leading to derby he was sitting on a monster race he had a terrible trip and i know matz is upset with the frenchman for 2nd bad ride on him i think he's going to make a jockey change no horse could of
When Union Rags stepped up to the 1 1/8 distance, he came in 3rd. When he stepped up to the 1 /4 distance he finished out of the money. Dullahan has 3 races longer than 1 1/16 and has finished in the money all three times. If you think Rags will beat Dullahan in the Belmont, check back with me on June 9th.
Oh dear, so much for all the hype surrounding Union Rags, I was right when I said his run in the Florida Derby was unimpressive. As far as he had a rough trip today, well, champion horses can overcome a bad trip. Great effort by I'll Have Another, but I really doubt that the Triple Crown drought is going to be broken this year.
The race set up for I'll Have Another. But the best horse is still BODEMEISTER. To pick up lbs. and run those type of fractions was amazing. I had the exacta because all the horses the previously ran their derby prep in a 1:11 for 6F showed up today. all the rest that ran 1:12 (Union Rags, Gemologist, Alpha, etc) got crushed. Barring any injury to the top 2, I predict they will run 1-2 again in Pimlico. And unless they find another sprinter to liven the pace, Bodemeister will be long gone.
Secretariat was an amazing horse. Did you know that they autopsied him after his death and found out that his heart was twice the size of a normal horse's heart? Personally I think that that is part of the reason that he ran so well, but it just goes to show how amazing he really was.
You're right, he did get a great trip. But I think it was mostly because he was given one by his rider. A lot could have gone wrong for him from that post, but Gutierrez rode a perfect race. This is a horse that tends to get more time between races so I'm not sure if he's up to the Triple Crown rigors. Dullahan will certain be one to watch in Maryland if he goes. And several others also. That's the thing about this crop -- they're so deep, anybody can beat anybody else on a given day.
yeah i had no idea about the UK i was just talking about the US. here most people only care about horse racing once a year and it only appears on sports headlines a few times a year
as well and if both rags and bode stay sound we have great racing ahead i'll have another is a good horse but let's be honest he had a dream trip i'm not ready to put him at the top of the list yet i loved rags in the derby for many reasons only concern was the pp because i knew he hasn't run his best on inside it turned out the first 50 yrds cost him any chance in the race i still feel he's the most talented 3 yr old out there with bode right there but rags no question at times is a head case
It's not necessarily about size (though it can help). Rather it is a matter of conformation. Conformation is the various ratios, angles, lengths, proportions, relationships, musculature, etc that give a horse it's overall shape or form. The ability of these elements to work in concert determine the "balance" of a horse.A good balance results in efficiency of stride. I'll Have Another has a very efficient stride-it takes him less energy to move and therefore he can run fast and long.
The biggest length between two horse at a race was at the track Preakness and the horse in the lead was secretariat he Lead by about 30 lengths. It was in 1973.
Well - I certainly think IHA & his Jockey ran a shrewd, strategic race and indeed won the KDerby. Definitely, the Win is IHA's accomplishment & he's great horse! Bode (smart? or unwise?) blasted like a ROCKET through the ENTIRE KDerby - he had astonishing SPEED, a FACT which cannot be diminished. Was it as smart/shrewd/strategic? No. Bode came in 2nd. But he was such a little Tiger & he RAN his heart out! I think that's why people are preoccupied w/Bode. I hope Bode remains SOUND! No injuries!
Thank You! Will do! & who do you think might be the the 'wild card'/spoiler? (Hey, this happens far more frequently than Trip Crwn). B.Brwn, Smarty....
Secretariat - the one & only Sec.....I loved his Preakness! Today I REALLY liked Bodemeister!....he didn't falter - stayed in front ALMOST from gate to wire. Maybe Bode will prevail in Preakness....he's a tough little guy!
IHA has been "Lightly raced". He could be a 'star in the making', a phenomenon. IHA's a smart racehorse (or the jockey is smart); IHA made his move exactly at the right place/right time to win. IHA didn't over-extend; he & his jockey ran a smart race. IHA didn't win by a huge margin - he won by enough.
