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When Finnick the Fierce was on the Kentucky Derby Trail, he had lots of fans because he only had one eye, but ran with determination and strength. Unfortunately, he had to be scratched from the Derby lineup prior to the race with a foot issue. This year, another one-eyed horse has entered the mix. Un Ojo, a one-eyed colt by Laoban, surged past the front-runners to win the G2 Rebel on Saturday. The time was a full tick slower that the filly, Secret Oath, who won the Honeybee, which was the Oaks prep race run earlier in the day. Nevertheless, the little colt with a big heart earned 50 points and a place in the starting gate at Churchill Downs the first Saturday in May.
The heavy favorite, Newgrange, for Bob Baffert did not hit the board. And, even if he had, he would have received no points. However, Secret Oath’s stablemate. Ethereal Road, did earn points as he finished second.
Both Secret Oath and Ethereal Road are trained by 80-year-old Hall of Famer Wayne Lukas. And, we know he spots his horses enthusiastically. So, do not be surprised if both the filly and the colt are now on the Derby Trail. Rounding out the Rebel trifecta was Barber Road, trained by John Ortiz and ridden by the up and coming jockey Reylu Gutierrez.
Un Ojo went off at 75-1, completely stunning the betting public. Out of an A.P. Indy mare, the one-eyed colt should have no issues stretching out to a mile and an eighth for his next start. Trainer Ricky Courville campaigned him primarily in Louisiana before a move to New York for two second place finishes under Tony Dutrow. This was his first start back with Courville, winning the $1,000,000 race.
Newgrange’s trainer, Bob Baffert, filed suit in Kentucky today to stay the recent 90-day ban imposed on him by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. With his money and influence, and the unlimited Saudi resources behind him, this battle is far from over.
Therefore, at this time, I believe we have the most convoluted picture of horses on the Derby Trail in history. There are several key prep races to come with significant points. So, we could potentially see several new shooters emerge over the next few weeks. Stayed tuned and buckle up horse racing fans. This could be a very bumpy but interesting ride.
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