Analysis: Known Agenda to start, and finish, No 1 in Derby apnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from apnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
1. KNOWN AGENDA (6-1)
Need to know: This son of Curlin has been a different colt since Todd Pletcher added blinkers (and reigning top jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.) back in February. In two races with that combo, Known Agenda has won by a combined 13 ¾ lengths, including an impressive victory in the Florida Derby, putting up a 112 Equibase speed figure. That number is the best in this Derby field.
A good bet? Some will downplay the significance of the No. 1 post especially with the newly designed Derby starting gate but Pletcher’s face said it all Tuesday morning. He looked like a man who’d already lost. No horse has won the Derby from the 1 hole since 1986, and it’s been 23 years since a winner came from one of the first three post positions. To find value, you can’t play all the favorites. And too much can go wrong to trust Known Agenda too far Saturday.
Weekend Lineup: Talk Derby To Me! Sponsored by:
by NTRA | 04.30.2021 | 12:21pm
The eyes of the sporting world will be on Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., this weekend for the Grade 1 147th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. The Kentucky Derby, “America s greatest race” is back in its traditional position on the first Saturday in May, with fans in attendance, after being held last Sept. 5 without spectators due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., complete this year s Triple Crown schedule.
Essential Quality carries payout value because he sits at 5-1.
If you want to wager on the undefeated horse, now is the time before all of the money comes in Saturday and potentially drops the odds below even money.
By all accounts, Essential Quality is a solid pick. He won the Breeders Cup juvenile in November and few competitors have been able to match his pace.
If you search past the pre-race favorite, all you have to do is look at the November triumph as to which horse could challenge Essential Quality.
Hot Rod Charlie was second at Keeneland. He took first at the Louisiana Derby and third at the Robert E. Lewis Stakes in his two races after that event. He is trained by Doug O Neill, who has a pair of Kentucky Derby wins from 2012 and 2016, as well as a Preakness Stakes victory in 2012.