Outside Is Preferred for Fusaichi Pegasus

Fusaichi Pegasus, installed as the 9-5 favorite for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, will break from the No. 16 post position in the 20-horse field.

Until recent years, outside posts--particularly those from No. 15 on out, which put a horse in Churchill Downs’ auxiliary starting gate--were considered anathema, but trainer Wayne Lukas’ three winners have exploded that notion. Last year, Charismatic won the race from No. 16, and Lukas has also won the race with Thunder Gulch (No. 16) in 1995 and Grindstone (No. 15) in 1996.

What should be of more concern to Neil Drysdale, who trains Fusaichi Pegasus, is that his horse is favored. In a pattern that is unlike any major stakes race in the United States, the favorite hasn’t won the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979.

The Derby draw is different from most races. In a preliminary blind draw, the horses’ owners and trainers determine a selection order, and then they pick their post positions. Most races determine their post positions with a random draw. Trainer Bob Baffert, for example, got the first pick Wednesday, and he selected post No. 8 for his colt, Captain Steve.

Fusaichi Pegasus had the 12th pick, and with most of the inside posts taken, Drysdale went for the outside.

“I didn’t want him to stand in the gate too long before the start,” Drysdale said. “Also from the outside, I’m hoping he’ll be able to stay out of trouble.”

The second choice on the morning line is The Deputy, the Santa Anita Derby winner, who is 4-1. Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor, which races The Deputy in a partnership with Gary Barber, had the 15th selection and took the No. 11 post.

“For picking 15th, the No. 11 spot isn’t too bad,” Irwin said. “It was either 17 or 11, and I didn’t want to stick him on the outside, and we didn’t want to be next to a keg of dynamite [Fusaichi Pegasus].”

In winning the Wood Memorial, Fusaichi Pegasus had to be urged to the starting gate and delayed the start about five minutes.

“He was fixated on something in the post parade for the Wood,” Drysdale said. “I think it might have been the track ambulance that caught his attention. In the Derby, the horses have to go two furlongs in 12 minutes to get to the gate, and I think he will manage that.”

High Yield, winner of the Blue Grass Stakes, probably would have been the third choice all by himself, but because of overlapping ownership, he’s part of a four-horse entry that includes the undefeated Trippi, Commendable and Impeachment. This entry is the third choice, at 5-1.

There’s also a two-horse entry in the Derby--Sheik Mohammed’s China Visit and Curule. Both are lightly raced horses that have run only in Dubai, and their starting odds are 50-1.

Although Snuck In and Harlan Traveler dropped out of the Derby in the last two days, there still wasn’t room for Unshaded, the Lexington Stakes winner, as the race drew the maximum of 20 starters for the first time since 1984. Twenty horses were entered last year, but one horse was scratched by post time.

Unshaded was not nominated for the Triple Crown races, but his owner, Jim Tafel, was willing to pay a supplementary fee of $150,000 that would have made him eligible for the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. But that proved academic when 20 other horses were entered. Unshaded has more graded-stakes earnings than some of them, but a supplementary horse, according to the conditions of the race, goes to last on the preference list. The only way Unshaded could have gotten into the field is if fewer than 20 horses were entered.

There has been occasional rain this week, but the forecast for Saturday is for 85 degrees and no rain.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Post Positions

1. Globalize 50-1

2. Anees 20-1

3. Aptitude 20-1

4. f-Wheelaway 30-1

5. Hal’s Hope 20-1

6. b-Trippi 5-1

7. f-Deputy Warlock 30-1

8. Captain Steve 8-1

9. War Chant 6-1

10. More Than Ready 10-1

11. The Deputy 4-1

12. a-China Visit 50-1

13. b-Commendable 5-1

14. Graeme Hall 20-1

15. b-Impeachment 5-1

16. Fusaichi Pegasus 9-5

17. Exchange Rate 30-1

18. b-High Yield 5-1

19. a-Curule 50-1

20. f-Ronton 30-1

a-entry. b-entry. f-mutuel field.

The Facts

126th Kentucky Derby

Saturday, 2:25 p.m.

Channel 7

Kentucky Derby Post Positions

Field for Saturday’s 126th Kentucky Derby (Weights: 126 pounds. Distance: 1 1/4 miles. Post time: 2:25 p.m. PDT):

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PP Horse Jockey Trainer Owner Odds 1. Globalize Mike Smith Jerry Hollendorfer Hollendorfer, Litt & Todaro 50-1 2. Anees Corey Nakatani Alex Hassigner The Thoroughbred Corp. 20-1 3. Aptitude Alex Solis Bobby Frankel Juddmonte Farms, Inc. 20-1 4. f-Wheelaway Richard Migliore John Kimmel Caesar P. Kimmel & Phil Solondz 30-1 5. Hal’s Hope Roger Velez Harold Rose Rose Family Stable 20-1 6. b-Trippi Jorge Chavez Todd Pletcher Dogwood Stable 5-1 7. f-Deputy Warlock Mark Guidry Ken McPeek Select Stable 30-1 8. Captain Steve Robby Albarado Bob Baffert Michael E. Pegram 8-1 9. War Chant Jerry Bailey Neil Drysdale Marjorie & Irving Cowan 6-1 10. More Than Ready John Velazquez Todd Pletcher James T. Scatuorchio 10-1 11. The Deputy Chris McCarron Jenine Sahadi Team Valor & Barber 4-1 12. a-China Visit Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin Racing Inc. 50-1 13. b-Commendable Edgar Prado Wayne Lukas Robert & Beverly Lewis 5-1 14. Graeme Hall Shane Sellers Todd Pletcher Eugene & Laura Melnyk 20-1 15. b-Impeachment Craig Perret Todd Pletcher Dogwood Stable 5-1 16. Fusaichi Pegasus Kent Desormeaux Neil Drysdale Fusao Sekiguchi 9-5 17. Exchange Rate Calvin Borel Wayne Lukas Padua Stable & Anne Sanan 30-1 18. b-High Yield Pat Day Wayne Lukas Lewis, Magnier & Tabor 5-1 19. a-Curule Marlon St. Julien Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin Racing Inc. 50-1 20. f-Ronton Brice Blanc Vladimir Cerin Jaltipan Lic Ron Waranch 30-1

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a-entry. b-entry. f-mutuel field.