Wise Choice Would Be to Take Your Best Shot

When Swale gave Laffit Pincay his only Kentucky Derby victory 18 years ago, the son of Seattle Slew was well-positioned from the outset, tracking the filly Althea and the overmatched longshot Bear Hunt.

After about three-quarters of a mile had been run in the 11/4-mile race, Swale and Pincay took over, opening up a five-length lead with an eighth of a mile to run and going on to win by a little more than three lengths.

In trying to become the oldest rider ever to win the Derby, Pincay, 55, could get a similar pace scenario aboard Medaglia d’Oro today in the 128th running of the world’s most famous race.

In the Wood Memorial, arguably the best prep race for the Kentucky Derby, Medaglia d’Oro took the early lead and battled head and head with winner Buddha, who was scratched from the Derby Friday because of a bruised foot.

Medaglia d’Oro also took the early lead in his previous race, the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. The El Prado colt relinquished the lead when challenged at three-quarters of a mile and fell back a half length but came back on and won by 21/2 lengths.

He could be in position to stalk the pace today with front-running types such as War Emblem, the wire-to-wire winner of the Illinois Derby, 50-1 shot Wild Horses, Request For Parole and Proud Citizen in the 19-horse field.

Among those who also should be be positioned just off the early lead are Private Emblem, the improving New York-bred who was visually impressive winning in the Arkansas Derby, Santa Anita Derby winner Came Home, Breeders’ Cup juvenile winner Johannesburg and morning-line favorite Harlan’s Holiday. Danthebluegrassman and Ocean Sound should also be positioned near the lead early but all they’ll do is clutter up the field.

Among the contenders who figure to be lagging behind early are Perfect Drift, Castle Gandolfo, Essence of Dubai, Easy Grades and Lusty Latin.

Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye, who won back-to-back Kentucky Derbies with Gato Del Sol and Sunny’s Halo in the early 1980s, will ride Perfect Drift. The gelding won the first time Delahoussaye rode him in the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park on March 23. Castle Gandolfo and Essence Of Dubai are the only runners who have raced at the Derby distance, and both handled it well.

After the pretenders--Wild Horses, Request For Parole, War Emblem, who is much more likely to finish last than he is to win, and Proud Citizen--pack it in, the Derby should boil down to Medaglia d’Oro, Private Emblem, Came Home, Harlan’s Holiday, Perfect Drift, Essence Of Dubai and Castle Gandolfo. Lusty Latin, Saarland and Easy Grades could find their way into the trifecta or superfecta.

In a year with no standouts, and in which some of the top contenders come with distance questions attached, the thing to do is take a stab at a horse who will be a price.

So, the nod here goes to Private Emblem, a 20-1 shot on the morning line who keeps getting better and has reportedly trained well at Churchill Downs. The colt would be the first New York-bred to win the Derby.