Kentucky Derby Contenders: Cool Coal Man Profile

Cool Coal Man owner Robert LaPenta and trainer Nick Zito now have two of the top Kentucky Derby contenders after Cool Coal Man took the $350,000 Fountain of Youth last Sunday by a half-length over a charging Elysium Fields. (War Pass was their other horse that took home a win on Sunday, taking the $60,000 allowance race.)

"I was concerned about the 9 horse," said jockey Kent Desormeaux. "It's hard to sustain that kind of speed for a long time, but when we were galloping out after the wire he moved out again once he felt the other horse come up to him. My horse was very handy and attentive to my needs. I think we went faster than what the clock said. But time is irrelevant, we won."

Besides having the coolest name in horse racing today, Cool Coal Man now has four wins in seven career starts. This last race, the Fountain of Youth Stakes, was worth $210,000 to bring his bankroll to more than $300,000.

Technorati Tag(s): Cool Coal Man, Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby Report: Who's Off the Derby Trail?

It was announced Wednesday that Kentucky Derby contender Crown of Thorns has been sidelined with a leg injury, essentially removing him from the May 3 Run for the Roses. Trainer Richard Mandella said the colt injured his left shin on Monday and he's worried that if he continues to race the injury will only lead to bigger problems down the road.

The good news is that with plenty of rest, Crown of Thorns is expected to make a full recovery and may be back at the racetrack running at full speed later this season.

Crown of Thorns earlier this month won the Robert B. Lewis (G2) Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

As it stands, here are your Top 10 Kentucky Derby Contenders:

1. Pyro
2. Court Vision
3. Denis of Cork
4. Colonel John
5. Tale of Ekati
6. War Pass
7. Majestic Warrior
8. Into Mischief
9. El Gato Malo
10. Make the Point

Ready to place your Kentucky Derby futures wagers? The odds are up!

Technorati tag(s): crown of thorns, kentucky derby

March Madness Just Around the Corner

We're just over a month away from the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

The futures are tantalizing. Will favorites Kansas (3/1), Memphis (5/1), UCLA (4/1) prevail? Does West Virginia (100/1) or Arizona (55/1) have a shot?

Get to your brackets! College basketball betting types and office pool warriors! There's already a printable March Madness bracket available.



Tag(s): march madness bracket, ncaa basketball tournament

Wagering on Kentucky Derby Futures Down

Has interest in the 2008 Kentucky Derby taken a dip? Or is it just Kentucky Derby futures bets that are taking a hit...?

If last Sunday's Pool 1 futures wagering is any indication horse racing enthusiasts may be in for a bit of a surprise this year. Not since 1999 (which was the first year of Derby futures) has Kentucky Derby Futures drawn a lower handle.

At a mere $439,379 this year's handle was lower than last year's Pool 1 total of $520,688. When asked why the sudden drop, Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher said it may have something to do with to a problem in the totalizator system. Apparently the transmission of odds was down for over two hours on Sunday, which is when most of the wagers are taken.

The handle on Oaks Pool 1 was also low at $65,219, the lowest handle since 2003 and lower than last year's total of $66,206.

Pool 2 for both the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks is set for March 6-9, and Pool 3 will run April 3-6.

You can be sure that come race day on May 3 Kentucky Derby betting will be back at full speed.

Technorati Tag(s): Kentucky Derby futures