Derby Fave Big Brown will Race from No. 20 Post

The only horse to win the Kentucky Derby from the No. 20 post was Clyde Van Dusen back in 1929. Can Big Brown make history to become only the second horse to win from the far outside?

The Kentucky Derby takes place this Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs and a lot of horse racing fans will be wondering why the favorite has chosen to race from the far outside post. It makes sense when you consider Big Brown won the Florida Derby from the outside post, but it's a little daunting when you figure there's only ever been one horse to win the Kentucky Derby from the No. 20 post. Still, Big Brown's trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. is happy with the draw.

"We prefer just to break on the outside," Dutrow said. "We get assured of a clean trip. If he breaks good, we figure it's to our advantage. We had a few choices and felt we took the best shot."

Here are the post positions for the 2008 Kentucky Derby. The complete field, with Post Position, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Morning-Line Odds are listed below:

1 Cool Coal Man, Julien Leparoux, Nick Zito, 20-1
2 Tale of Ekati, Eibar Coa, Barclay Tagg, 15-1
3 Anak Nakal, Raphael Bejarano, Nick Zito, 30-1
4 Court Vision, Garrett Gomez, Bill Mott, 20-1
5 Eight Belles (f), Gabriel Saez, Larry Jones, 15-1
6 Z Fortune, Robby Albarado, Steve Asmussen, 30-1
7 Big Truck, Javier Catellano, Barclay Tagg, 50-1
8 Visionaire, Jose Lezcano, Michael Matz, 20-1
9 Pyro, Shaun Bridgmohan, Steve Asmussen, 6-1
10 Colonel John, Corey Nakatani, Eoin Harty, 4-1
11 Z Humor, Rene Douglas, Bill Mott, 30-1
12 Smooth Air, Manoel Cruz, Bennie Stutts Jr., 20-1
13 Bob Jack Black, Rich Migliore, James Kasparoff, 20-1
14 Monba, Ramon Dominguez, Todd Pletcher, 15-1
15 Adriano, Edgar Prado, Graham Motion, 30-1
16 Denis of Cork, Calvin Borel, David Carroll, 20-1
17 Cowboy Cal, John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher, 20-1
18 Recapturetheglory, E.T. Baird, Louie Roussel, 20-1
19 Gayego, Mike Smith, Paulo Lobo, 15-1
20 Big Brown, Kent Desormeaux, Rick Dutrow Jr., 3-1

The Kentucky Derby is the most-watched horse racing event in North America. You don't want to miss out on the action. Get your Kentucky Derby odds while you still can.

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Countdown to the Kentucky Derby: Big Brown, Colonel John Favorites

With less than two weeks to go until the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, the Associated Press stands firm on its top two contenders: Unbeaten Florida Derby winner Big Brown remains No. 1, with Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John at No. 2.

Meanwhile, the one-time Derby favorite War Pass, who finished second in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, has a left front ankle injury and is out until the fall, trainer Nick Zito said.

"It just wasn't meant to be, maybe," said Zito, a two-time Derby winner. "It's a shame because he has all the ability in the world. He's one of the best I've ever had."

Fortunately, Zito still has two 3-year-olds on the Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders list: Cool Coal Man and Anak Nakal.

Technorati tag: Kentucky Derby contenders

Derby Contenders: 5 Reasons Why Pyro is Still Tops

For most trainers and owners, the road to the Kentucky Derby has been a long one to be sure. Just when it looked like they had a shoo-in for the trophy, another horse would come along (Big Brown?) and steal their thunder. Such is the case with one-time Derby favorite Pyro.

The winner of the Louisiana Derby and the Risen Star Stakes, Pyro was the even-money favorite going into the Grade 1 $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes last weekend at Keeneland...but finished disappointing 10th.

Ouch.

Prior to last weekend's race, Pyro had never been out of the money in his six career starts. So why the poor finish? According to his jockey (Shaun Bridgmohan), Pyro didn't really take to the synthetic Polytrack. He does, however, race well on dirt.

Which brings me to my second reason why Pyro is still very much in the running to win the Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs is a fast track and Pyro is one fast horse. Reason No. 3: Pyro is a competitor. Last weekend's gig didn't really have any real competitors. Reason No. 4: Pyro's stable mate is Curlin. Reason No. 5: Best Name Ever. Pyro? How hot is that?

Currently Pyro is sitting at 8/1 odds to win the Kentucky Derby. Do your Kentucky Derby betting early while the odds are at their best!

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NCAA Tournament - Final Four Previews

UCLA Bruins vs. Memphis Tigers

Been there, done that. But this year the Bruins want to take it all the way to the National Championship.

"We're definitely not satisfied with going to the Final Four," Bruins forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute told the Associated Press. "We want to have a better outcome than we had the last two years. UCLA is about hanging national championship banners. Going to the Final Four is not going to cut it."

The favorites are the Tigers, but they haven't been to the Final Four since 1985 (well before any of these guys were even born). For the Tigers to win, they'll have to put up some big numbers against a big-D team like UCLA.

Betting trends to keep in mind:
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games
UCLA is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of UCLA's last 9 games
UCLA is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games

UNC Tar Heels vs. Kansas Jayhawks

The Tar Heels are the team to beat this year (with guys like Ty Lawson on the perimeter and Tyler Hansbrough down low), but if there's one team that can do that -- it's the Jayhawks. They're a strong, motivated team and this may be their last shot at a national title for quite some time (what with several key players off the roster for next year).

Some betting trends to consider:
Kansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas's last 5 games
Kansas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina's last 5 games
North Carolina is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games

Get your Final Four odds here.

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