BEHINDATTHEBAR has withdrawn from the 2008 Kentucky Derby field. As originally planned, he will point to the Preakness Stakes two weeks after the Derby.
This opens a spot for DENIS OF CORK to get into the field. He was really the last horse remaining on the bubble with connections seriously looking run.
I’m sure the connections for TOMCITO would have like to have gotten in too, but after finishing 3rd in the Florida Derby and failing to finish in the money at the Coolmore Lexington Stakes, I don’t think he deserved a spot.
Reports coming out of Churchill Downs say Denis of Cork is training great over the surface, and it would have been a small tragedy had he not received a spot in the field. Some feel he could be sitting off a big race.
Not sure if I buy into that or not. Denis of Cork was babied along the Kentucky Derby trail, and it came back to bite his connections when he failed badly in the Illinois Derby. I would have really liked to have seen another race under Denis of Cork, and even if he is peaking, I’m not sure if that is going to be enough to pull an upset this week.
I’ll take another look, but as of right now, I’m not expecting Denis of Cork to figure into the race. At least we don’t have to hear the media whine about him not getting in the field though.
Tags: Behindatthebar, Denis of Cork, Florida Derby, Horse Racing Handicapping, Kentucky Derby, Lexington Stakes, Tomcito
