As we get closer and closer to the 139th Run for the Roses, we’re going to take a look at some of the horses making noise on the Kentucky Derby scene.
Napravnik to Ride Mylute
There was a lot of discussion within the horse racing community as to who would saddle Mylute after he finished second in the Louisiana Derby.
Now, we know the answer.
Female jockey Rosie Napravnik will ride Mylute in the Kentucky Derby, owners Goldmark Farms LLC and Whisper Hill Farm LLC confirmed.
This didn’t appear to be an easy decision. While Napravnik had ridden Mylute in his last victory – a win at the Fair Grounds – it was jockey Shaun Bridgmohan who’d saddled him as of late, including in the aforementioned runner-up finish at Louisiana.
In the end, the ownership group went with Napravnik.
“Rosie was aboard Mylute for his latest victory, and we feel fortunate to have her back,” the ownership group said in a statement. “We’d also like to give special thanks to Shaun Bridgmohan, as well as all of the other riders who have ridden Mylute for their help in getting him to this point in his career.”
Borel to Ride Revolutionary
The horse that beat Mylute at the Louisiana Derby is going to be ridden by one of the best jockeys in the game.
Three-time Kentucky Derby winner Calvin Borel – who last won in 2010 with Super Saver – will ride Revolutionary in this year’s Run for the Roses, according to WinStar Farm president Elliott Walden.
Revolutionary has been one of the stars of the prep races and looks to be in fine form heading into the ’13 Derby. So, no real surprise that there was mutual interest between WinStar and Borel, who wants to capture Derby win No. 4.
“Calvin’s Kentucky Derby experience and affinity for Churchill Downs makes him a perfect fit for most Derby contenders, and we’re thrilled to have him aboard Revolutionary to once again carry the WinStar colors in horse racing’s biggest race,” Walden explained.
“Obviously, Calvin did a masterful job guiding Super Saver to WinStar’s first-ever Kentucky Derby victory a few years ago, which is something we’ll be forever thankful for. So we’ve had good fortune together, and hopefully, history can repeat itself on May 4.”
Overanalyze Running Well
It must be nice to be Todd Pletcher.
The super-trainer looks as though he’ll have a field of four horses in the Derby after Overanalyze won the $1 million Arkansas Derby with a stellar effort, knocking off pre-race favorite War Academy (owned by another trainer elite, Bob Baffert).
The win gave Overanalyze 100 points in the new Kentucky Derby scoring system, all but ensuring Pletcher will essentially dominate the field when the race lines up.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano was full of praise for Overanalyze after the race, saying he had a “beautiful trip” – beautiful enough for Bejarano to coast a bit down the stretch.
“Once we got to the stretch, I felt like I had a lot of horse left and saved something for the next race,” he said.
