Kentucky Derby Last-Minute Drop Outs – Minnesota DJ Picks Winner

ONE INCREDIBLY SAD WEEK

This has been a very unusual week leading up to the Kentucky Derby to be held at Churchill Downs. Two horses died of injuries this week. Wild On Ice, a Kentucky Derby Contender, was injured during training on dirt, and Take Charge Briana was hurt during a Turf race.

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Both horses would not have been able to survive their injuries and were euthanized.

INVESTIGATION

Parents Pride and Chasing Artie, both under owner Ken Ramsey and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. both collapsed after racing at Churchill Downs on two separate days.

There is an investigation underway on the deaths of Parents Pride and Chasing Artie, and because of the strange deaths, all horses trained by Saffie Joseph have been pulled from racing until they can find some answers and make sure that jockeys and other horses are safe.

This means that Lord Miles had to be pulled out of the Kentucky Derby, and will be replaced by Japanese-owned Mandarin Hero.

NEWLY SCRATCHED

Practical Move, who was picked by Jodi Demling as a frontrunner and possible winner in the race, was scratched by the owners because he had a fever. Cyclone Mischief will now get a chance to run for the roses.

Continuar, a Japanese horse, was also pulled by the trainer, who said that he didn't feel that his horse was ready for the race. King Russell will be replacing him on the track.

The deadline to pull out of the race and be replaced by another horse was Friday morning at 9 am. At this point, if a horse doesn't run, the spot will not be filled by another horse.

WHO WILL YOU PICK AS THE WINNER?

I believe Forte was the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby and still might be the winner, but with everything happening the way it has this year, I'm going to go with the big odds. I'm picking Raise Cane. The odds that I saw were 64-1, and he was a surprise winner at  Gotham Stakes, so why not. I don't know horses enough to truly pick a winner any other way.

PLEASE THINK ABOUT TREATING HORSES HUMANELY

My biggest thoughts are that we have a safe Derby run and that we can find better ways to treat racehorses so that they don't feel the fear and terror that I've heard is part of their lives. They don't care about the roses...they don't care about the cheering..they just want to be with other horses.  Experts say that no amount of kindness from the people that care for them can replace the need to be with other horses. I read an article that really made me think twice about the lives of horses that live in this realm. You can read it here.

A writer for The Guardian said that horses feel mostly fear and pain, and aren't running for the glory; they are running to survive.