Jockeys Put Derby Dreams on the Line
There are certain things a jockey hopes to do before his or her career comes to end, one of them getting the chance to ride in a Triple Crown race. To earn an opportunity to ride in one of those such races, they must find a horse that can contend and a good place to find a contender will be Oaklawn’s $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby.
If a jockey rides first or second in that race, it will earn them a spot in the Kentucky Derby. There are 10 jockeys that will be riding on Saturday, each one trying to earn a spot in the field for the first Saturday in May. Not one jockey in the Arkansas Derby field has ever ridden in the Kentucky Derby. Some of the jockeys at Oaklawn gave their thoughts on the Arkansas Derby.
Cliff Berry (pictured) will ride Win Willy, 7-2 morning line, and will look to repeat his performance from the Rebel Stakes in the Arkansas Derby. “This is the big moment of the meeting. I know the purse is a million dollars, but you don’t think about money, you think about prestige,” commented the veteran rider. “This is a major prep to the Kentucky Derby, and this is the race of the meet you want to win. Be wary of the unexpected in this race.”
Quincy Hamilton rides Poltergeist and will try to win his first stakes race of the meet. “In this kind of race you try to keep a level head. I really like my horse, and you always want an impressive three-year-old, especially in the spring,” contemplated the young jockey. “I must know all the known factors of the race, but I have to be aware of the unexpected. I want to ride well within myself. This is the race that could give me an unbelievable opportunity.”
Veteran rider Jon Court rides Ziegfeld and will look to capture his first Arkansas Derby. “I’ve won other derbies and other big races, but this is a different big occasion. The Arkansas Derby is something special,” smiled Court. “Not only is it the biggest race of the meeting, but it is a spring board to one of the great happenings in our industry. I am carrying a lot of peoples’ dreams on Saturday, mine included.”
Long shot jockey Chris Rosier carries his derby dreams on Summer Bird, fresh off breaking his maiden in his last start. “This is my first time to ride in a $1,000,000 race, and I’m not even thinking about the money. It is great to go up against the top riders and best three-year-olds,” commented Rosier. “Racing is entertainment and the Arkansas Derby is run on a big stage. I want to ride a cool race. After all, the world of racing will be watching.”
One rider will earn their way into history books at Oaklawn, and perhaps the history books of racing.
Lukas Has Long Shot in Flying Private
One trainer on the backside of Oaklawn who knows a thing or two about Derbies has to be Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas (pictured). Lukas has taken two runnings of the Arkansas Derby with Althea in 1984 and Tank’s Prospect in 1985, and sits in a tie with legendary trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons for the most Triple Crown victories with 13.
This year Lukas’s derby hopes lie with Flying Private. The son of Fusaichi Pegasus ran second in the Mountain Valley earlier in the meet at Oaklawn. Lukas then decided to scratch the colt from that race and place him in the Lane’s End at Turfway Park in Kentucky, where he finished second. Now Flying Private will put it all on the line in the Arkansas Derby and try to give Lukas his third win in the race.
“About a month ago, this colt really began to come around. I sent him to Turfway for the Lane’s End, and to show you how he is improving, the colt ran second, and he didn’t care for the polytrack, and was four wide the whole way around the track,” said the trainer. “In the Mountain Valley he got beat a head after being blocked and having to change course.”
“He is a consistent colt, but maybe not a lucky one. I have found that this time of year, when horses are turning three, they begin to really improve and move forward,” mentioned Lukas. “What we do with him depends on how he runs in the Arkansas Derby. If our colt runs well, being he runs one, two, or three, we will seriously consider the big one at Churchill Downs.”
Lukas will be the only trainer in Saturday’s feature that has won the Kentucky Derby. “He is improving so well, he fits with several horses that I have taken to the derby,” reflected Lukas. “I sure think we are going to hear more on this colt.”
Flying Private will break from the six post under jockey Israel Ocampo and was made six to one in the morning line.
A Little Bit More
Jockey Alex Birzer (pictured) must want to end the meet on a high note as he has taken three races on Thursday’s card as of the fifth race. All three winners came with a nice payout. In race three Birzer rode My Angel’s Halo and paid $10.00, race four it was Not a Rocket, who paid $131.40, and finally in race five it was Brief Model to a $13.00 payout.
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