Art Collector scratched from Derby
 

Sorry I don't have a link, just picking up bits and pieces from Twitter. Apparently suffered a minor heel injury during a workout. Still tender this morning, trainer says. Will not run.

First Caracaro and now this guy... my interest is waning. These were the only two I thought could upend Tiz. Now I've got to hit up my longshots underneath to make some green. I'm hoping Dale Romans goes home a happy man on Saturday night.

Wow, I thought he was the only with a slight chance to beat Tiz the Law. Similar I guess to Omaha Beach last year in terms of impact.

This scratch killed the race for me. If I was going to take a shot against the favorite, it probably would have been Art Collector. Now for me the race is more or less reduced to trying to find a longshot that can make its way into my vertical bet.

maybe the draw helped. Going to take some luck to save any ground, though the outside horses are just better than others in this field.

I hope that he is OK, and fully recovers. That is most important.



On the betting side, I very am disappointed because he would have made my exactas, tris and supers pay better. I did not think he would be in the top four, and he was a very popular horse.

Feels like the Big Brown year. Best horse outside and takes over at the mile pole. My biggest concern with Tiz before the draw was he'd get pinned inside. Non-issue now. Maybe Honor AP can step up a bit otherwise hard for me to be too enthusiastic about the others. Certainly ample room for bombers in the vertical gimmicks and that's how I'll approach the race. Can also play the Oaks/Turf/Derby P3 and get some value using chalk at the ends.

Feel bad for the horse and the Louisville connections too, especially Hernandez who lost the mount on Swiss Skydiver in the Oaks because she might go in the Preakness and he was on Art Collector, possibly there as well. The horse really looked good on the track over this last week. Kind of does have that Omaha Beach feel. Really hurts early pace level for the race too.

I feel bad for Hernandez especially since he tested positive for Covid-19 and anti-bodies. He’s sidelined for the moment and off his mounts. What a year.

I was looking forward to a Tiz the Law/Art Collector match-up.

I'm probably going to end up on Honor A.P.

I have a few bombs I think might be able to get into the verticals. I just have to figure out how I want to construct the bets. I'm not sure if I want to mainly key on Honor A.P. or key on getting one of the bombs into a vertical or a little of both.

I like Tiz the Law, but I'm not as sold as most people that he's an even money or less standout off one very big race in a very big field.

oh dear, I had just taken Art Collector off my recent win list in a post 48 hours ago here, before I found out he's out. That's too bad, he was very competitive here.
I'm sure his connections are heartbroken....

I was going to use him in my superfecta. Now I gotta find someone else AND there are 2 horses entered now that I never even looked at (Mr. Big News, South Bend) so lots of work ahead.

So far all I had in my post above was Honor AP, Major Fed and Enforceable. I still like them--- but like to juggle about 6 horses in different exotics. So, I need 3 more....

I would have used Art in a superfecta but not for the win. Him leaving the race kinda ruins my odds on Honor AP who was listed as one of my 3 win candidates. Bah!

BTW, has any horse ever won the KY Derby from post 17?

Thankfully it doesn't sound serious and connections are doing right thing not letting horse run on a bruised foot. I remember that Japan horse scratched with a bruise, many years ago. No sense entering at a disadvantage.

Thinking about this it really gives new meaning to what Big Brown did, he barely had any hoof left at all.