by Jeff Lowe

Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said earlier this week that he could not imagine that a post position could get Big Brown beat on Saturday. That conviction will be put to the extreme test when Big Brown breaks from the outside post in a full field of 20 in the $2,211,800 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Big Brown drew the 16th pick on Wednesday morning in the traditional pill pull that determined the selection for post positions. Dutrow and owner IEAH Stables had four other options—posts one, two, 18, and 19—by the time they chose their spot in the afternoon selection program at 4th Street Live in downtown Louisville.

The Derby has been run with 20 or more starters 15 times, and the only winner from post 20 was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929. The wide draw did not sway Churchill oddsmaker Mike Battaglia from making Big Brown the 3-to-1 morning-line favorite for the 134th Derby.

Big Brown had no problem with the outside post in his most recent start, a five-length win over 11 rivals in the Florida Derby (G1) on March 29. He cleared the field heading into the first turn and led all the way around in becoming the first horse to win from post 12 in a 1 1/8 mile race at Gulfstream Park since the track was reconfigured in 1995.

Michael Iavarone, the co-president of IEAH Stables, said picking post 20 amounted to "making the best of a bad situation."

"We have a pretty quick horse out of the gate," Dutrow said. "He gets to be loaded last, and it doesn't seem that when you're breaking from the outside that you're going to be looking for trouble. We're actually kind of glad. I'd actually rather have this post than a lot of others. It might be too far out there but we're willing to accept that challenge."

Two other fast colts, Recapturetheglory and Gayego, will be directly inside Big Brown. They will leave from posts 18 and 19, respectively. Another proven speedster, Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up Bob Black Jack, will break from post 13.

Battaglia said Big Brown's wide draw led him to drop Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John from 5-to-1 to 4-to-1 as the second-choice on his morning line.

Colonel John drew the third choice in the selection order. His connections opted for post ten, which has produced ten Derby winners, including Giacomo in 2005.

"I was lucky enough to choose early on, and I wanted a spot somewhere in the middle," trainer Eoin Harty said.

Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Pyro is the third choice on the morning line at 6-to-1, despite his tenth-place finish as the heavy favorite in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1).

Battaglia assigned double-digit odds to the other 17 entrants. He pegged nine at 20-to-1, including Fantasy Stakes (G2) winner Eight Belles, who will be the first filly in the Derby since 1999.

Post time for the Derby is scheduled for 6:04 EDT. Barring any scratches, the winner's share of the purse will be $1,451,800.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer


Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1)
$2,211,800, Churchill Downs, 3 yo, 1 1/4m, May 3, 6:04 p.m. EDT

Horse, (sire), jockey, trainer, and morning-line odds

1. Cool Coal Man (Mineshaft), Julien Leparoux, Nick Zito, 20-to-1;

2. Tale of Ekati (Tale of the Cat), Eibar Coa, Barclay Tagg, 15-to-1;

3. Anak Nakal (Victory Gallop), Rafael Bejarano, Nick Zito, 30-to-1;

4. Court Vision (Gulch), Garrett Gomez, Bill Mott, 20-to-1;

5. Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song), Gabriel Saez, Larry Jones, 20-to-1;

6. Z Fortune (Siphon [Brz]), Robby Albarado, Steve Asmussen, 15-to-1;

7. Big Truck (Hook and Ladder), Javier Castellano, Barclay Tagg, 50-to-1;

8. Visionaire (Grand Slam), Jose Lezcano, Michael Matz, 20-to-1;

9. Pyro (Pulpit), Shaun Bridgmohan, Steve Asmussen, 6-to-1;

10. Colonel John (Tiznow), Corey Nakatani, Eoin Harty, 4-to-1;

11. Z Humor (Distorted Humor), Rene Douglas, Bill Mott, 30-to-1;

12. Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz), Manoel Cruz, Bennie Stutts Jr., 20-to-1;

13. Bob Black Jack (Stormy Jack), Richard Migliore, James Kasparoff, 20-to-1;

14. Monba (Maria's Mon), Ramon Dominguez, Todd Pletcher, 15-to-1;

15. Adriano (A.P. Indy), Edgar Prado, Graham Motion, 30-to-1;

16. Denis of Cork (Harlan's Holiday), Calvin Borel, David Carroll, 20-to-1; 

17. Cowboy Cal (Giant's Causeway), John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher, 20-to-1;

18. Recapturetheglory (Cherokee Run), E.T. Baird, Louie Roussel III, 20-to-1;

19. Gayego (Gilded Time), Mike Smith, Paulo Lobo, 15-to-1; and

20. Big Brown (Boundary), Kent Desormeaux, Richard Dutrow Jr., 3-to-1.