Dorth Vader, a John Ropes Florida homebred returns in the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 5, 2023 at Churchill Downs. The Oaks has drawn an overflow field and is one of the more competitive in recent years. Dorth Vader is by Girvin (Tale of Ekati) out of the Yonaguska mare Hardcore Candy who was campaigned in Alberta by Darrell Landry and then Amber Buniak and Ryan McLean. Hardcore Candy won 8 races from 40 starts with 8 seconds and 4 thirds, earning $101,308. She was Stakes placed in the Freedom of the City Stakes (Black Type) at Northlands Park.

Over at Oaklawn Park Arnold Bennewith, Rick Wiest, Clayton Wiest, Lana Wiest, Randy Howg, R6 Stables (Tim Rollingson et al), Gary Kropp and Norman Tremblay’s 2022 Canadian Derby Winner Great Escape steps back up to stake company in the Lake Ouachita Stake for $150,000US on Friday May 5, 2023. Trained by Robertino Diodoro, Francisco Arrieta will be in the saddle.

Bloodhorse – Jay Hovdey – Student of the Game Vazquez Proves Quick Study

The farther away you writers stay, the better I like it. You know why? Because you’re trying to create a bad image of me… you do it because I’m black and Puerto Rican, but I’m proud to be Puerto Rican.

Roberto Clemente

Garden and Gun – Paige N. Miller – The Most Interesting Race of Derby Week

Where It’s At

SportsNet – Luke Fox – ‘A quicker pace’: Maple Leafs dealing with a whole new animal in Round 2

Phil caught the odd glimpse of the Leafs – Panthers game while handicapping Friday’s Kentucky Oaks and a couple of sports quotes started to percolate in Phil’s mind.

If they think we’ve got an edge, we’ve got an edge.

Red Auerbach

Even the headline for Fox’s little blurb gives the edge to the whole new animal. The Panthers have invaded the Leafs’ heads and to borrow from Yogi how can the Leafs think, skate, hit and shoot at the same time. The Leafs need to take a page out of Evander Kane’s playbook and find someone to get into the Turtle’s head like Kane did in the 2022 NHL playoffs where the Turtle disappeared.

If you can’t beat ’em in the alley, you can’t beat ’em on the ice.

Conn Smythe

In the last minute of play when Sam Bennett pitchforked Ryan O’Reilly opening up a cut on O’Reilly’s face that the blind as a bat referees missed on the ice and had to go to review it seemed that the only thing the Leafs learned from Matthew Tkachuk was how to turtle. Not a single Leaf came to the aid of O’Reilly and took Bennett to task with both Tavares and Matthews standing around watching clouds float by instead of getting in Bennett’s face. And their coach was standing on the bench watching the clouds float by instead of jumping on the boards and giving the refs a piece of his mind with his Punch McLean impression.

The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.

George S. Patton

Phil has a question:

Do the Leafs know the difference between the Lady Byng and the Conn Smythe.

Did Bobby Clarke ever win the Lady Byng.

Sports Business Journal – Brown – Politics in the desert: How the Arizona Coyotes are pushing to win a May 16 vote that would secure the team’s future in Tempe

Anvil Chorus

Back to handicapping. Friday’s Oaks and the first Saturday in May’s Derby are a couple of extremely close races. Phil uses Brisnet PPs and the first thing that Phil always does is look at the Prime Power numbers to separate the horses with a difference of 3 being Phil’s benchmark. There’s only a difference of 8.1 for the top 11 in the Oaks and 13.8 from top to bottom. When the numbers are that close anything can strike. The Derby is just as tough. Forte’s number puts him a touch above the rest, but then there’s only 14 points for the next 20. Your work is cut out for you so don’t shirk.

Look for defect in your own calculating rather than cheating of others.

Pittsburgh Phil

Paulick Report – Maday – Canterbury Park Completes Sale Of 37 Acres For Entertainment Amphitheater

Market Watch – CANTERBURY PARK HOLDING CORPORATION COMPLETES SALE OF LAND TO SWERVO DEVELOPMENT

Canterbury Commons

Nautilus – Kelleher – The Strange Life of Glass

Heart of Glass

Speed provides the one genuinely modern pleasure.

Aldous Huxley

The appeal of horse racing: “I really love the psychology of racing. Who starts in the lead, how you finish, holding on, watching one horse fly past another? And why it happens. Racing is really fun to me. The horses are beautiful and amazing. So there’s a lot to like with horse racing in general. Plus, I like dressing up, which is fun. So does my wife.”

Front Office Sports – McCarthy – Insider Ian Rapoport Is Chasing NFL News and a Kentucky Derby Dream

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bloodhorse – Karen M Johnson – On the Rise: Danielle Bricker

Speed is a great asset; but it’s greater when it’s combined with quickness – and there’s a big difference.

Ty Cobb

Unchained Melody

TDN – Sherack – Tuesday’s Kentucky Derby Report: Trio of Breezers Bring the Morning ‘Thunder’

Anvil Chorus

Bloodhorse – Gregory A. Hall – NBC Sports Plans Derby Coverage for Number of Platforms

Pitch me outside, I will hit .400. Pitch me inside, and you will not find the ball.

Roberto Clemente

Anvil

Bloodhorse – Gash – Woodford Thoroughbreds Breeder of Oaks, Derby Hopefuls

Spirit in the Sky

I do not need a trophy to tell myself that I am the best.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Paulick Report – Rees – Albaugh’s ‘Heart Will Be A-Pumpin’ With Two Colts In Kentucky Derby

Sound and Vision

Bloodhorse – Eric Mitchell and Angst – From Eye of the Storm to the Kentucky Derby

SportsNet – Grange – Dillon Brooks went from tone-setter to free agent. Will another team take a chance?

It’s not bragging if you can back it up.

Muhammad Ali

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Kelly – ‘He did just what I expected’ – how the ‘Fox of Belair’ won the Kentucky Derby en route to the Triple Crown

Kentucky Derby

PP	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	Hit Show	Brad H Cox	Manuel Franco	30 – 1
2	Verifying	Brad H Cox	Tyler Gaffalione	15 – 1
3	Two Phil’s	Larry Rivelli	Jareth Loveberry	12 – 1
4	Confidence Game	Keith Desormeaux	James Graham	20 – 1
5	Tapit Trice	Todd Pletcher	Luiz Saez	5 – 1
6	Kingsbarns	Todd Pletcher	Jose Ortiz	12 – 1
7	Reincarnate	Tim Yakten	John R Velazquez	50 – 1
8	Mage	Gustavo Delgado	Javier Castellano	15 – 1
9	Skinner	John Shireffs	Juan Hernandez	20 – 1
10	Practical Move	Tim Yakten	Ramon Vasquez	10 – 1
11	Disarm	Steve Assmussen	Joel Rosario	30 -1
12	Jace’s Road	Brad H Cox	Florent Geroux	15 – 1
13	Sun Thunder	Ken McPeek	Brian Hernandez Jr.	30 – 1
14	Angel of Empire	Brad H Cox	Flavien Prat	8 – 1
15	Forte	Todd Pletcher	Irad Ortiz Jr.	3 – 1
16	Raise Cain	Ben Colebrook	Gerado Corrales	50 – 1
17	Derma Sotogake (JPN)	Hidetaka Otonashi	Christophe Lemaire	10 – 1
18	Rocket Can	William Mott	Junior Alvarado	15 – 1
19	Lord Miles	Joseph A Saffie Jr.	Paco Lopez	15 – 1
20	Continuar	Yoshito Yahagi	Ryusei Sakai	50 – 1
AE	Cyclone Mischief	Dale Romans	Joel Rosario	30 – 1
AE	Mandarin Hero	Terunobu Fujita	Kazushi Kimura	20 – 1
AE	King Russell	Ron Moquett	Rafael Bejarano	50 – 1