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As we get ready every year to try to pick a Kentucky Derby winner, the smallest of men are often the biggest of stories. With a race as big and crowded as the Derby, the jockeys play a very important role. A good rider can steer a horse out of trouble and get the most out of its talent. A bad ride can spell disaster. More than other races, handicappers need to seriously spend their time handicapping the jockeys and their ability to excel under the pressure of the race. The 2009 version of the Kentucky Derby has the potential based on the talent heading for the starting gate to be among the best in a long time. Here's a look at some of the jockey questions and issues that are going to be tough to figure out between now and post time:
Joe Talamo - Talamo has the mount on I Want Revenge, the likely post time favorite. The jock has shown a great deal of commitment to this horse, traveling to New York for his last two races despite being based in California. Talamo has a lot of talent and almost endless potential, and it seems like a very good bet that he will win a Derby at some point in his career. There's a problem, though - he's only 19 years old. Making a Derby debut is tough at the best of times, but especially so when a rider is so young. The added pressure of being on the favorite will only increase the intensity of the experience, and the potential for things to go wrong. Talamo generally rides well, but he has the ability to make a bone-headed move from time to time. His mount is ridiculously impressive, and Talamo has ridden him well in his last two big wins, but I'd certainly feel more confident if a more established rider had gotten the nod.
Garrett Gomez - You could argue that someone other than Gomez is the best active rider in the sport right now, but you would be wrong. Gomez wins when it matters, and he can get the most out of his mount when others wouldn't. He's also a good indicator of just how tough winning the Derby is - despite his dominance, he doesn't have a win in the big race. He has a good shot at it this year aboard Bob Baffert's Pioneerof The Nile. Gomez also forces us to play amateur psychologist - he had the mount both on his Derby mount and on the highly-regarded Dunkirk throughout the prep season, and he could have ridden either one in the Derby. The fact that he chose Pioneerof The Nile seems to be a big endorsement of that horse over Dunkirk, but now we have to decide whether that is actually the case, and what that means for the comparative chances of both horses.
Late upgrades - John Velazquez, one of the better riders in the country, was due to ride Quality Road, the Florida Derby winner and potential Derby favorite. That horse dropped out the week before the race with a quarter crack injury, so Velazquez was left without a mount. Mr. Hot Stuff, the brother of Colonel John, an entrant last year, was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, and didn't have a Derby rider. Normally, a horse like that wouldn't get a top rider. It worked out that Velazquez will be on the horse this year, and that gives Mr. Hot Stuff a better chance of winning than he would otherwise have had. Another horse from the Santa Anita Derby got a similarly impressive upgrade of riders leading up to the big race. Chocolate Candy's saddle had been a revolving door - Russell Baze and Joel Rosario had each ridden him for one race in his last two. Both have given way to Mike Smith. Smith is a Hall of Famer, a Derby winner, and one of the best big-money riders in the world. There is a good chance that we will see more out of Chocolate Candy in the Derby than we have seen up to this point.
After you finish this horse betting article check out our Belmont betting odds page. Our Breeders Cup betting odds page is also must read when studding horse racing. Our horse racing gambling terms page is also a valuable tool for your horse betting research. Since 1971 Doc's Sports has been recognized as a leader and trusted name in sports handicapping information.
Introductions necessary in the paddock - In most cases the Derby rider has previously ridden the horse in a race. When they haven't they have virtually always worked the horse in the morning a couple of times to get comfortable with them and build he trust that is important to a big performance. That's what makes Julien Leparoux such an odd case. He'll be on General Quarters - a legitimate contender that has proven capable of uncorking a big race. Leparoux will have never touched the horse before he gets boosted on minutes before the race starts. Other guys - Calvin Borel, Ramon Dominguez, Robby Albarado, Mike Smith - will also be making their debuts on new mounts in the race, but you can be sure that they will all be better acquainted with their charges than Leparoux. Leparoux says he often rides horses with this much prior exposure, but never in a race this big.
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