Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Kentucky Derby Prep Race: Illinois Derby Entries at Hawthorne April 4
Posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009
Tampa Bay Derby winner Musket Man will face 10 race horses in Saturday’s $500,000 Illinois Derby (G2), a prep race for the Kentucky Derby 135, April 4 at Hawthorne Race Course.
The 2009 Illinois Derby winner’s share of $300,000 would assure that money will be no issue for wanting to be part of the Kentucky Derby field.
Raced at 1 1/8 miles, Hawthorne’s Illinois Derby entries all carrying 122 pounds with jockeys and morning line odds in post position order:
- Nowhere to Hide under jockey Paco Lopez with morning line odds of 5-1
- Giant Oak under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, 9-2
- Lord Justice under jockey Christopher Decarlo, 8-1
- Toccet Rocket under jockey Tanner Riggs, 20-1
- His Greatness under jockey Larry Sterling, Jr, 20-1
- Perfect Song under jockey Jeremy Rose, 6-1
- Free Country under jockey Eusebio Razo, Jr., 6-1
- Musket Man under jockey Eibar Coa, 7-2
- Al Khali under jockey Cornelio Velasquez C, 6-1
- Il Postino under jockey Jesse Campbell, 20-1
- Knight Shot under jockey Inez Karlsson, 30-1
The morning line favorite is the Musket Man, winner of 4 of 5 lifetime starts and a neck winner of the Tampa Bay Derby.
Race horse trainer Todd Pletcher brings 3 horses to the Illinois Derby field, among them the highly touted Al Khali and Lord Justice; Ken McPeek has entered Free Country; while Nick Zito supplemented Nowhere to Hide at a cost of $10,000 as he continues to seek a 2009 Kentucky Derby contender.
The horse getting the most attention locally, is the Illinois-bred Giant Oak. Though still looking for his first career win on the dirt, he did run second on the conventional surface in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club and has been hampered by racing circumstances in his two starts as a 3-year-old, in both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby.
The Illinois Derby is race 7 in Hawthorne’s April 4 card. Illinois Derby post time is 4:15 pm Central.
Horse racing news edited from www.hawthorneracecourse.com.
Tags: Al Khali, Free Country, Giant Oak, His Greatness, Il Postino, Knight Shot, Lord Justice, Musket Man, Nowhere to Hide, Perfect Song, Toccet Rocket
"Kentucky Derby Prep Race: Illinois Derby Entries at Hawthorne April 4" was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 11:21 pm and is filed under Hawthorne, Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Stakes Races, Triple Crown, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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