Sport Saturday: Derby and Giro

The first weekend of May often puts us at the intersection of two great races, the Giro d'Italia and the ole Kentucky Derby.  In Europe, every other soccer match seems to be a "derby," but in the US, there is only ONE derby.  When an American says "Derby," he means "The Kentucky Derby." 

On Saturday, 20 horses will step into the gates at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky to the strains of "My Old Kentucky Home." One will win the annual  "Run for the Roses" and take the first step at an attempt at horse racings' Triple Crown.  As in most years, there is incredible talent, and this year, unlike others, the field of three year olds includes  a horse who never ran a race as a two year old.  Such a horse has not won the Derby since the 1880s.  

At present, only five horses have odds in the single digits, two of whom are undefeated. Justify has the top odds at 3-1, and is undefeated in the three races he has run so far.  His trainer,  Bob Baffert, has trained four Derby winners, most recently with the Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.  Justify is that horse who never raced as a two year old, and the last such winner of the Derby was Apollo in 1882.  Still, the favourite has won the past five Derbies.  Mendelssohn is a another powerful horse.  In March he won the UAE Derby, where he beat the field by more than 17 lengths.  On the downside, winners of the UAE Derby have finished in fifth place, at best, in the Kentucky Derby #jetlag. 

 

Another horse, with a great name, is Magnum Moon, also undefeated in his young career.  Some experts think he is the strongest in the field.    Audible has won four straight races coming into this one, and he's racing out of the No. 5 post, which has produced a remarkable five Derby winners in the past 21 years.  Finally,  Bolt d'Oro gave chase to Justify at the Santa Anita Derby earlier this year before just falling off the pace.

If you like to party, Derby Day is a great time to have a good time, whether at Churchill Downs, or viewing from home.  NBC is hosting five hours of coverage in the USA, and the Derby can certainly be found online or on other foreign networks.  Make a mint julip, or enjoy a Kentucky Food.  Local specialties include  the Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich, which is known as a Horseshoe in Illinois (the Kentucky version does not include French Fries as in Illinois) and poutine in Acadian lands. 

Your Derby party might also include other Kentucky favourites such as Benedictine Spread, Beer Cheese, Country Ham Biscuits, Bourbon Balls, Kentucky Burgoo and Chocolate-Bourbon Nut Pie, sometimes known as Derby Pie.  It is said if your Easter duds are still fresh, you can wear them on Derby Day along with that festive hat.  Enjoy the horse racing, enjoy the partying. Send us a picture.  

  

The leading rider in the Giro d'Italia is also festively dressed, in a shocking pink jersey and tights.  The Giro is the annual Italian Grand Tour, and started yesterday with an individual time trial, won by Dutchman Tom Dumoulin.  The race continues over the next three weeks, crossing Italy from up hill and down dale.  Curiously, Italy's grand tour began this year in Israel, and will continue there through Monday.  Never before has one of the grand tours begun outside of Europe, although it was rumoured, several years ago, that Giro organizers wanted to start a future Giro, with the first several stages in Washington, D.C..  Dumoulin, last year's winner, may very well repeat this year.

 

The favourite, former African and current GB rider Chris Froome, may put forth great efforts this year, but is unlikely to finish in the top ten, or even to finish.  His team, Sky, has been on an anti drug kick in recent years, holding themselves up as heroes of the anti doping set.  Now Froome is under examination as a doper, he crashed hard in training, and dropped hard in the opening standings from the first stage. “I am glad I was not more seriously injured,” he said. “I just lost the front wheel on a corner. A crash is always going to hurt, and it’s not an ideal way to start a race with a crash.”  Even without the crash, Froome  has been downplaying the importance of time trials in this Giro, saying that the pink will be won on the mountain stages. 

Then again there are the doping allegations, against the heretofore pristine and well moneyed gods of cycling, unsullied by the use of drugs, at least in their publicity.  They have had a great boost through their multiple television networks, and the drumbeat of virtue and sweet goodness has been unstoppable, until now.  Froome challenged for doping?  Incroyable. 

The Giro, like all of cycling, provides nonstop entertainment.