Kentucky Derby Name Analysis
May 3, 2018 21:59:54 GMT -5
Post by grommet on May 3, 2018 21:59:54 GMT -5
Here is a breakdown of this year’s Derby horse names. Unlike the high-class Larry’s Picks, this is more of a guide to ‘unintelligent’ speculation. I started doing this back in the late 80’s when I read a newspaper article about Derby names – the gist of it being that Derby winners tend to have strong, bold names while horses with weak names were rarely allowed to wear the garland of roses. Soon after I started breaking down the names each year to try and narrow the qualifiers down to 4 horses (upped the number to 5 when the Derby field expanded). I only use this breakdown for the Derby and only use it for the top slot. Just like any other angle I don’t follow it 100% when it comes to bets, but it can sway some final decisions or help narrow down the field.
Positives:
- Names that have a bold sound or a ring to them (Strike the Gold, Charismatic)
- Names that seem to flow smoothly off the tongue (Sunday Silence, Street Sense)
- Names that sound a little old-fashioned (Go for Gin, War Emblem)
Negatives:
- Names with words crunched together (Sweetnorthernsaint, Atswhatimtalknbout)
- Names with abbreviations or apostrophes (Serena’s Song, Unbridled’s Song)
- Names that are devoid of meaning or seem like two random words thrown together (Excellent Meeting, General Challenge)
- Names that sound weak in general (Mister Frisky, Afternoon Deelites, Happy Jazz Band)
The ultimate litmus test to me is reading through past Derby winners and then deciding if a name would be a good fit. Would it belong on a name plate in the Churchill paddock area? With 20 horses you do have to sprinkle in a little racing form logic to get down to the final five. The analysis was more consistent in the 80’s and 90’s, so perhaps this is as antiquated as the dual qualifiers - but it’s still fun to break down the names every year. Of course a lot of it is subjective as well.
Past Hits:
Sunday Silence
Unbridled
Strike the Gold
Sea Hero
Go for Gin
Thunder Gulch
Grindstone
Silver Charm
Real Quiet
Charismatic
Monarchos
War Emblem
Barbaro
Street Sense
Animal Kingdom
Orb
California Chrome
Nyquist
Past Misses:
Lil E. Tee
Fusaichi Pegasus
Funny Cide
Smarty Jones
Giacomo
Big Brown
Mine That Bird
Super Saver
I’ll Have Another
American Pharoah
Always Dreaming
2018 Name Analysis:
This year seems particularly tough in that there are not many easy throw-outs. Typically half of the entrants have names that don’t feel Derby-caliber. This year there were a lot of names that had me on the fence.
Firenze Fire: Owner Ron Lombardi explained that he and his daughter often travel to Florence, Italy. “Italian for Florence is Firenze,” Lombardi said. “At the time we named the horse, Tom Hanks was premiering the movie, ‘Inferno,’ which was filmed in Florence. Firenze Fire just clicked.” The name has some good alliteration and cadence – and has a relatively bold sound, in my opinion. Enough to put it on the list of initial qualifiers.
Free Drop Billy: Owner Dennis Albaugh named the horse after a golfing buddy who often hit his ball into a lake but didn’t take a penalty - instead taking a “free drop.” Albaugh told him, “You do that again and I’m going to name a horse after you”. The name comes across as corny, in my opinion – and for whatever reason reminds me of Billy Carter getting a cheap beer named after him. An easy toss.
Promises Fulfilled: Owner Robert Baron submitted the name on Aug. 18 of last year, his 44th wedding anniversary. He told his wife, “We fulfilled all of our promises to our kids, sending them to college and doing the right things”. There are no immediate strikes against this name, but for whatever reason it doesn’t sound Derby-caliber, in my opinion. The word ‘Fulfilled’ comes across as a little clunky. On paper this horse looks like the early leader that fades well before the wire. Cute story on how the horse was named, but not a qualifier.
Flameaway: Owner John Oxley explained, “He’s a beautiful chestnut and has the look of a flaming coat. And his third dam was Flame of Tara, who was an Irish filly who won a couple of graded stakes.” Oxley said it’s also a tribute to Whirlaway, the 1941 Triple Crown winner that Oxley said was one of his favorite horses as a child. I’m a little on the fence with this name – it sounds decent but at the same time crunches two words together, which is not ideal for winning the Derby. The nod to Whirlaway and the horse’s consistency gives me pause, but in the end the name just makes me think of a horse that flames out in the stretch. Tough call, but eliminating him from the initial qualifiers.
Audible: Elliott Walden, president and racing manager of co-owner WinStar Farm, likes to use football terms for his horses’ names. A little ironic that the jockey in his last race, Johnny V, called his own audible and is riding Vino Rosso. Simple, one-word names are frequent qualifiers for the Derby name analysis and there are no immediate strikes against this one. Sprinkle in the horse’s solid racing form and it’s a must-include with the initial qualifiers.
Good Magic: The ‘Magic’ part of the name derives from the dam, Glinda The Good. “We had a list of names, and Good Magic kind of worked into everything we did,” co-owner Bob Edwards said. “Both camps liked it, and that’s how we came up with it.” I’ve been on the fence with this name. I think the Chad Brown angle and horse’s talent are tough to look past - but focusing on the name only, I think it falls a touch flat. The name ‘Magician’ sounds like a Derby fit. But the word ‘Good’ just takes away some of the punch. Won’t be leaving this guy off of my exotics tickets but for name analysis, I’m grudgingly eliminating him.
Justify: Walden said the name doesn’t have any particular significance. “We do work hard at names,” Walden said. “We think they’re important. We look at it like, ‘If this horse wins the Kentucky Derby, would this be a cool name? I don’t want ‘Jim Bob’s Corvette.’ That’s why we’ve had names like Commissioner, Constitution and Creator - names that mean something. We don’t look at mother and father like a lot of people do.” Well, it’s obvious to me that Walden has been a fan of Derby name analysis for a long time. That alone is enough to qualify this horse for the second round.
Lone Sailor: GMB Racing names most of its horses after Tom Benson, the former owner of the New Orleans Saints who died in March. “This crop of 3-year-olds, I tried to name the majority of them after his military service,” said Greg Bensel, racing manager for GMB. “We had a horse named Navy Typist because he was a typist in the Navy. Lone Sailor is a Navy award given to someone who has done more in his community following his Naval service.” I like the fact that the horse is named for a Naval award, particularly since war-themed horses have done relatively well over the year (War Admiral, War Emblem, Jet Pilot, Sea Hero). And it is certainly good that his name is not ‘Navy Typist’ which doesn’t exactly get the blood flowing. Lone Sailor sounds interesting enough for me to pass through to the second round.
Hofburg: This horse is named for the former imperial palace in Vienna, Austria. “He was named that because he is all class and beauty,” said Leif Aaron of Juddmonte Farms’ Kentucky division. A simple, one word name is usually a good fit for the Derby – and this name does have a bit of an old-school sound to it. Including in the second round.
My Boy Jack: Trainer Keith Desormeaux said the horse is named for the son of a friend of co-owner Sol Kumin. “He’s a big-time horse lover out of New York,” Desormeaux said. “He’s in the eighth grade, and his name is Jack.” It’s a small sample size, but the Derby Gods have never been fans of horses with ‘me’ and ‘my’ in them. It’s about going down in the annals of Derby history, not pleasing a cute kid and his family. Eliminating.
Bolt D’Oro: The “Bolt” is a tribute to Usain Bolt, the sprinter from Jamaica who has won eight Olympic gold medals. The rest is a tribute to the sire, Medaglia d’Oro. At first glance, the name seems okay – but overall I don’t like the mixed nature of its sound, with one English word followed by Spanish. The apostrophe is also a strike against - only two names containing apostrophes have won the Derby – Sunny’s Halo and I’ll Have Another. On paper the horse is certainly capable of winning, but for the name analysis I’m eliminating him.
Enticed: “Enticed’s dam It’s Tricky was named very aptly because she was rather tricky and she had to be enticed into doing things,” explained Emma Browne Lovatt of owner Godolphin Racing. “Hence the name Enticed for her second foal”. The one-word name definitely works in its favor – and I kind of like its implications as far as tempting people to bet on it. Will include with the initial qualifiers.
Bravazo: The horse’s name is a loose translation of the word “awesome” in Spanish – and Bravazo’s sire is Awesome Again. This name is concise and definitely has a nice ring to it. I could see it engraved on a name plate in the Churchill paddock. Including with the initial qualifiers.
Mendelssohn: The horse is named after 19th Century composer Felix Mendelssohn, whose best-known work includes music for the play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Yet another one-word name with an old-school sound to it – one that I can’t leave off of the initial qualifier’s list.
Instilled Regard: “I wanted a classy name,” owner Larry Best said. “Instilled Regard is a phrase that represents an attitude towards life…….of having respect for the competition and a desire to wish them well. Your instinct is to compete and give it your best, but Instilled Regard is an outlook on life and having respect for everyone, including your competitors.” It’s hard to put my finger on it, but I don’t think this name is a good fit for the Derby. Maybe it comes across as too classy or pretentious. Plus - a Derby winner should want to crush their competition, right? Eliminating.
Magnum Moon: Not much meaning here other that it’s a tribute to the sire, Malibu Moon. I guess it has an okay meaning – you might consider a large full moon that has just risen a ‘magnum moon’. But in my opinion it seems to fall flat for the Derby. Maybe there are just too many m’s and n’s. The horse looks dangerous, of course - but for name purposes I’m marking him off the list.
Solomini: This horse is named for the nephew of Zayat Stables racing manager Justin Zayat. “My sister always said to me, ‘When I have a kid, you better name a good horse after my son,’” Zayat said. “So I had the pressure. I chose this colt. We called him Solomini, like mini Solomon. And he’s turning out, thank God.” Originally I thought this name was a pretty good fit for the Derby, being a simple one-worder with a nice ring. But here we go again with a horse named after a kid – and they tried to throw in a cute twist, to boot. Tossing.
Vino Rosso: Co-owners Mike Repole and Vinny Viola both have Italian heritage and named this horse after the Italian words for red wine. Kind of has a catchy sound to it that rolls off the tongue – and you know the name will be popular with the ladies on Derby Day. Putting through to the second round.
Noble Indy: A combination of the sire (Take Charge Indy) and dam (Noble Maz). No major strikes against this name, but in the big picture it seems average at best. AP Indy is a great sire but I don’t recall the ‘Indy’ horses faring well in the Derby over the years (although a small sample size). Racing form suggests he is a cut below the top competition so will go ahead and eliminate him now.
Combatant: “It doesn’t have any particular significance,” Fiske said. “We go through a ton of names every year and kick them back and forth.” A one-word name with no major strikes against it – and yet another old-school-sounding name linked to war. Passing through to the second round.
First 10 Qualifiers:
Firenze Fire
Audible
Justify
Lone Sailor
Hofburg
Enticed
Bravazo
Mendelssohn
Vino Rosso
Combatant
Further Analysis:
Despite the nice names, Firenze Fire and Combatant seem up against it on paper. Firenze Fire looks like he will prefer shorter distances and has to overcome the #1 post; Combatant is consistent but looks to be a 4th-place-at-best horse in this tough field. Will have to eliminate them from the final five.
I love Audible on paper, but from a name standpoint it just doesn’t seem like a good fit with the majority of past Derby winners. Tough to leave him off the final list, but going with my gut that his name is a little too plain for the Derby gods.
Mendelssohn is a relatively cool name, particularly for music lovers. But for whatever reason I feel like the musical names do better on turf and don’t fare well in the Derby. Plus – you know, the whole Dubai to Derby thing. Tossing from the finalists.
The last elimination always seems like the toughest. I love the name Bravazo but the Risen Star results appear fluky at this point, and it’s hard to endorse a horse that finished so badly in its last race. Would be a big story if D Wayne Lukas returned to the Derby winner’s circle, but grudgingly scratching him from the list of finalists.
Final List of potential winners:
Justify
Enticed
Hofburg
Lone Sailor
Vino Rosso
Justify: Not only did the owners think ahead, choosing a bold-sounding name for the horse in case they made the Derby - they got an ultra-talented colt, to boot. An easy finalist pick.
Enticed: I felt lukewarm on this name originally – even though it’s nice and concise, it is debatable on how well it fits with past Derby winners. The more I thought about, though, the more it seemed worthy. On paper it looks like he could be flying under the radar with the dangerous Godolphin-McLaughlin-Alvarado combination; also 1 for 1 at Churchill and if he follows his pattern of winning every other race………
Hofburg: The simple, old-school name seems like a great fit with past Derby winners. On paper it looks like perhaps a little too much too soon, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if Bill Mott and Irad Ortiz worked some magic on Derby Day.
Lone Sailor: This one would definitely be a shocker but I really liked the fit with some of the past Derby winners. Could the horse honoring Tom Benson pull off the shocker as the Jazz Festival is cranked up in New Orleans?
Vino Rosso: I typically don’t go for the foreign-word names, but it just seems like a good fit with past Derby winners. On paper Vino Rosso looks pretty solid. If you bet this horse, you’re hoping to hear Larry Collmus rolling some Italian R’s in the stretch run.
Positives:
- Names that have a bold sound or a ring to them (Strike the Gold, Charismatic)
- Names that seem to flow smoothly off the tongue (Sunday Silence, Street Sense)
- Names that sound a little old-fashioned (Go for Gin, War Emblem)
Negatives:
- Names with words crunched together (Sweetnorthernsaint, Atswhatimtalknbout)
- Names with abbreviations or apostrophes (Serena’s Song, Unbridled’s Song)
- Names that are devoid of meaning or seem like two random words thrown together (Excellent Meeting, General Challenge)
- Names that sound weak in general (Mister Frisky, Afternoon Deelites, Happy Jazz Band)
The ultimate litmus test to me is reading through past Derby winners and then deciding if a name would be a good fit. Would it belong on a name plate in the Churchill paddock area? With 20 horses you do have to sprinkle in a little racing form logic to get down to the final five. The analysis was more consistent in the 80’s and 90’s, so perhaps this is as antiquated as the dual qualifiers - but it’s still fun to break down the names every year. Of course a lot of it is subjective as well.
Past Hits:
Sunday Silence
Unbridled
Strike the Gold
Sea Hero
Go for Gin
Thunder Gulch
Grindstone
Silver Charm
Real Quiet
Charismatic
Monarchos
War Emblem
Barbaro
Street Sense
Animal Kingdom
Orb
California Chrome
Nyquist
Past Misses:
Lil E. Tee
Fusaichi Pegasus
Funny Cide
Smarty Jones
Giacomo
Big Brown
Mine That Bird
Super Saver
I’ll Have Another
American Pharoah
Always Dreaming
2018 Name Analysis:
This year seems particularly tough in that there are not many easy throw-outs. Typically half of the entrants have names that don’t feel Derby-caliber. This year there were a lot of names that had me on the fence.
Firenze Fire: Owner Ron Lombardi explained that he and his daughter often travel to Florence, Italy. “Italian for Florence is Firenze,” Lombardi said. “At the time we named the horse, Tom Hanks was premiering the movie, ‘Inferno,’ which was filmed in Florence. Firenze Fire just clicked.” The name has some good alliteration and cadence – and has a relatively bold sound, in my opinion. Enough to put it on the list of initial qualifiers.
Free Drop Billy: Owner Dennis Albaugh named the horse after a golfing buddy who often hit his ball into a lake but didn’t take a penalty - instead taking a “free drop.” Albaugh told him, “You do that again and I’m going to name a horse after you”. The name comes across as corny, in my opinion – and for whatever reason reminds me of Billy Carter getting a cheap beer named after him. An easy toss.
Promises Fulfilled: Owner Robert Baron submitted the name on Aug. 18 of last year, his 44th wedding anniversary. He told his wife, “We fulfilled all of our promises to our kids, sending them to college and doing the right things”. There are no immediate strikes against this name, but for whatever reason it doesn’t sound Derby-caliber, in my opinion. The word ‘Fulfilled’ comes across as a little clunky. On paper this horse looks like the early leader that fades well before the wire. Cute story on how the horse was named, but not a qualifier.
Flameaway: Owner John Oxley explained, “He’s a beautiful chestnut and has the look of a flaming coat. And his third dam was Flame of Tara, who was an Irish filly who won a couple of graded stakes.” Oxley said it’s also a tribute to Whirlaway, the 1941 Triple Crown winner that Oxley said was one of his favorite horses as a child. I’m a little on the fence with this name – it sounds decent but at the same time crunches two words together, which is not ideal for winning the Derby. The nod to Whirlaway and the horse’s consistency gives me pause, but in the end the name just makes me think of a horse that flames out in the stretch. Tough call, but eliminating him from the initial qualifiers.
Audible: Elliott Walden, president and racing manager of co-owner WinStar Farm, likes to use football terms for his horses’ names. A little ironic that the jockey in his last race, Johnny V, called his own audible and is riding Vino Rosso. Simple, one-word names are frequent qualifiers for the Derby name analysis and there are no immediate strikes against this one. Sprinkle in the horse’s solid racing form and it’s a must-include with the initial qualifiers.
Good Magic: The ‘Magic’ part of the name derives from the dam, Glinda The Good. “We had a list of names, and Good Magic kind of worked into everything we did,” co-owner Bob Edwards said. “Both camps liked it, and that’s how we came up with it.” I’ve been on the fence with this name. I think the Chad Brown angle and horse’s talent are tough to look past - but focusing on the name only, I think it falls a touch flat. The name ‘Magician’ sounds like a Derby fit. But the word ‘Good’ just takes away some of the punch. Won’t be leaving this guy off of my exotics tickets but for name analysis, I’m grudgingly eliminating him.
Justify: Walden said the name doesn’t have any particular significance. “We do work hard at names,” Walden said. “We think they’re important. We look at it like, ‘If this horse wins the Kentucky Derby, would this be a cool name? I don’t want ‘Jim Bob’s Corvette.’ That’s why we’ve had names like Commissioner, Constitution and Creator - names that mean something. We don’t look at mother and father like a lot of people do.” Well, it’s obvious to me that Walden has been a fan of Derby name analysis for a long time. That alone is enough to qualify this horse for the second round.
Lone Sailor: GMB Racing names most of its horses after Tom Benson, the former owner of the New Orleans Saints who died in March. “This crop of 3-year-olds, I tried to name the majority of them after his military service,” said Greg Bensel, racing manager for GMB. “We had a horse named Navy Typist because he was a typist in the Navy. Lone Sailor is a Navy award given to someone who has done more in his community following his Naval service.” I like the fact that the horse is named for a Naval award, particularly since war-themed horses have done relatively well over the year (War Admiral, War Emblem, Jet Pilot, Sea Hero). And it is certainly good that his name is not ‘Navy Typist’ which doesn’t exactly get the blood flowing. Lone Sailor sounds interesting enough for me to pass through to the second round.
Hofburg: This horse is named for the former imperial palace in Vienna, Austria. “He was named that because he is all class and beauty,” said Leif Aaron of Juddmonte Farms’ Kentucky division. A simple, one word name is usually a good fit for the Derby – and this name does have a bit of an old-school sound to it. Including in the second round.
My Boy Jack: Trainer Keith Desormeaux said the horse is named for the son of a friend of co-owner Sol Kumin. “He’s a big-time horse lover out of New York,” Desormeaux said. “He’s in the eighth grade, and his name is Jack.” It’s a small sample size, but the Derby Gods have never been fans of horses with ‘me’ and ‘my’ in them. It’s about going down in the annals of Derby history, not pleasing a cute kid and his family. Eliminating.
Bolt D’Oro: The “Bolt” is a tribute to Usain Bolt, the sprinter from Jamaica who has won eight Olympic gold medals. The rest is a tribute to the sire, Medaglia d’Oro. At first glance, the name seems okay – but overall I don’t like the mixed nature of its sound, with one English word followed by Spanish. The apostrophe is also a strike against - only two names containing apostrophes have won the Derby – Sunny’s Halo and I’ll Have Another. On paper the horse is certainly capable of winning, but for the name analysis I’m eliminating him.
Enticed: “Enticed’s dam It’s Tricky was named very aptly because she was rather tricky and she had to be enticed into doing things,” explained Emma Browne Lovatt of owner Godolphin Racing. “Hence the name Enticed for her second foal”. The one-word name definitely works in its favor – and I kind of like its implications as far as tempting people to bet on it. Will include with the initial qualifiers.
Bravazo: The horse’s name is a loose translation of the word “awesome” in Spanish – and Bravazo’s sire is Awesome Again. This name is concise and definitely has a nice ring to it. I could see it engraved on a name plate in the Churchill paddock. Including with the initial qualifiers.
Mendelssohn: The horse is named after 19th Century composer Felix Mendelssohn, whose best-known work includes music for the play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Yet another one-word name with an old-school sound to it – one that I can’t leave off of the initial qualifier’s list.
Instilled Regard: “I wanted a classy name,” owner Larry Best said. “Instilled Regard is a phrase that represents an attitude towards life…….of having respect for the competition and a desire to wish them well. Your instinct is to compete and give it your best, but Instilled Regard is an outlook on life and having respect for everyone, including your competitors.” It’s hard to put my finger on it, but I don’t think this name is a good fit for the Derby. Maybe it comes across as too classy or pretentious. Plus - a Derby winner should want to crush their competition, right? Eliminating.
Magnum Moon: Not much meaning here other that it’s a tribute to the sire, Malibu Moon. I guess it has an okay meaning – you might consider a large full moon that has just risen a ‘magnum moon’. But in my opinion it seems to fall flat for the Derby. Maybe there are just too many m’s and n’s. The horse looks dangerous, of course - but for name purposes I’m marking him off the list.
Solomini: This horse is named for the nephew of Zayat Stables racing manager Justin Zayat. “My sister always said to me, ‘When I have a kid, you better name a good horse after my son,’” Zayat said. “So I had the pressure. I chose this colt. We called him Solomini, like mini Solomon. And he’s turning out, thank God.” Originally I thought this name was a pretty good fit for the Derby, being a simple one-worder with a nice ring. But here we go again with a horse named after a kid – and they tried to throw in a cute twist, to boot. Tossing.
Vino Rosso: Co-owners Mike Repole and Vinny Viola both have Italian heritage and named this horse after the Italian words for red wine. Kind of has a catchy sound to it that rolls off the tongue – and you know the name will be popular with the ladies on Derby Day. Putting through to the second round.
Noble Indy: A combination of the sire (Take Charge Indy) and dam (Noble Maz). No major strikes against this name, but in the big picture it seems average at best. AP Indy is a great sire but I don’t recall the ‘Indy’ horses faring well in the Derby over the years (although a small sample size). Racing form suggests he is a cut below the top competition so will go ahead and eliminate him now.
Combatant: “It doesn’t have any particular significance,” Fiske said. “We go through a ton of names every year and kick them back and forth.” A one-word name with no major strikes against it – and yet another old-school-sounding name linked to war. Passing through to the second round.
First 10 Qualifiers:
Firenze Fire
Audible
Justify
Lone Sailor
Hofburg
Enticed
Bravazo
Mendelssohn
Vino Rosso
Combatant
Further Analysis:
Despite the nice names, Firenze Fire and Combatant seem up against it on paper. Firenze Fire looks like he will prefer shorter distances and has to overcome the #1 post; Combatant is consistent but looks to be a 4th-place-at-best horse in this tough field. Will have to eliminate them from the final five.
I love Audible on paper, but from a name standpoint it just doesn’t seem like a good fit with the majority of past Derby winners. Tough to leave him off the final list, but going with my gut that his name is a little too plain for the Derby gods.
Mendelssohn is a relatively cool name, particularly for music lovers. But for whatever reason I feel like the musical names do better on turf and don’t fare well in the Derby. Plus – you know, the whole Dubai to Derby thing. Tossing from the finalists.
The last elimination always seems like the toughest. I love the name Bravazo but the Risen Star results appear fluky at this point, and it’s hard to endorse a horse that finished so badly in its last race. Would be a big story if D Wayne Lukas returned to the Derby winner’s circle, but grudgingly scratching him from the list of finalists.
Final List of potential winners:
Justify
Enticed
Hofburg
Lone Sailor
Vino Rosso
Justify: Not only did the owners think ahead, choosing a bold-sounding name for the horse in case they made the Derby - they got an ultra-talented colt, to boot. An easy finalist pick.
Enticed: I felt lukewarm on this name originally – even though it’s nice and concise, it is debatable on how well it fits with past Derby winners. The more I thought about, though, the more it seemed worthy. On paper it looks like he could be flying under the radar with the dangerous Godolphin-McLaughlin-Alvarado combination; also 1 for 1 at Churchill and if he follows his pattern of winning every other race………
Hofburg: The simple, old-school name seems like a great fit with past Derby winners. On paper it looks like perhaps a little too much too soon, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if Bill Mott and Irad Ortiz worked some magic on Derby Day.
Lone Sailor: This one would definitely be a shocker but I really liked the fit with some of the past Derby winners. Could the horse honoring Tom Benson pull off the shocker as the Jazz Festival is cranked up in New Orleans?
Vino Rosso: I typically don’t go for the foreign-word names, but it just seems like a good fit with past Derby winners. On paper Vino Rosso looks pretty solid. If you bet this horse, you’re hoping to hear Larry Collmus rolling some Italian R’s in the stretch run.
