I Take the One Less Traveled By
With less than three weeks to go, Bellamy Road is far and away the Kentucky Derby favorite thanks to his eye-popping, jaw-dropping, 17 1/2 length, record-setting, 120 Beyer figure Wood Memorial win.
That was a pretty good performance.
But the Kentucky Derby isn't a six furlong sprint with a short field; to the fastest goes the roses isn't a rule. As Michael Hammersly points out in the Daily Racing Form -- sub. req.:
There's also the matter of his inexperience -- Bellamy Road has had only five races, in which he's won four, three of those wire-to-wire -- and even with a four week layoff, he can't escape the specter of bounce. These are objections serious enough that I'll pass on hopping the Bellamy bandwagon. He's unquestionably a top five Derby prospect, but he's no sure thing. I'll take Afleet Alex, Bandini, and Noble Causeway ahead of George Steinbrenner's freaky little colt.
Related: "Can Afleet Alex beat Bellamy Road on Derby day? Absolutely," says Bob Neumeier. (MSNBC)
Posted by JC, Apr 20, 2005 10:55 AM
