THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2009
SPORTS
》 HORSE RACING
7B
Exercise rider Keith Allen, left, watches Kentucky Derby hopeful Z Huron's trainer Bill Mott pat his Derby entry on the head during morning workouts for the 134th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Wednesday in Louisville. Kv.
Trainer takes two to Derby
Bill Mott is optimistic about his chances in Kentucky
BY RICHARD ROSENBLATT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At least two trainers with a chance to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday have been wearing New York Yankees caps this week — Eoin Harty and Bill Mott.
"I work for Steinbrenner, so I got mine for free," Mott boasted the other morning at Churchill Downs, the blue cap fitting snugly on his head. "It's unfortunate his horse didn't make it to the Derby this year."
Yankees' boss George Steinbrenner's Majestic Warrior won't be around Derby day, but two other Mott-trained 3-year-old colts will — Court Vision and Z Humor. Harty, who trains Colonel John but does not have
horses with Steinbrenner, said he bought his Yankees' cap.
For Mott,
two Derby
horses is heady
stuff. The Hall
of Famer with
more wins
at Churchill
Downs than
Mott has been able to join in just three times, with poor results. His best finish was eighth by Favorite Trick, the second betting choice in the field.
"It's a slightly empty feeling if you're not in it," the 54-year-old
any other trainer has never won the Derby, never been close on the rare occasions he had a horse in the race.
"I'm excited about the Derby, but I try to be realistic about the whole thing."
For nearly 30 years, Mott has watched hundreds of Derby horses parade past his barn on a path leading to the track, calling it "a great scene and nice to be part of in the years you're able to"
Mott said, "I suppose you have to wait your turn."
This could be the year, though. Court Vision, winner of the Hopeful Stakes as a 2-year-old, has been a solid performer this year.
The son of Gulch finished third in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Wood Memorial in his two preps, and will be ridden by Garrett Gomez, the nation's leading rider last year.
"There's a lot to like about Court Vision," said fellow Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. "First, you've got Bill Mott and second you've got the best rider in the country on him. Neither one has a Derby, and maybe if they hold hands and do it together it might come to pass."
Z Humor comes into the Derby
BILL MOTT Trainer
off a third-place finish in the Illinois Derby. Rene Douglas has the mount.
"I feel pretty good about both horses," Mott said. "They both have pedigree that say they
should get the trip (of 1¼ miles), and Court Vision's running style certainly indicates he can."
Mott is not the most emotional trainer in the game, with a wry smile about the best reaction you'll get out of him after he wins. And he's won a lot, more than 3,700 times, including 584 at Churchill. He says he's passionate about winning, and a Derby triumph would be a thrill.
"I care," he said. "I don't like to lose. Winning and losing sort of determines your whole mood."
Derby, Mott will always have Cigar, who won 16 consecutive races in the mid 1990s and was voted Horse of the Year in 1995 and 1996. Cigar didn't run in the Derby.
Whatever happens in the
"I've already been lucky enough to maybe train the best horse I'll ever train," he said, "but that doesn't mean that we're going to stop looking and hoping and try to get something as equally good. I was very lucky to have Cigar."
Mott, who lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with his wife and four children, grew up around horses in South Dakota. His father was a veterinarian, and Mott owned and trained his first horse, a $320 mare named My Assets, when he was 15. He opened a public stable in 1978.
For years, Mott has trained some of the top older horses, winning the Breeders' Cup Turf with Theatrical in 1987 and Fraise in 1992, and the BC Distaff with Ajina in 1997 and Escena in 1998.
Last year, he was back in the 2-year-old business for the first time in years. Besides Steinbrenner's Kinsman Farm sending him juveniles, Zayat Stables sent him Z Humor and WinStar Farm sent him Court Vision, co-owned by IEAH Stable. He nominated 10 juveniles to the Triple Crown races, following a summer in which he won the Saratoga training title with 27 victories — 11 by his 2-year-olds capped by Majestic Humor's win in the Hopeful Stakes.
"I'm excited about the Derby, but I try to be realistic about the whole thing," he said. "We've been here before and we'll try. And if we don't succeed this year, we'll be back next year and hopefully try again."
Unbeaten in three career starts, Florida Derby winner Big Brown was stamped the 3-1 favorite for Saturday's 1¼-mile Derby after drawing the far outside No. 20 post position. Eight Belles, taking on the boys for the first time, drew the No. 5 post and was 20-1 on the morning line set by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Big Brown's all in and so is the filly Eight Belles, a perfect combination for an intriguing 134th Kentucky Derby.
KENTUCKY DERBY Horses match up for an exciting run Saturday
FORMULA 1
"I feel that if we run our race, and he breaks clean, I don't see a horse as of yet that can beat Big Brown,"trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said Wednesday. "I just don't see it. I don't want to see it, either."
Colonel John, the best 3-yearold in the West, was the second betting choice at 4-1. Pyro, a one-time Derby favorite, was next at 6-1 in the full 20-horse field. Every other horse in the field was 15-1 or higher.
Racer survives violent crash McLaren's driver Kovalainen hits tire wall at 80 mph
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"We prefer just to break on the outside." Dutrow said.
The only Derby winner from the No.20 post was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.
Finnish McLaren-Mercedes Formula One driver Heikki Kovalainen crashes Sunday during the Spanish Grand Prix at the Catalonian racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain. McLaren's pursuit of Formula One leader Ferrari is suddenly not just about matching the Italian team in technology. Heikki Kovalainen's violent crash at the Spanish Grand Prix has created an emotional hurdle, too.
BY PAUL LOGOTHETIS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Associated Press
Kimi Raikkonen led Ferrari to its third straight win at Barcelona and moved the Italian team into the lead in the drivers and constructors standings. Raikkonen has 29 points. McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton has 20 points after finishing third.
Felipe Massa, Raikkonen's Ferrari teammate who was coming off a victory at Bahrain, was second 3.228 seconds behind.
MADRID, Spain — McLaren's pursuit of F1 leader Ferrari is suddenly not just about matching the Italian team in the technology department. A violent crash at the Spanish Grand Prix has created an emotional hurdle, too.
Hamilton's showing after two poor races would normally be cause for celebration at McLaren, but was muted by teammate Heikki Kovalainen undergoing b
head scans after his car ran into a tire wall at about 80 mph.
Finn was k n o c k e d unconscious and does not remember the accident. He escaped with scrapes and a minor concus-
Dr. Steve Olvey, a founding member of the FIA institute for
which the team believes occurred when a wheel rim failed.
It's another obstacle for McLaren in a bid for its first title since 1999.
motor sport, safety,said on Tuesday that Kovalainen was lucky to be alive.
"Not really that long ago, that could easily have been a very devastating crash, even a fatal crash."
"It's just a testament to all that's been done in the last several years to make the cars safer and the race tracks and barriers they run into safer."
STEVE OLVEY Founding member of FIA
pry his mangle car out, with his exposed feet sticking out of its front.
sion and is already looking to return to the driver's seat for the Turkish GP on May 11.
Olvey expects the FIA to investigate how it can remove unconscious drivers more quickly. He also won't be surprised to see Kovalainen driving at Istanbul.
Kovalainen will rest while McLaren investigates the crash.
"Before we would just have to guess and go on kind of how the driver felt and length of time from the crash. Now we have a scientific way to determine when to go back," Olvey said.
"If you let those things get to your mind then you are in trouble," Hamilton said after the Barcelona race. "Our car should be strong in Turkey ... where hopefully Heikki will be back in his usual fine form."
He'll need to be if he does return.
Ferrari will be confident going into Istanbul. Massa won there for the past two years and Raikkonen won there in 2005 while driving for McLaren.
Hamilton said he had full confidence about slipping into the McLaren again despite the mechanical failure.
"My focus is on getting better as soon as possible so I can pass the FIA medical inspection required to allow me to race in Turkey," said Kovalainen, who was discharged from the hospital on Monday.
said Olvey, who first worked as a track physician at Indianapolis in 1966. "It's just a testament to all that's been done in the last several years to make the cars safer and the race tracks and barriers they run into safer."
The tire wall destroyed half of Kovalainen's car and left the driver out of sight. It took race stewards nearly 10 minutes to