The Kentucky Derby start time and official post time is 6:24 pm ET this Saturday from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby and this season there are several Long Shots in the event, including Giant Finish, who has been installed as 50/1 Odds to win the Derby.
Giant Finish (50-1): Record: 2-1-1 in 5 Races. Trainer: Anthony Dutrow. Jockey: Jose Espinoza. Sire: Frost Giant. Dam: Apocalyptic.
Giant Finish was bred by Andy Cohen out of the Hickman Creek mare Apocalyptic and has a 2-1-1 record from five starts, with earnings of $133,050. He races for Cohen's Sunrise Stables in partnership with Gary Tolchin, Aubrey Flanagan, and Bob Smith. He earned his victories on the dirt at Aqueduct Racetrack and notched his in-the-money finishes on Polytrack, finishing second in the March 2 John Battaglia Memorial Handicap at Turfway Park prior to the Spiral.
The horse was not in the Derby discussion until late Tuesday afternoon, when the owners - the Sunrise Stable - decided they wanted to run. The latest move capped a busy two-day period during which the field for Saturday's race remained in flux. After several horses were withdrawn Monday, the field shrank to 19, one under the limit. The open slot did not last long as Fear the Kitten stepped in, bringing the Derby up to a full complement. He wasn't there long. Turns out, Giant Finish had enough points to surpass Fear the Kitten under the new system this year that determines Derby eligibility. Giant Finish earned 10 points for a third-place finish in the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park, trumping the six held by Fear the Kitten.
Giant Finish last worked at Fair Hill Training Center on April 25, going four furlongs in :49 2/5. He will ship by van from Fair Hill May 1 and arrive at Churchill the morning of May 2, in time to meet the requirement for Derby horses to be on the grounds in advance of the race. He said the owners were trying to line up a rider for the race and that he would have someone other than himself saddle the horse for the Derby.
"I am so surprised by all of this," said Tony Dutrow, Giant Finish's trainer. Dutrow had planned to run Giant Finish in a May allowance race at Belmont Park. The horse, currently at Fair Hill training center in Maryland, will arrive on the Churchill Downs grounds by the Thursday morning deadline.
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