Kentucky Derby Blog

Pyro is one of the most expected 2008 Kentucky Derby contenders. Here is his bio.
- Pedigree:
Pyro is a son of Pulpit, the 1997 Blue Grass S. (G2) winner who led the Kentucky Derby (G1) field before fading to finish fourth behind Silver Charm. A son of Horse of the Year and multiple leading sire A.P. Indy (who is by 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew), Pulpit is the sire of more than 30 stakes winners, including several promising three-year-olds of the past such as Purge, Tapit, Essence of Dubai and Sky Mesa. Much was expected from these four on their attempts at the Triple Crown series, but they all disappointed, which could lead one to suspect that Pulpit’s offspring are best suited to a mile distance.
- Trainer: Steve Asmussen
- Jockey: Shaun Bridgmohan
- Foaling Date: 2-19-2005
- Dosage Profile: 8-3-7-0-0
- Dosage Index/CD: 4.14 1.06
- 2007 Record: 4 starts 4-1-2-1 $480,000

Pyro finished the 2nd in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Pyro

According to a press release Tuesday from the Leo Kesting Gallery in New York, “The Barbaro Memorial Statue” by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards will be unveiled April 30, the week leading up to this year’s May 3 Kentucky Derby.

The press release states that the statue, courtesy of the Kesting Gallery, will depict Barbaro “in the winner’s circle, on his back, with his number 8 saddle cloth draping his belly, and hooves in the air, representing his inability to stand on his feet due to the debilitating laminitis which followed the shattered ankle he suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.”

Barbaro drew international attention in his quest for survival after being injured during the Preakness. The scintillating winner of the 2006 Kentucky Derby eventually succumbed to the infirmities of laminitis and was euthanized Jan. 29, 2007.

barbaro

Dosage Index

This is by far the most popular way of examining who can make the Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles and who can’t. A simple explanation is that dosage figures a given contender’s distance potential based on stallions from the first 4 generations of that horse’s pedigree. It’s a genetically-based theory that takes into account not only how well certain ancestors of the horse did, but also how far back in the horse’s line they are. Points are awarded for speed and stamina of top-notch horses that often appear in contenders’ pedigrees. These super stallions are called “chefs de race.” Any horse with a dosage of 4.00 or less is supposed to be able to make the derby distance. So far, since the derby began in 1875, only four winners have had dosages higher than 4.00; however, all of those were relatively recently. They were Strike The Gold in 1991, Real Quiet in 1998, Charismatic in 1999 and Giacomo in 2005. Because of a reclassification of his sire, Strike the Gold would now qualify. For details, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosage_Index

Dual Qualifiers (DQ)
Dual qualifiers are those horses that not only have a dosage of 4.00 or less but also are within 10 pounds of the high weight in the Experimental Free Handicap rating. It is based only on races from the contenders’ 2-year-old season. The last Dual Qualifier to win the Kentucky Derby was Silver Charm in 1997. This year’s dual qualifiers are (with weight and dosage index): Dixie Chatter (120, 3.00); Into Mischief (120, 1.50); Court Vision (119, 3.67); Georgie Boy (119, 1.67); Wicked Style (119, 3.00); Kodiak Kowboy (118, 2.00); Majestic Warrior (118, 3.00); Tale of Ekati (118, 2.00).

War Pass, with a dosage of 4.09, is not a dual qualifier. Neither is Pyro (4.14). Colonel John, one of the leading West Coast candidates, also missed as a dual qualifier because his Experimental weight is 116 pounds, 11 fewer than War Pass.

2008 Dual Qualifiers

1/12/08 San Rafael Stakes1/12/08 Lecomte Stakes1/27/08 California Derby2/2/08 Swale Stakes2/2/08 Robert B. Lewis Stakes2/9/08 Turf Paradise Derby2/9/08 Risen Star Stakes2/10/08 San Vicente Stakes2/16/08 Sam F. Davis Stakes2/16/08 Borderland Derby2/18/08 Southwest Stakes2/24/08 Fountain of Youth Stakes3/1/08 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes3/1/08 Sham Stakes3/8/08 Louisiana Derby3/8/08 El Camino Real Derby3/8/08 Gotham Stakes3/15/08 San Felipe Stakes3/15/08 Rebel Stakes3/15/08 Tampa Bay Derby3/16/08 WinStar Derby3/22/08 Rushaway Stakes3/22/08 Lane's End Stakes3/29/08 Florida Derby3/29/08 U.A.E. Derby4/5/08 Santa Anita Derby4/5/08 Wood Memorial4/5/08 Illinois Derby4/12/08 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes4/12/08 Arkansas Derby4/12/08 Holy Bull Stakes4/19/08 Federico Tesio Stakes4/19/08 Coolmore Lexington Stakes4/26/08 Derby Trial4/26/08 Withers Stakes5/3/08 KENTUCKY DERBY 134

The prep race results are available at KentuckyDerby.com.

Kentucky Derby Prep Races

Although there is no definitive history on the playing of the Stephen Foster ballad as a Derby Day tradition it is believed to have had its origin in 1921 for the 47th running of the classic.

The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top’s ripe and the meadow’s in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright;
By’n by hard times comes a knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, Good-night!

Weep no more my lady. Oh! Weep no more today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home, far away.

click here to listen

Horse             Trainer       Jockey           Graded EarningsAnak Nakal        Nick Zito     Julien Leparoux      $189,716Blackberry Road   David Carroll Calvin Borel          $93,417Court Vision      Bill Mott     Julien Leparoux      $221,872Cowboy Cal        Todd Pletcher John Velazquez        $57,660Etched            Kiaran McLaughlin Alan Garcia       $64,680Majestic Warrior  Bill Mott     Garrett Gomez        $158,000Pyro              Steve Asmussen Shaun Bridgmohan    $480,000War Pass          Nick Zito     Cornelio Velasquez $1,320,000 

Kentucky Derby 2008, kentucky derby contenders