The vault is back open! This time around from now till Weds, I will be doing three horses per day. 2 of them will be Derby winners and 1 Oaks winner. The reason is that I find there are more videos on YouTube of the Derby then there are of the Oaks. However, Weds Oaks will will have possibly the longest post recap ever (I'll give you a clue who it is her name begins with a R (wink, wink)). Today I will doing three races, the 1992 Derby, 2008 Oaks and 2000 Derby.
1992 Derby (Lil E. Tee)
The previous year's BC Juvenile winner Arazi was back, however he was not the same horse that he was as a 2yo. The French based colt was sent off as a mid priced shot. The favorite was the Irish bred Dr. Devious who was bought by Sidney Craig (the husband to Jenny Craig yes THAT Jenny Craig). Coming off a win in the AR Derby was Pine Bluff who had a chance to give Danzig his first Derby winner. Also coming out of that race was Little E. Tee who had finished second behind Pine Bluff in the AR Derby and was 3rd right behind him in the Southwest. Inbetween those two races he won the Jim Beam. In the end, the PA bred by At the Thresold shocked everybody to defeat fellow longshots Casual Lies and Dance Floor to give Pat Day his only Derby win.
Pine Bluff who finished 5th in the Derby extracted revenge on the Derby winner by winning the Preakness. With there being no chance for a Triple Crown, Lil E. Tee skipped the Belmont and did not race again at 3. Niether Pine Bluff or Lil E. Tee where named 3yo Champion Male. That went to AP Indy who won the Belmont and then defeated Older in the Breeders' Cup Classic to also earn Horse of the Year honors. He probley would have joined his dad Seattle Slew as a TC winner if he hadn't gotten ill before the Derby. Lil E. Tee stood in Kentucky until his death in 2009.
2008 Oaks (Proud Spell)
As a 2yo, Proud Spell was the second fiddle to Indian Blessing. As a 3yo she started the same way as well, until she defeated the two year old champ in the Fair Grounds Oaks. After a poor race in the Ashland, she was as haralded as she was after her defeat of Indian Blessing. The it horse was her own stablemate, Eight Belles. However, after the amazing filly decided to run in the Derby, the Proud Citizen filly went off as the favorite again and won over Little Belle and Pure Clan.
Of course the next day tragedy struck as Eight Belles broke down after her gallent second place finish and was euthanized. Proud Spell kept her late stablemate's legacy in tact though with wins in the Delaware Oaks, and Alabama to snag 3yo Filly honors over Music Note. Proud Spell now lives at had a Tiznow foal this year and has a Indian Charlie yearling.
2000 Derby (Fusaichi Pegasus)
1992, Pine Bluff finished was fifth. He indirectly made it into the winners circle in 2000. That's when his nephew the Mr. Prospector colt Fusaichi Pegasus became the first favorite since 1979 to win the Run for the Roses. FuPeg as he is effectionally called dam is Pine Bluff's full sister. In the race he defeated Trippi who has the Oaks favorite this year in R Heat Lightning, and arch rivals Hal's Hope and High Yield as well as super sire More Than Ready.
Red Bullet denied FuPeg the Triple Crown with a win in the Preakness. He was also denied 3yo Champion Male honors when Tiznow shocked the world to win what be the first of 2 BC Classic wins (and 1 HOY title). Fusaichi Pegasus now stands at Ashford Stud in Kentucky. His best US foal is Haskell winner Roman Ruler.
Tomorrow: 1979 Derby, 1987 Oaks, 1996 Derby
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