2007 Kentucky Derby

It's known as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports" or "The Run For The Roses" and on the first Saturday of every May the sports world's attention turns to Churchill Downs in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Horse Racing and features 20 3-year-old thoroughbreds running over one and a quarter miles for a $2 million purse. The second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, is held on May 19 at Pimlico in Baltimore. While the Belmont Stakes, held in Elmont, New York, rounds out the series on June 9th. There has not been a Triple Crown winner since Steve Gauthin, then 18, guided Affirmed to the fete in 1978. Since there are only 20 available spots in the Derby, the field is based on the top 20 horses on the graded stakes earnings list. This year, two horses that were in the top 20 and eligible to run for the roses, Cobalt Blue and Xchanger, withdrew from the race. That opened up spots for Imawildandcrazyguy and Teuflesberg.Cobalt Blue's owner, Merv Griffin, didn't feel his horse was ready and decided to withdraw him after a recent seventh-place finish in the Illinois Derby. The Derby is an extremely popular spectator sport with attendance usually set around 155,000 fans. In 1974 the Derby set a record of 163,628, one which may never be broken due to the infield being reduced to 40 acres in 1988. This year the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby will feature a little bit of royalty. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh are planning on attending the race during their six day tour of the United States. The Queen is a horse enthusiast who owns and breeds thoroughbreds in England. There will be a special winner's circle ceremony Saturday to honour last year's winner Barbaro. The 2006 Kentucky Derby winner was euthanized four months ago after trying unsuccessfully to recover from ankle surgery for eight months. Barbaro was injured at the 2006 Preakness Stakes when three bones in his ankle were broken following the start of the race.Cruel Kev's Kentucky Derby PicksWIN: Street SensePLACE: Scat DaddySHOW: Storm In MayField for Saturday's 133rd Kentucky Derby, with post position, horse's name, jockey's name and odds:
1. Sedgefield Leparoux 50-1
2. Curlin Albarado 7-2
3. Zanjero Bridgmohan 30-1
4. Storm in May Leyva 30-1
5. Imawildandcrazyguy Guidry 50-1
6. Cowtown Cat Jara 20-1
7. Street Sense Borel 4-1
8. Hard Spun Pino 15-1
9. Liquidity Flores 30-1
10. Teuflesberg Elliott 30-1
11. Bwana Bull Castellano 50-1
12. Nobiz Like Shobiz Velasquez 8-1
13. Sam P. Dominguez 20-1
14. Scat Daddy Prado 10-1
15. Tiago Smith 15-1
16. Circular Quay Velazquez 8-1
17. Stormello Desormeaux 30-1
18. Any Given Saturday Gomez 12-1
19. Dominican Bejarano 20-1
20. Great Hunter Nakatani 15-1