Title: "Key Horses to Watch in the 151st Kentucky Derby: Insights from FanDuelTV’s Christina Blacker"
The Kentucky Derby is America’s signature race, Christina Blacker with FanDuelTV said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 151st Kentucky Derby is shaping up to be another exciting year and there are a few standout horses you should be paying attention to before they’re off to the races.
"The Kentucky Derby is America’s signature race," Christina Blacker with FanDuelTV said.
FanDuel is an online gambling platform and throughout the horse racing season, they’ve been offering insights to help people make decisions on possible winners.
Blacker has been a fan of horse racing since she was young. "I grew up in the game of horse racing. My dad was a jockey, so I’ve been around horses my entire life," she said.
Blacker said there are a few horses people should keep an eye on.
A favorite to win at this year’s Derby is Journalism.
Blacker said he’s won his past two races in California and is what horse racing enthusiasts call an Omni Fig horse. This means his speed figures in his 3-year-old season are faster than any other speed figures earned by any other horse on the field.
"So on paper, he really is a significant standout," Blacker said.
She said Journalism’s trainer, Michael McCarthy, was displaced by the Eaton fires. "It’s been a really hard year for them. To have a horse like this and maybe be sitting on a career and lifelong goal, amidst so many ups and downs, it’s been a rollercoaster for him," Blacker said.
She was also interested in Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott, for this year’s Derby. He won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and came in second in the Florida Derby.
"Generally speaking, with horses, you see a lot of physical maturity at 4-years-old and at 5," Blacker said. "But what I like most about Sovereignty is in looking at him, he looks very mature."
She said he’s a big, strong horse and is very tall; he even towers over some of his competition who may just be getting into their physical peak.
"Even though he came in second in his last race, that race was a shorter distance than the Kentucky Derby," Blacker said.
She said for a horse like Sovereignty, the added distance would be significant, as he needs more room to try and run down the competition.
From a storyline perspective, Blacker said Coal Battle is an interesting competitor. She called Sovereignty Lonnie Briley’s, his trainer, horse of a lifetime. "He has trained him to perfection. It’s his first time ever running a horse in the Kentucky Derby," Blacker said.
Briley found Sovereignty at a relatively small sale in Texas. "He’s the real, kind of underdog Derby darling and it would be great to see Lonnie Briley win the Kentucky Derby in his 70s," Blacker said.
She also mentioned Chunk of Gold as an underdog story of the Kentucky Derby. His trainer, Ethan West, is younger than most others in the running.
Lastly, Blacker mentioned Sandman, who is trained by Mark Casse, is owned in part by Griffin Johnson. Johnson has a TikTok following of over 9 million. Blacker said because of Johnson’s popularity, you might see lots of bets on Sandman this year.
"We’ve talked a lot in the last couple of years about needing to kind of bring the next generation into horse racing and I think with his content and his involvement this year, that’s a huge advantage for us," Blacker said.
On some level, whatever horse you would bet on is a top-notch runner. "There isn’t a horse lining up that doesn’t deserve to be there. So if you find a connection to one of the Kentucky Derby horses, you got to go with it," Blacker said.
She says you’ve got to trust your gut but whatever you choose, you’ll still feel the rush on Derby day. "Whoever your Derby horse is, you’re still going to feel that same level of excitement when they turn for home," Blacker said.
FanDuel has tools to help you learn more and will have a breakfast show beginning on the Friday before Derby to catch you up to speed.
