Louisville, Ky. (WDRB) -- This is a big weekend for some of the last prep races leading up to Kentucky Derby 138. The Wood Memorial and the Santa Anita Derby are Saturday.
Churchill Downs' John Asher was on WDRB in the Morning today and says Hansen could be an early favorite. That's not only because of his skills--but because of his color.
"He is so grey he is almost white. There are a lot of different levels of grey and a lot of people will look at him and see a white horse," says Asher. "In fact, the writers up in New York have dubbed him the "ghost horse" already."
Hansen, named for a northern Kentucky Doctor named Kendall Hansen trains at Trackside in Louisville. The Breeders Cup Juvenile winner will run next in the Toyota Bluegrass at Keeneland on April 14th.
Asher also says Union Rags is another horse on the radar for Derby watchers. He is the expected favorite, after leading future wagering. Union Rags is trained by Michael Matz, who trained Barbaro in 2006. In his last run in the Florida Derby he got into trouble with traffic and ended up second to Take Charge Indy ridden by Calvin Borel.
Creative Cause is another grey. He was third behind Union Rags and Hansen in the Breeders Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs last November. But he had a huge run in the San Felipe with plenty of speed left, after crossing the wire.
Derby hopefuls have two more opportunities to get enough graded stakes to get into the Run for the Roses. The Arkansas Derby runs is on April 14th. And the final Derby Trial is set for Churchill Downs' opening night of the spring meet on April 28th.
The Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 5th. Infield Club tickets are also still available for Derby with seats in section 125. For more information, go to www.churchilldowns.com/tickets .
Hansen
Union Rags
Creative Cause
