A filly will try her luck in the Kentucky Derby online betting for the first time in nine years. Eight Belles attempts to become the fourth to visit the winner’s circle since Regret in 1918.
Regret lived up to her odds and was the only female favorite to whip the boys. She immediately went to the lead, never looked back and defeated 15 challengers by two lengths.
In ’80, Genuine Risk took command in the stretch and triumphed by neck over a dozen runners. In ’88, Winning Colors lived up to her name, broke on top from the inside post and led all the way over 16 rivals to win by a neck.
Unlike those two, Eight Belles has never faced males or traveled 1 1/8 miles. However, her speed figures have been comparable to the colts, which prompted her connections to try the Derby instead of the Oaks.
Trainer Larry Jones entered her in both, but drew No. 12 in the Oaks. She fared much better for the Derby and will break from post 5. And she’s coming into the big one with a four-race winning streak, including two graded stakes victories at Oaklawn Park.
Jones said he would have opted for the Oaks only if his filly ended up in the auxiliary gate from post 14 outward. “We wanted a ground-saving trip. She’ll run up behind the early leaders. She’ll be fine in there.”
The daughter of Unbridled’s Song is named after Eight Bells, the Maine home that belongs to the family of American contemporary realist painters Andrew Wyeth and N. C. Wyeth.
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