LOUISVILLE, Ky. — LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- --From the dawn of time - when Adam forgot to put the seat down back behind the Tree of Knowledge - the battle of the sexes is a rivalry that has played out over and over. Joan of Arc, Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, Hillary Clinton, Danica Patrick. And now, galloping in their trailblazing footsteps is a beautiful 3-year-old girl named Eight Belles.
On Saturday, the filly will take on a field of 19 boys in the Kentucky Derby. You should see her - tall, proud, sturdy. She has no idea what she's up against. Either that or she just doesn't care.
In the 133-year history of the Kentucky Derby, only 38 fillies have even dared to take aim at the roses. Just three have won. They're at such a disadvantage that no filly has even entered the race since 1999.
"Got to take your shot," said Eight Belles' owner, Rick Porter. "Worst thing you can do is get beat."
The fact that Eight Belles is even in the field on Saturday says a little bit about her and a whole lot about the 19 colts she'll race against.
Eight Belles is not a favorite (she drew the No. 5 gate and opened with 20-1 odds yesterday), but betting lines aside, there aren't a whole lot of standouts this year. Pick any horse and I can point out the flaw. Big Brown has only three races under his belt. Colonel John has never raced on dirt. Gayego's biggest win came against a soft field.
Is Eight Belles' biggest weakness her gender? Her trainer, Larry Jones, doesn't think so.
Jones is a bona fide boot-and-hat cowboy, pretty easy to spot on the backside of Churchill Downs. He and Porter made their first trip here last year with Hard Spun, who surprised many by running second in the Derby, third in the Preakness and fourth in the Belmont Stakes. Outside of Barn 43 yesterday, Jones eyed Eight Belles and said she's just as big as Hard Spun and just as capable as the 19 colts running Saturday.
"When you look at numbers, she's running as fast as most of the boys have," said Jones, who's moving his operations this year to Fair Hill training center, where Porter is building a 38-stall barn. "Only one boy who's a huge standout has the numbers above her.
"I've always been told that if there's one horse in there to beat, you got to take a chance. If there's two or three, you have to be realistic. In a 20-horse field, anything can happen, so we're not going to duck just one horse."
