That one horse is Big Brown. The bay colt is trained by Hagerstown native Rick Dutrow and is drawing a lot of attention. (He opened as early favorite with 3-1 odds.) Dutrow is an interesting character and certainly well-intentioned. But he managed to inject a little equine sexism into Saturday's Derby.
"I'm glad she's entered," he said, "because there isn't a filly in the world that can beat Big Brown."
Whoa, Nellie! Someone keep Martha Burk at bay!
At the mere mention of Dutrow's name, Eight Belle's owner started laughing. "It doesn't surprise me he said something like that. ... We'll have to find out whether that's a good assessment by Mr. Dutrow," Porter said with a chuckle.
Jones readily acknowledged there are clearly some obstacles.
Sure, Eight Belles has won four straight races, and she has a champion bloodline (her pop is Unbridled's Song, a Derby favorite in 1996, and her grandpa was Unbridled, who won here in 1990). But she has never raced more than 1 1/16 miles, and she has never been tested against the boys.
Jones entered his horse in both the Derby and tomorrow's Kentucky Oaks, the first test for 3-year-old fillies. Though he recognizes the disadvantages, he doesn't seem too concerned. When he drew the outside 12 post in the Oaks, he took it as a sign from above that Eight Belles belonged instead with the boys in the Derby.
"I don't want to sound like I hear from God every day the way Moses did," Jones said, "but there finally got to be a good peace over us."
It's not quite like having God on speed-dial, but Jones did consult with the last two trainers who have won the Derby with fillies - LeRoy Jolley (Genuine Risk in 1980) and D. Wayne Lukas (Winning Colors in 1988).
"The difference between [Eight Belles] and Winning Colors, like I told Larry, we tested the waters before we got to this level. ... We weren't really stepping outside of the box as far as he is," said Lukas, noting his filly had raced more and had already beaten boys before she got to the Derby. "I don't blame him for trying, though."
And that's what it really comes down to. The sheer fact that Porter and Jones have put their filly in the race illustrates how wide open the field might be this year. Anyone can win Saturday.
Maybe even a girl.
rick.maese@baltsun.com
