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    <title>Racing to the Kentucky Derby</title>
    <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords</link>
    <description>Zast's TrackWords column by HorseRaceInsider.com contributing writer, Vic Zast </description>
    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>Vic Zast</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2011</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2011-05-08T01:51:01-05:00</dc:date>
   
    

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      <title>Third Time&#8217;s the Charm</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/05072011&#45;third&#45;times&#45;the&#45;change/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[Then your jockey gets hurt, a leading Hall of Fame candidate becomes available because the near Derby favorite that he was about to ride was scratched for third year in a row, and all of a sudden you‘re being interviewed by Bob Costas on national television. If you don’t think this game can get real crazy at times, and you don’t believe in things like fate, then the Kentucky Derby probably isn’t for you. Actually, the best line to describe &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[Then your jockey gets hurt, a leading Hall of Fame candidate becomes available because the near Derby favorite that he was about to ride was scratched for third year in a row, and all of a sudden you‘re being interviewed by Bob Costas on national television. If you don’t think this game can get real crazy at times, and you don’t believe in things like fate, then the Kentucky Derby probably isn’t for you. Actually, the best line to describe &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2011-05-08T01:51:01-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Just WinWinWin, Baby</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/05062011&#45;just&#45;winwinwin&#45;baby/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[From an opening good&#45;figure compression line in a 7&#45;furlong maiden sprint at Churchill Downs, to a series of new pace tops and reversals&#45;&#45;Equiform pattern&#45;speak for excellent development&#45;&#45;his pace&#45;to&#45;final&#45;time&#45;figure ratio indicates he’s getting stronger as well as faster despite racing longer distances. What’s most impressive about his figure line is that the improvement has been incremental, and neither is he overly developed, going from a 70&#45;½ final&#45;figure debut to his 76&#45;¼ in winning the Arkansas Derby. Further, Archarcharch boasts a sparkling &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[From an opening good&#45;figure compression line in a 7&#45;furlong maiden sprint at Churchill Downs, to a series of new pace tops and reversals&#45;&#45;Equiform pattern&#45;speak for excellent development&#45;&#45;his pace&#45;to&#45;final&#45;time&#45;figure ratio indicates he’s getting stronger as well as faster despite racing longer distances. What’s most impressive about his figure line is that the improvement has been incremental, and neither is he overly developed, going from a 70&#45;½ final&#45;figure debut to his 76&#45;¼ in winning the Arkansas Derby. Further, Archarcharch boasts a sparkling &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2011-05-07T09:41:00-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>They&#8217;re All in Line</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/05042011&#45;theyre&#45;all&#45;in&#45;line/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[6 Comma To The Top 30&#45;1 (75&#45;½, SA, Apr 9, 2011) Like Archarcharch, a throwback. So much so that he’s run 14 times already, the equivalent of two careers for many of today’s top Thoroughbreds. His continuing penchant for bearing out is a screaming red flag but he usually runs his race. Speedy style does not augur well in this matchup. Also will be gunning early. 7 Pants On Fire 20&#45;1 (73&#45;¾, FG, Mar 26, 2011) It’s been clear since &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[6 Comma To The Top 30&#45;1 (75&#45;½, SA, Apr 9, 2011) Like Archarcharch, a throwback. So much so that he’s run 14 times already, the equivalent of two careers for many of today’s top Thoroughbreds. His continuing penchant for bearing out is a screaming red flag but he usually runs his race. Speedy style does not augur well in this matchup. Also will be gunning early. 7 Pants On Fire 20&#45;1 (73&#45;¾, FG, Mar 26, 2011) It’s been clear since &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2011-05-04T23:50:00-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Ecstasy and the Agony, a Personal Account of Derby 134</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/ecstacy&#45;and&#45;the&#45;agony&#45;a&#45;personal&#45;account&#45;of&#45;derby&#45;134/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[And so Kentucky Derby day dawned cold and gray, in one of the two places in this country where the race horse not only is revered but remains very much a part of life‘s fabric. The other place is bluegrass country, of course, where the day also dawned cold and gray. But as the horses for the first race of the day paraded postward, they began to cast shadows, not sharp ones, but enough to tell that blue skies were &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[And so Kentucky Derby day dawned cold and gray, in one of the two places in this country where the race horse not only is revered but remains very much a part of life‘s fabric. The other place is bluegrass country, of course, where the day also dawned cold and gray. But as the horses for the first race of the day paraded postward, they began to cast shadows, not sharp ones, but enough to tell that blue skies were &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2008-05-04T06:34:00-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Handicapping Minds: Profiling Kentucky Derby 134</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/handicapping&#45;minds&#45;profiling&#45;kentucky&#45;derby&#45;134/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[1&#45;Cool Coal Man: Unfairly maligned when a perfect trip Fountain of Youth winner, colt has excellent turn of foot that gets him into contention quickly. He’ll need to from the pole position. Finished badly unplaced in the Blue Grass but at least did some running, tiring after chasing the pace, a common Polytrack occurrence. Best performance figure earned at two came at Churchill, thus he figures to run a much better Saturday. Nick Zito‘s horses often rebound off poor efforts; &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[1&#45;Cool Coal Man: Unfairly maligned when a perfect trip Fountain of Youth winner, colt has excellent turn of foot that gets him into contention quickly. He’ll need to from the pole position. Finished badly unplaced in the Blue Grass but at least did some running, tiring after chasing the pace, a common Polytrack occurrence. Best performance figure earned at two came at Churchill, thus he figures to run a much better Saturday. Nick Zito‘s horses often rebound off poor efforts; &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2008-05-02T05:01:01-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Time to Change Kentucky Derby Eligibility Rules</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/04302008&#45;time&#45;to&#45;change&#45;kentucky&#45;derby&#45;eligibility&#45;rules/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[Why shouldn’t the best 20 thoroughbreds be loaded into the Churchill Downs gate, getting in the way aspiring titlists earn their awards; by accomplishment on the racetrack, ideally in one of the game’s time&#45;honored preps. There are only two ways to look at a horse race; before and after the fact. Post race, any argument can be made with certitude but still might not provide the best course for the future. Like the opinion that says the graded&#45;earnings system works. &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[Why shouldn’t the best 20 thoroughbreds be loaded into the Churchill Downs gate, getting in the way aspiring titlists earn their awards; by accomplishment on the racetrack, ideally in one of the game’s time&#45;honored preps. There are only two ways to look at a horse race; before and after the fact. Post race, any argument can be made with certitude but still might not provide the best course for the future. Like the opinion that says the graded&#45;earnings system works. &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2008-05-01T03:01:00-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Kentucky Oaks as Wide Open as Derby</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/04292008&#45;kentucky&#45;oaks&#45;as&#45;wide&#45;open&#45;as&#45;derby/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[Glad Cowboy Larry said later that only the 19 or 20 post might keep Eight Belles out of Derby 134. Good thing, too, for Denis Of Cork. The Churchill&#45;loving longshot could have been on the outside looking in, so to speak, since, according to Porter’s first analysis, there was a 40 percent chance Eight Belles could opt out of the Derby. Not anymore, probably. This three&#45;year&#45;old filly class is comparable to the colts in that there are quite a few &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[Glad Cowboy Larry said later that only the 19 or 20 post might keep Eight Belles out of Derby 134. Good thing, too, for Denis Of Cork. The Churchill&#45;loving longshot could have been on the outside looking in, so to speak, since, according to Porter’s first analysis, there was a 40 percent chance Eight Belles could opt out of the Derby. Not anymore, probably. This three&#45;year&#45;old filly class is comparable to the colts in that there are quite a few &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2008-04-30T05:01:00-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>What Big Brown Can&#8217;t Do Is Make You Rich</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/04242008&#45;what&#45;big&#45;brown&#45;cant&#45;do&#45;is&#45;make&#45;you&#45;rich/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[He’ll need to prove it three times in the near future if he wants to be as famous as Affirmed became 30 years ago. But that gets way ahead of a still developing story, a still developing and still inexperienced race horse. When a fractured sesamoid was discovered in the left ankle of champion War Pass that will keep him out of the Derby, Big Brown’s job got a lot easier, or so it seems. But the declaration of War &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[He’ll need to prove it three times in the near future if he wants to be as famous as Affirmed became 30 years ago. But that gets way ahead of a still developing story, a still developing and still inexperienced race horse. When a fractured sesamoid was discovered in the left ankle of champion War Pass that will keep him out of the Derby, Big Brown’s job got a lot easier, or so it seems. But the declaration of War &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2008-04-25T05:01:00-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Racecar Rhapsody Music to My Ears; Tomcito Deserves Derby Berth</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/04182008&#45;racecar&#45;rhapsody&#45;music&#45;to&#45;my&#45;ears&#45;tomcito&#45;deserves&#45;derby&#45;berth/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[Before the race, much was made of the fact that posts 11 and 12 were zero for life since the Gulfstream Park track was refigured. But how many horses win in Hallandale Beach coming from last of 12, last of anything for that matter? It might not be zero, but it’s pretty close. Today, Tomcito goes postward second&#45;time Lasix for trainer Dante Zanelli. That’s never a bad thing. Jorge Chavez will ride him back; he must have learned something last &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[Before the race, much was made of the fact that posts 11 and 12 were zero for life since the Gulfstream Park track was refigured. But how many horses win in Hallandale Beach coming from last of 12, last of anything for that matter? It might not be zero, but it’s pretty close. Today, Tomcito goes postward second&#45;time Lasix for trainer Dante Zanelli. That’s never a bad thing. Jorge Chavez will ride him back; he must have learned something last &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2008-04-19T05:01:00-05:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Big Brown, Number One With A Bullet</title>
      <link>http://www.horseraceinsider.com/racing&#45;to&#45;the&#45;kentucky&#45;derby/04172008&#45;big&#45;brown&#45;number&#45;one&#45;with&#45;a&#45;bullet/</link>
      

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 <![CDATA[Dutrow won a second seven&#45;figure race in Dubai with Diamond Stripes, an older, multiple stakes winner. Diamond Stripes is a good horse but one that couldn’t keep pace with Big Brown in their company workouts as the three&#45;year&#45;old was preparing to make an unlikely leap from one&#45;turn preliminary allowance winner to nine&#45;furlong Grade 1 performer&#45;&#45;from post 12 at Gulfstream Park, which never happened before. “There were all these people around me…” DeLong remembered. “There was Dutrow’s morning, the Adena filly &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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<![CDATA[Dutrow won a second seven&#45;figure race in Dubai with Diamond Stripes, an older, multiple stakes winner. Diamond Stripes is a good horse but one that couldn’t keep pace with Big Brown in their company workouts as the three&#45;year&#45;old was preparing to make an unlikely leap from one&#45;turn preliminary allowance winner to nine&#45;furlong Grade 1 performer&#45;&#45;from post 12 at Gulfstream Park, which never happened before. “There were all these people around me…” DeLong remembered. “There was Dutrow’s morning, the Adena filly &#8230;<br/><br/><a href='http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Zasts-TrackWords'>MORE...</a>]]>
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 <dc:date>2008-04-18T05:01:00-05:00</dc:date>
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