GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS:Animal Kingdom owner Barry Irwin shakes hands with winning jockey John Velazquez in the winner’s circle yesterday. Irwin bumped Robby Albarado, who won the Humana Distaff aboard Sassy Image earlier in the day (above). (Mark Abraham )
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Before the biggest crowd ever to jam into historic Churchill Downs in its 137 years, Barry Irwin, an old racetrack writer, owner and promoter stood up and blurted, “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it.”
He could have been speaking for millions around the world because his horse Animal Kingdom had just won the greatest race in the world at 20-1, a betting blockbuster in the long line of long shots that continue to shake America’s top classic.
Most of all, he might have been speaking for two jockeys, whom he bounced and recruited on the eve of the race in a musical chairs setup, not unusual in racing, but never, never as dramatic as yesterday. Irwin sacked Robby Albarado on Friday after the jockey had broken his nose and suffered facial injuries in a spill at Churchill on Wednesday.
Albarado, in the jocks room, saw his replacement, John Velazquez, roar through the fabled Churchill stretch on his horse, Animal Kingdom, and surely, he must have said “I can’t believe it.”
And Velazquez surely would have thought the same when he cruised under the wire to win his first Derby in 13 tries. He came to Louisville expecting to ride the hot Derby favorite Uncle Mo, only to see that colt fall by the wayside with an internal infection. Suddenly, he was dead in the water. No horse, no ride. It was the third straight year he had been booked to ride the Derby favorite only to see the horse pulled from the race at the eleventh hour.
At that point, Velazquez likely shook his head and cried, “I can’t believe it.”
Then he got a phone call from Barry Irwin offering him the ride on Animal Kingdom to replace Albarado. Velazquez accepted on the spot. The rest now is history. Given that history, Velazquez might only come to believe his good fortune after a night’s sleep.
“I feel bad for Robby, winning the Derby like that, when he was here,” Velazquez said. “I know he got hurt but I know he was with me.”
Don’t be too sure about that. Albarado, 38, has been riding for 21 years, but he has never won a Derby. He has suffered some horrendous falls, notably back in 1998 when he fractured his skull in two places, requiring a damaged portion to be replaced with titanium mesh. In January, he fractured his heel. Then, last week, a horse tossed him in the post parade at Churchill and stomped him in the face.
He took off riding Thursday and Friday, but resumed yesterday. Irwin decided that Albarado’s injury might have compromised Animal Kingdom’s prospects, so he went to Velazquez, nominated this year to be elected to the Hall of Fame, though Velazquez had never thrown a leg over the horse. No wonder nobody can believe it.
“The whole thing is surreal,” Irwin said.
Irwin once went within a head of winning the 1997 Derby when his horse Captain Bodgit lost by that margin to Silver Charm.
In the afterglow, Irwin said Albarado’s injury “came up bad.”
“We will find a way to make it up to him,” he said. “It was a tough call, but we have 20 partners in this horse and I had to do what was best for the partnership.”
Velazquez, speaking of his luck, said: “It was meant to be. Things happen for a reason, no matter what. I saw Robby when I came to the track today. I asked him how he felt. He said to me, ‘You’re riding a good horse.’ ”
That, apparently was the end of the conversation.
Animal Kingdom’s win was further evidence of the modern unpredictability of the Derby. The horse, for gosh’s sake, had never run on dirt till yesterday. Before yesterday, he had run only on synthetic and grass surfaces. He was the first horse in ages to win off a six-week layoff, the first horse in ages to win with only four starts. That might say a lot about the horses that finished behind him.
The record crowd of 164,000 also sent a message. This Derby had no superstar, but it was thought to be a wide-open event and it was with Dialed In the 5-1 favorite. In a word, this Derby was a betting spectacular and the public responded. Give ’em a big field with good odds and bettors will reach for the wallets.
So that’s the 137th Derby — another long shot winner, another shocker and a storyline not even Damon Runyon could have dreamed up.