Brilliant Speed switches surfaces for the Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Brilliant Speed returns to dirt in a difficult spot: the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

After two poor efforts on dirt, the colt has run on either turf or synthetic tracks. He has not finished worse than third in six races since the transition, including the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland where he rolled from last to first to win by a nose over Twinspired.

Trainer Tom Albertrani likes what he has seen of the colt this week at Churchill Downs.

``He looks every bit as good as he did for his last few races, so we're optimistic,'' he said. ``The horse looks great.''

The question that remains to be answered is how the colt will run on dirt.

``He's always trained on it, but sometimes you don't know,'' Albertrani said. ``He may or may not like it. We just don't know. A lot of good turf horses will train good on it, but they won't run good on it. We're going to be hoping for a good race.''

Brilliant Speed is 30-1 from post No. 2.

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ON THE RAIL: Jon Court will try to make the best of a bad situation from the rail in the Derby.

Court is the rider of Archarcharch, who landed post No. 1 - an undesirable spot in the 20-horse race.

In a field that large, the horse down on the inside can be squeezed out of contention in the stampede from the starting gate to the first turn.

That's what happened to Lookin At Lucky last year. The 6-1 favorite was roughed up at the start and fell back to 18th before rallying to finish sixth.

Court is fortunate to have a versatile colt. Archarcharch rallied from far back to win the Arkansas Derby. He has also won when running much closer to the pace.

``The best run is not necessarily taking him way back,'' he said. ``If the speed out there is blistering, and there is a speed duel, you'll see him further back than if there was a slower pace. I'll talk it over with Jinks and see what our tactical plan is.''

``Jinks'' is William Fires, Court's father-in-law and Archarcharch's trainer. This is the first Derby experience for both.

The 50-year-old Court has ridden more than 3,000 winners, including more than 300 at Churchill Downs. To prepare for his initial Derby ride, he's watched old Derby videos.

``Some of those made me a little nervous,'' Court said. ``I left with a knot in my stomach. I am going to go back and look again at those races.''

Court has waited a long time for the opportunity with this 10-1 shot. The last horse to win from post No. 1 was Ferdinand in 1986 with Bill Shoemaker, who at 54 was the oldest rider to win the Derby.

Court is pulling for another senior moment.

``That was one of the comical things we talked about after the draw,'' Court said. ``Ferdinand, the 1-hole, one of the oldest riders in the race. It's a good combination. If the ingredients all come together again, that would be a fine result.''

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MAKING HISTORY: Kathleen O'Connell and Kathy Ritvo will both try to become the first woman to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner.

O'Connell sends out Watch Me Go, a 50-1 shot from post No. 20, while Ritvo trains Mucho Macho Man, a 12-1 shot from post No. 13.

For O'Connell, it has been a long, hard journey to her first Derby.

``I feel like I've been a trailblazer since time began, to be honest with you,'' said O'Connell, who began her career at now defunct Detroit Race Course. ``I've been on the track since 1970. My first license said 'exercise boy' because there wasn't even a category to check for a girl.''

A Derby win would fulfill a longtime dream.

``Whether I was a man or woman, it would be an awesome feeling,'' O'Connell said.

For any women who want to follow her path, O'Connell said: ``It's a tough business, but in any walk of life or any occupation, perseverance and patience are the two most notable things.''

Watch Me Go earned his way here with a victory in the Tampa Bay Derby.

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DREAM BET: Rico Flores has his own theory on how to place a winning bet on the wide-open Derby.

``You can just take five names, tape 'em to a wall and throw a dart at it,'' the Chicago businessman said, laughing.

If the dart lands in the right spot, Flores could be a very rich man.

He will place the bet of a lifetime Saturday after winning the Derby Dream Bet Sweepstakes sponsored by Churchill Downs and CNBC. The contest allows Flores to place a $100,000 wager on one horse to win the Derby.

Last year Houston-area software designer Glen Fullerton decided to put the money on Super Saver and walked away with $900,000 after jockey Calvin Borel guided the colt to victory.

It's a tough act to follow. Fullerton said Thursday he spent some of his windfall on a new car and invested most of the rest. He said he likely won't offer Flores much advice, but that he likes Midnight Interlude and 4-1 morning line favorite Dialed In.

Flores was noncommittal, saying he likely won't decide on a selection until shortly before post time. A longtime racing fan, Flores attends the Derby regularly and often finds himself at the betting window, though he typically places wagers with ``a lot less zeroes.''

Though he considers himself a relatively shrewd handicapper, Flores admits there is part of him that would love to let it ride on a long shot like Watch Me Go, who is 50-1.

Common sense, however, will likely take over when it comes time to take the briefcase filled with $100,000 and exchange it for a win ticket.

He's hoping a win would help with his retirement fund.

``I've been bumping that up for a while,'' he said. ``Hopefully Saturday's a big day.''

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DEVIL GONE: Devil May Care, the filly who ran 10th in last year's Derby, was euthanized Wednesday due to lymphosarcoma, a form of cancer.

She missed the 2010 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic after veterinarians diagnosed a case of hepatitis. The 4-year-old won 5 of 9 races lifetime and earned $724,000.