2010 Kentucky betting won’t have Endorsement at 50-1. Since Mine That Bird won the Sunland Park Derby last year and then won the Kentucky Derby, people will be taking a serious look at Endorsement. The horse worked over the weekend at Keeneland and went five furlongs in 1:01.60 trainer Shannon Ritter. Robby Albarado was the jockey in the Sunland victory and he will get the mount in the Kentucky Derby.
The win by Endorsement in the Sunland Derby should not be overlooked. The horse beat previously undefeated Conveyance who is trained by Bob Baffert. Endorsement was very impressive, earning a Beyer speed figure of 101. Only Eskendereya comes into the Kentucky Derby with a better last race Beyer speed figure. If Eskendereya bounces, which is a definite possibility, then Endorsement could be right there to win in 2010 Kentucky betting. And his odds of 20-1 or more are very appealing. They could go up before post time if people overlook him as they did with Mine That Bird a year ago.
Endorsement is the son of Distorted Humor and he is in 8th place on the graded earnings list. Endorsement’s running time in the Sunland Park Derby was 1:48.46, just off the track record of 1:48 1/5 set by Winsham Lad in 1961. Bill Casner is a co-owner of Endorsement and the very first bet he placed was on Winsham Lad. “This is where I fell in love with racing when I was 13 years old,” he said. “… I still remember that day.”
Kentucky Derby odds are going to favor Eskendereya while Endorsement is going to be listed at double-digit odds. After what happened last year in the Derby though, Endorsement cannot be overlooked. The Sunland Derby is no longer a race to ignore when it comes to Derby preps. If Mine That Bird can come from nowhere to win the Derby then Endorsement may be able to pull it off as well. In fact, he may have a better resume than Mine That Bird had a year ago.