derby starters - official

[WodDow]

Eddington, Rock Hard Ten excluded from final Derby field of 20

An overflow group of 22 three-year-old colts were entered on Wednesday morning for Saturday’s $1-million Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, but Eddington and Rock Hard Ten were excluded from the final field.
A maximum of 20 runners, determined by graded stakes earnings, are allowed to compete in the Derby. Eddington and Rock Hard Ten, coming off third-place finishes in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) and Santa Anita Derby, respectively, were considered strong possible contenders but were 21st and 22nd on the list.

Trainer Todd Pletcher could have entered as many as four runners, including the filly Ashado, but he only entered Illinois Derby (G2) winner Pollard’s Vision and Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner Limehouse. Pletcher is one of two trainers with two entries, as Richard Mandella entered last year’s champion juvenile colt Action This Day and Minister Eric, the one-two finishers, respectively, in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

After taking entries, officials in Churchill Downs’s racing office conducted the traditional pill pull to determine the order in which the colts’ connections will select their post positions during the televised draw late Wednesday afternoon. Mandella drew especially well, as he will select first with Minister Eric and sixth with Action This Day.

"Post positions are not that big of a deal," Mandella said. "You’ve got to have luck. I’d take a bad post and good luck anytime."

The Derby’s 20 entrants, in the order they will draw post positions, are: Minister Eric, Master David, Friends Lake, Imperialism, St Averil, Action This Day, Wimbledon, The Cliff’s Edge, Pollard’s Vision, Borrego, Smarty Jones, Read the Footnotes, Birdstone, Lion Heart, Castledale (Ire), Tapit, Pro Prado, Song of the Sword, Limehouse, and Quintons Gold Rush.—Tom Law